Hey I got a coupon to use towards either rack and was wondering if anyone has used these racks.

The Thule is 380 before discount and the Yakima is 330 before discount.

That's besides the point though.

My big questions are which do you prefer or which do you think is better backed up by either facts or experience.

Also what is the best way to mount it on the top of an XJ.

Should I just strap it to the factory load bars???

I've heard that it's better to go with the gutter mount. What about putting it on the factory rails(not the loadbars)?

Thanks.

 

I don't know any thing about the racks you are looking at
but I mounted mine to the factory bar

 

i havent had issues with 2-300 pounds on the factory rails with my surco rack, gutter mounts are supposedly stronger, theres no real testing to verify it though (that i know of). I like the way the THULE rack looks myself, but then again the yakima is nice and low-pro.

you can go wrong with either, theyre both awesome units.

 

Another detail is that the thule comes with loadbars built into the rack so you can put other stuff on such as skis etc etc without taking the rack off.

 

I like the look of both. so i would go for the cheaper.
Both are reputable companys

 

I think I'm going to go with the Thule. Yakima was saying I needed some extra expensive hardware to strap it to the factory loadbars and I said to hell with that. I like that the Thule rack has the thule loadbars on the rack too. That's a big bonus.