More re the 2013 Outback Rack I happened to park next to a post-2010 Subie Outback at the bank today, and realized that we lined up almost perfectly when I started to get back in. Our Yakima racks were up and they had their crossbars deployed, so I could see the relative locations between that and our 2007 Subie Outback.
The forward rail in the 2010 system is maybe a couple of inches further back, at most, than the location on my car.
The new slot that they are adding in the rear for the 2013 models looks like it should line up with where our rear cross bar is currently set, at the back of the open run along the side rails.
In sum, they just spent a couple plus years being cranky about going back to pretty much exactly what they had before they decided to âimproveâ it. Fill in the blankâŚ
You can get almost any response you want from a focus group. All depends on whom you select as focus group participants and how you lead the discussion.
If the Outback focus groups consisted of people who did not use their roof racks then any roof rack design is fine.
If their focus groups included people who use their roof racks for canoes or longer kayaks I am sure their focus group results would have been considerably different.
Iâm looking at hauling my 12â kayak with a set of kayak racks for my Forester, I found a set of folding that are much cheaper than Yakimas. https://vaultcargo.com/subaru-forester-roof-rack-cross-bars/ Wondering if anyone has used j bars other than Yakima or if youâve used these and they worked well. thanks.
@ said:
30 in
I just measured the spread and it is 30 inches. On top of the car it doesnât look like much but my last car was a Honda Civic and the rack attached to the front and back windows. That canât possibly have been more than 30 inches.
What I canât find, is a suitable place in the back to hook lines other than in the trunk.
Move the rear bar to the aft position. Youâll have 40", on a 2017 Outback. You will note the aero cradles from Yakima.
I donât know where you got 30 inches. But the rack measures 40 front to rear with the bar in the aft position. Aft position is fixed. It also does not work with all roof boxes so youâd have to move it back. There is a âallen stockâ wrench in your tool kit in the spare tire area for this purpose.
The saddles are Yakima âEven Keelâ saddles. When I bought them they were $80 for four. They are now $109. https://yakima.com/evenkeel Iâm not real fond of them but they do work in this configuration with little extra drag or performance loss, mpg.
When I carry two boats on this car I use one level and one on Yakima J Hooks. https://yakima.com/jayhook
Yes it takes some technique to tie these down securely. Run the straps to the horizontal roof rack bars not the j-hook and youâll be better off. It secures the boat in two vectors not just one as the factory suggests. Note that is the method provided with the Honda OEM bars.
PSâŚI donât use bow and stern lines. I just tie âem down good. Note, I normally carry 17â seakayaks. Think long and skinny. If you carry short and fat kayaks all bets are off.
I have a 2018 Subaru Outback that has those hidden crossbarsâwhat âsystemâ would be best to use with the rack to carry one 11 ft kayak? TIA for your help, sounds like youâve got experience with this!
Faced with a similar issue. Heard a lot of Apex racks like this and as far as I understand it would be a good decision. Waiting for an expertâs opinion for sure
