Hey all, new owner and poster here. Just bought a 2000 XJ to use on NJ beaches for fishing. I am searching for a roof rack to stick my spare and extra equipment and mount an awning to escape the brutal summer sun. Was liking the Gobi Ranger https://www.gobiracks.com/product/go...-carrier-rack/ a bit pricey but I’m sure you get what you pay for. It also is compatible with lots of awnings. Anyone have experience with awnings and deploying them in soft sand or windy conditions. Any recommendations? TIA

 

Check out JCR. Made here in the USA. Extremely well built stuff. You can email them about the awning you want to use and other questions. They respond quickly.

 

I have the JCR rack and a Napa awning. Very easy fit and install. So easy in fact that I can remove it in a few minutes so I don’t have to drive around town with my awning attached.

 

You can also make your own extrusion style rack for about $600 in parts, you could make it cheaper depending on the design.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing

 

I have a NAPA style awning (they come under a few names) like @Lynn Gräber 's above on a roof rack I made myself and it's been great. I've put it up and down by myself in windy and wet conditions with no real problems. Here it is in sandy but not quite "beach sandy" conditions. I'm sure you could find or fabricate discs of some sort to place under the base of the poles to spread to load over the sand on a beach.

 

The Napa awning really can’t be beat. It’s 100 bucks. You could probably even attach it to factory rails. That wouldn’t solve your need for carrying a tire though.

 

I'm interested in awning recommendations as well. I ordered a Gobi (love the look) but canceled when I found an ARB on Marketplace for $500. It was new, but had shipping damage. Damage was only a few scrapes which would happen under normal use anyway. A great score.

 

Thanks for the tips, I’m liking the Napa awning. I have a bumper coming from JCR so that’s not out of the question.

 

I like the NAPA, however they're out of stock and rumor has it they've been discontinued. Hope that's not true.