Which ones are best and what's the damn difference anyway?http://www.roofrackcity.com.au/Vehicle_SUBARU_Liberty_4132.aspx
And what do I tie the gear to the racks with.
(board in bag, 1 x boom, 1 x mast, 2 x sails)
No, I really don't know. Never used before.
I used to have some soft racks that came with a strap already attached to it. They were quite good by the way, but did leave minor scuffing on the roof.
I have the aero bars as i was told they were less noisy than the heavy duty bars. Other wise not much difference. Have found you can do anything with the aero that you can do with the heavy duty. For short distance i use the elastic straps and for longer distance or heavy object small ratchet straps. Look under the ralated accessories section for the different straps you can get.
I have Thule Aero's on my Forester with a pod on one side and 2 boards on the other. I use SPT lockable tiedowns (4 metre length). The Pod can fit 2 x booms, 4 sails and a 400 mast plus accessories. See my avatar. Hope this helps.
i have the Rhino Racks Sportz roofies on my Liberty wagon. Nice and low so it don't look funny with out anything on them, and whisper-quiet at speed. i used the same ones on my previous Lancer.
when i load them up, i use FCS straps. long, wide and d-rings make for quick and solid tension. the only thing is when i only carry one person's gear, i have a fair bit of strap left over which i wrap around the racks so it doesn't flutter. i bought them from a local shop a while back but here's the model I use. http://www.bigislandsurfco.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=152
i have loaded this setup up with almost double what you're saying and driven 100s of kilometres with no problems. highly recommended
I have these and found them great
www.whispbar.com.au/selectvehicle
For extra width to tie down heaps of gear I'd go for option 2 - the through bar.
Get a Quiver Bag that holds masts and sails that way you starap down the masts and the dont crush the sails. some thing like this
www.surfsailaustralia.com.au/showProduct/Windsurfing/Bags+and+Covers/adjquiver/Da+Kine+Adjustable+Quiver+Bag
Good set of straps
get Long for a board - short for Quiver bag..eg:
www.surfsailaustralia.com.au/showProduct/Racks/Tie+Downs/sarx05/Ocean+and+Earth+Tie+Down+Straps+2.5m
Board in a board bag strap the boom on top of the board.
Most impotant don't use Occy Straps
The Thule racks on my Outback lock onto the roof. I think that's a good thing. The Rhino ones you are looking at don't seem to have that security.
Got the Thule racks from Roof Rack City.
I have Rola roof racks on my Prado. One thing to check with the low profile sports racks is the height off the roof. With the roof racks i have if you want to strap the boards on upside down which most people tend to the foot straps hit the roof which will mark it. This probably wouldn't happen with the more "commercial" style roof racks and as mentioned in a previous post the FCS tie downs are great, very quick and simple to use and no springs to break or pivots that will jam over time.
Thule square bars on one car and aero on the other.
Strong construction. Not much wind noise even with 'rubbers' fitted with or without board. When fitted with Thule ski racks same thing. All lockable.
Tie down straps get replaced as soon as these start to look frayed.
+1 for the Whispbar
I do a lot of highway driving and these do not make any noise. Fit well and are locked on.