With many options and styles available within the roof rack market, it can be an extremely difficult decision to make when it comes to working out which style of roof rack will suit you best. The advantage of choosing a certain style is that you get exactly what you are after in a roof rack, and don’t have to purchase something that only serves your short-term needs.

There are five common styles of roof racks widely available; Open-Rear, Tent-Style, Basket-Style, Open-Ends and Flat-Deck. So which one is what and how do you know if it is what you truly need? That’s ok, we will go through in a bit more detail of just what exactly each one is and what purpose they generally serve.

Open-Rear

This style includes the advantages of upright wind deflection with the open-end style, where you can have a quiet roof rack, whilst also being able to carry long loads, with the overhang being sent over the rear of your roof rack.

Tent-Style

This is based on a similar principle to the Open-Rear but is specifically built around your tent. Fully customisable in terms of length, you can adapt this roof rack to suit your tent specifically. The difference is in the front section of the roof rack, a section of mesh is welded to the base, to make it fully functional in terms of load carrying.

Basket-Style

These are great for touring and off-road applications as they maximise your ability to carry large loads of varying shapes and sizes. Awkward items like camp chairs and firewood are easily stowed within the confines of the Basket style roof rack.

Open-Ends

With the wind-deflection solved by mounting a wind-deflector below the base of the roof rack, it allows Tradies and Technicians the ability to carry long loads securely. These also can be customised to allow for wide sheets of plaster and sheet.

Flat-Deck

This style was created by the industry in a bid to save overall height of the vehicle. Carparks are getting lower and we already struggle to park our cars in the city enough as it is, so this is a fantastic option to combat the issue!

While choosing one of the above styles is a large part of the decision you will make towards purchasing a roof rack and taking their purpose into consideration, you will also have to consider its functionality as everyone will have different needs and purpose of use contributing to what they buy. Material, weight rating and cross functionality of both on and off-road use may also come into play when you are considering what sort of roof rack you want to purchase and what brand you will purchase from.

While the five styles mentioned are the most common on the market, each varies in functionality, materials and usability for multiple purposes, so researching and really thinking about what you want from your purchase should be a high priority during this time.

A multi-functional, high strength roof rack with full load rating across both on and off-road is the Tradesman Roof Rack brand which will set your mind at ease as the rack is built to fit your purpose, strong enough to help you both on the road and the job and will ensure you have peace of mind without having to calculate and compromise what you take to not exceed the load rating should you be doing both on and off-road driving. With other variations available outside the common five, their custom roof racks are built for you! If you have a specific variation in mind or custom idea, get in touch to make your ideas a reality!