Javan

Another thread here made me think of this...

I have an '05 forester with the stock Subaru rails and crossmembers. Anyone else drive one? Do you use the Subaru bike rack or something else? I am considering a purchase in the future and was curious about Thule vs. the Subaru rack systems. I will one day have bike, ski and possibly kayak racks.

Dr. Moto

The Thule or Yakima add-ons for factory racks will almost certainly be less expensive than anything Subaru might provide, and probably more versatile. Also, when you trade in the Subaru, you can keep any aftermarket rack parts and transfer them to your new vehicle.

Kayakado

I have Yakima racks on my 98 Forester. I have mako saddles and hully rollers for the kayaks and then mounted outside of them are a raptor on each side. I have the next widest crossbars, but they don't extend past the mirrors. For the rear hatch I have another rack of unknown name that was a hand-me-down. I can carry two sea kayaks and two bikes on the roof and two bikes on the rear hatch rack. When I am by myself the seats get folded down and the bike get put in the back. One point, the rack itself makes a lot of wind noise, if I take the kayak racks off. They seem to help keep the wind noise down and I don't need a fairing or windjammer as long as they are on there.

monogodo

Actually, when I had a Subaru Impreza Outback wagon, I bought the Subaru bike rack for it because it was half the price of the Yakima rack I wanted. It turned out to be a Yakima rack with Subaru decals.

Seanholio

I bought the Yakima rack. They have towers which will grip your existing rails and you can attach the bars to those, and the bike trays to the bars.