Highest Capacity Roof Rack for a 2018 Subaru Outback Touring

Question:

with a weight rating at 165 on the yakimas how is it going to hold me and the tent on the roof?

asked by: Zack

Helpful Expert Reply:

The Thule roof racks available for the 2018 Subaru Outback have a capacity of 110 pounds no matter which bar style is being used. There are roof racks that are rated higher though so to maximize the capacity of the vehicle (which according to the owner's manual is 176 pounds on models that have factory side rails that run front to back or 150 pounds for models with crossbars integrated into the rails).

All of the Yakima roof rack options are rated for 165 pounds. For a Yakima roof rack you can use the following set ups:

JetStream bars # Y00425
RidgeLine Towers # Y00145
Clips # Y06028

or

CoreBars # Y00421
RidgeLine Towers # Y00145
Clips # Y06028

expert reply by: Michael H

Zack

6/22/2018

with a weight rating at 165 on the yakimas how is it going to hold me and the tent on the roof?

Michael H.

6/22/2018

Great question! It depends on the design of the roof tent. Some of them have a ladder that extends to the ground and helps support the tent and occupants. For example the Yakima SkyRise tents such as # Y07437 have this feature and the ladder actually supports the majority of the weight. In the US vehicle roofs are rated for much less weight than the same vehicle in other parts of the world. The available roof racks are a reflection more of that fact than anything else. If your Air Top tent doesn't have a secondary method of support like the Yakima SkyRise then you could overload the vehicle roof.