Once your roof racks have been installed, you can carry all sorts of gear on them to make your travels easier. After you have roof racks, you won’t be able to imagine your life without them! But what can you put on roof racks?
Knowing the sort of gear that you can carry will make your life a whole lot easier when transporting it.
If you want to spontaneously go surfing, camping, or skiing, you can easily use your roof rack to make traveling easier. Forget trying to cram large pieces of equipment in your car, your roof racks will make this a lot easier for you.
This article will show you what you can put on a roof rack and how you can make the most of having them on your car. There are lots of benefits of having a roof rack, so find out more below!
Table of Contents
Why Are Roof Racks Useful?
Roof racks are incredibly useful for transporting gear that is too large for inside your car.
This makes it easier for people to travel, as they will not have to arrange other modes of transport for some gear and it takes away a lot of stress, especially for families.
You can keep all of your gear together and have extra space to store things on the roof rack.
What Can You Put On A Roof Rack?
There are lots of different things that you can carry on a roof rack that will make your trips easier.
The gear that you can carry on a roof rack is often the gear that is most difficult to transport and fit in your car, so having a roof rack makes it a lot easier to transport and it allows you to safely secure it on the car.
Kayaks
Kayaks are so large that they are almost impossible to fit inside a car, so having a roof rack can make it a lot easier to transport your kayak.
Having a roof rack means that you can take your kayak out on trips, so you will be able to get more use out of it, especially if you were unable to transport it before.
When you are looking to transport your kayak on your roof racks, you will need to make sure that your kayak fits safely across the crossbars. This will allow you to safely secure your kayak to the roof.
If the crossbars are too short for the kayak, it will be dangerous as it will not fit properly.
Surfboards
Surfboards are notoriously difficult to transport, especially if your car is small.
When you are going on vacation, you want to take your surfboard with you instead of hiring one, so roof racks can make this possible and allow you to take your surfboard to different locations.
You always need to make sure that the crossbars are a suitable size for carrying your surfboard as you want it to be secure when traveling. If the surfboard is not secure, there is a risk that it could become damaged or you could cause an accident.
Bikes
Unless you have a fold-up bike, they can be very difficult to store in a car, especially if you have several bikes for a family.
Storing all of these bikes in the car with a family can be difficult, but having a roof rack makes it easier to take all of the bikes on a day trip or vacation.
When you are storing more than one bike on the roof rack, you need to make sure that there is enough room.
You cannot cram more bikes than will fit on the roof rack as this is unsafe and dangerous, so only store as many bikes as is recommended on your roof rack.
Skis
Skis are very delicate pieces of equipment that can easily get broken when they are crammed into a car. Being able to secure them on a roof rack means that you can use your skis when you are away and that they are stored in a safe place.
You need to make sure that your roof racks are suitable for storing skis as they are very long, so you cannot store them on roof racks that are too small.
You also need to make sure that they are secure to avoid them hitting other cars or coming loose and becoming damaged.
Cargo Boxes
Cargo boxes are very popular as they mean that you can store equipment inside a box that is made from hard plastic. This will keep your belongings safe and ensure that they are safe inside the cargo box.
They are great for storing more gear and equipment when traveling so you do not have to leave important pieces at home.
How To Secure Object To A Roof Rack
If you have decided that you want to use your roof rack to transport objects like surfboards, kayaks, and skis, you will need to make sure that they are secure for the journey.
If they are not secure, there is a danger that they will come loose and become damaged. As well as becoming damaged, they could cause an accident, so securing them is important.
When you are securing objects like surfboards and kayaks to your roof racks, you will need to use cable locking ties.
They need to be of good quality to ensure that your surfboard or kayak will not come loose, so making sure that the ties are of high quality is important, otherwise, they could weaken and snap.
Securing A Surfboard To A Roof Rack
Below is a way that you can secure a surfboard to a roof rack. Depending on the cable ties that you have, you might have to wrap the ties around the surfboard and roof racks more to make sure that the ties are not too loose.
To secure the cable ties around a surfboard, you will need to leave the buckle on the board and throw the strap on top of the tail. Then, pull the other end of the strap underneath the racks.
When you pull it out, throw the strap over the nose, pull it back underneath the racks, and then secure it in the buckle.
These are general steps to secure a surfboard to a roof rack, so repeat the steps as many times as you need if your cable ties are longer.
It is important to make sure that the surfboard is secure, so make sure that you check how secure it is before your drive.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, you can put bikes, a kayak, a surfboard, a cargo box, or skis on a roof rack to make traveling easier and less stressful.
Being able to store these items on a roof rack saves lots of room inside your car and prevents you from needing to find alternative transport for these larger items.
You need to use good quality cable locking ties to secure your objects to the roof rack, but seek advice from the manufacturer of your roof racks if you are unsure.
It is incredibly important to make sure that the objects are secure on the roof racks to avoid an accident, so check that they are before driving.
