Truck Racks

[F21FALCON]

Is anyone running an overland style truck rack to haul more stuff for Western hunting. Was wondering if it's any advantage for someone who would be traveling a few states away from home to hunt? Would it free up bed space? Also anyone that does, could you give suggestions on brands. I went down a rabbit hole trying to find one that would hold the most weight. Thinking a full size spare tire and other stuff to get out of the bed. It seems a lot of them won't hold much weight.

 

[taskswap]

They can be handy but not always. On some forest service roads, low-hanging trees can give taller vehicles a disadvantage and they don't exactly have the budget to go around trimming right now. And getting stuff up and down from there can be a pain. But IMO it's better than truck tents. (I know they have their fans but I'm not one of them. I hate having to pack up camp and potentially lose my spot just to run into town or a few miles down the road to glass another area.)

I don't run a rack like that, but I do use cargo carriers. I added a front receiver to my RAM and love it. I have a winch on a mounting plate that I can throw on if I really need it, but 95% of the time (like probably everybody that has a winch) I never use it, so I can put a cargo carrier on there. That holds one of my two coolers plus a small bin with my truck chains and a few tools. I could easily carry more but I like to keep the front load low so it doesn't obstruct my radiator (much).

On my rear hitch I have another cargo carrier with a second cooler, small generator, gas can, etc. It looks a little unwieldy but bear in mind with the coolers empty there's no weight to them and when full they balance out so it rides very well and this leaves my entire cab and truck bed free for other things. I only have a 6.5' bed and have never felt like I didn't have room for "honestly that's way more gear than I really need..." And despite the added length I've never had a problem getting down a FS road...

I guess it depends what gear you want to bring. Most of those racks seem to be either cheap clones best used for carrying light things like ladders or custom jobs with tons of attachment mounts that I call the "chandolier-o'gear" - axes, shovels, traction boards, water and fuel carriers, etc etc. I'm kind of hard pressed to think what hunting gear I might want up there - coolers are so bulky they'd really hurt your fuel mileage, I wouldn't want my backpack up there pounded by 80mph wind and road grime, food would get ruined getting baked in the sun, etc. But YMMV.

 

[huntsman22]

I had a System One ladder rack that would hold a lotta weight. And not as useless as an overlander for everyday use.....

 

[wyogoat]

I have the Yakima OverHaulf for carrying fly rod holders and some extra storage. Works well and does free up some bed space but depends what you mount on top and what the trade off is for gas mileage loss. Depending on your truck, you could mount it a little lower to hide your gear from the wind. I have a Canyon and it’s just below the cab line. I also just mounted a double gun case (Apache) on it with some carriage bolts for cheap, dry, dust free storage.
At the moment I have a bed height Yakima system on and it’s coming off for hunting season. Too difficult for getting the bed loaded.

 

[F21FALCON]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I need to really figure out what I would be bringing for a week or so and go from there. I've read where some guys say bring 2 full size spares and high lift jacks,shovels,extra gas, ect. I see the issue with loading stuff in and out of the bed with it. Another thing I have noticed is most of them won't hold much weight when off road driving. And they are not cheap!! My truck bed is a 5.5' bed so that was another thing since it so short trying to add capacity for stuff.

 

[Carr5vols]

Build your own or have built at a fab shop...get what you want for cheaper..mine is custom and built to my needs and spec..could hold anything i want to put on it or in it.

 

[fmyth]

I had an expensive rack built by a local company that builds them for their Baja teams chase trucks. I used it to carry my roof top tent, 2 sets of Max Tracs and a high lift jack. I used it for a couple years and then sold it and went to an ARE Shell. I like the shell better because it keeps my stuff out of sight and makes it a little harder for some crackhead to steal my chainsaw while I'm using the bathroom at the gas station on my way to hunt. The shell does a great job keeping my stuff dry and out of the snow.

 

[F21FALCON]

Build your own or have built at a fab shop...get what you want for cheaper..mine is custom and built to my needs and spec..could hold anything i want to put on it or in it. View attachment 901251View attachment 901250View attachment 901249

Was considering that. That way it would do what i need.

 

[RS_Non-Res]

Three to five 40-yr old Yakima racks on top of the shell and cab. I can stash a couple of 17-ft canoes, or a mix of canoes, sailboards and rigs, kayaks and paddles, skis, and bikes. They're too high for putting much weight up there or stuff that needs frequent access, but at least the light bulky stuff is out of the bed.

 

[WeiserBucks]

How much shit do you need? We've done 3 man trips for multiple weeks in an extended cab pickup with no bed rack?

 

[F21FALCON]

I had an expensive rack built by a local company that builds them for their Baja teams chase trucks. I used it to carry my roof top tent, 2 sets of Max Tracs and a high lift jack. I used it for a couple years and then sold it and went to an ARE Shell. I like the shell better because it keeps my stuff out of sight and makes it a little harder for some crackhead to steal my chainsaw while I'm using the bathroom at the gas station on my way to hunt. The shell does a great job keeping my stuff dry and out of the snow.View attachment 901257
View attachment 901258

That’s cool. Was kicking around the idea of a topper also. Trying to figure out what would best suit my needs. Only thing that concerns me with topper is will it be enough room? I know I will probably bring way more than I will need. Also would probably be a couple of us going. Just trying to figure best way for all our stuff. I really need to sit down and figure exactly what we would be bringing.

 

[F21FALCON]

How much shit do you need? We've done 3 man trips for multiple weeks in an extended cab pickup with no bed rack?

Not real sure. I have never been on a hunt in the mountains before. I have no doubt I am overthinking it.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Not real sure. I have never been on a hunt in the mountains before. I have no doubt I am overthinking it.

Look at it like this: You're going to the mountains, away from your truck. Why do you need 37 tons of shit in the truck?

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I’m waiting for my Jeep Gladiator to arrive at the dealer. I’ve already ordered the Smartcap EVOA for it with their top mount rack for it.

770lb static and 350 lb dynamic load for the rack up top. Easily the highest rating I’ve seen for a camper shell. That way I can have fuel cans, wash water, extra drinking water, cooler, the list goes on, and still have the entire bed and camper shell area available for gear, sleeping if needed, meat coolers, recovery gear, etc.

This is a stock photo but you the idea.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I need to really figure out what I would be bringing for a week or so and go from there. I've read where some guys say bring 2 full size spares and high lift jacks,shovels,extra gas, ect. I see the issue with loading stuff in and out of the bed with it. Another thing I have noticed is most of them won't hold much weight when off road driving. And they are not cheap!! My truck bed is a 5.5' bed so that was another thing since it so short trying to add capacity for stuff.

In all of my off roading and absolutely nasty trails I’ve done. Only one time did I have a tire and a second tire go on us. This was on a glacier/river cut out “road” in the middle of nowhere Alaska. That was fun.

I only carry the one full size spare and I always have patch kits and an air compressor. When we go on jeep runs everyone who is smart airs their tires down for the trails and we air backup before getting onto highway. This works great for forest service roads and rough off roading while hunting as well.

 

[F21FALCON]

Look at it like this: You're going to the mountains, away from your truck. Why do you need 37 tons of shit in the truck?

I forgot to put in my original post that we would be base camping at the truck. I should have clarified that in the beginning. Will have to bring a small generator.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I forgot to put in my original post that we would be base camping at the truck. I should have clarified that in the beginning. Will have to bring a small generator.

This is a great application for a good camper shell and rack setup to get shit out of your pickup bed.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Will have to bring a small generator.

For?

Not trying to be a jerk just trying clarify. I've made a ton of mistakes myself and really trying to help.

 

[F21FALCON]

For?

Not trying to be a jerk just trying clarify. I've made a ton of mistakes myself and really trying to help.

I will have to be able to power my CPAP machine at night. I missed my chance at a back country pack hunt several years ago. I appreciate your input on this. If people don’t give there opinion and experience it would not be helpful.

 

[WeiserBucks]

I will have to be able to power my CPAP machine at night. I missed my chance at a back country pack hunt several years ago. I appreciate your input on this. If people don’t give there opinion and experience it would not be helpful.

Gotcha. Bring the kitchen sink and enjoy the trip. Perhaps consider a small trailer to make sure you guys have everything you want/need.