My $15 roof rack - Update

I'm not sure this is the best place to post this, but nowhere really seemed to fit, so here goes.

I want to add some sort of a roof rack to my topper. I camp a lot and want to rig up some sort of solar shower up there, letting gravity pull the water down. I have some ideas but could use some input on how to rig this up.

I could use a fairly standard roof rack and basket with, say, a 5 gallon water can up there (painted black). A nozzle would be easy enough to add. An idea I like a little better is to mount a (several feet long) piece of 6" or so black PVC pipe on the topper, running the length of the roof. Again, some sort of nozzle and hose rigged up. I think this would look a little better, and hold enough water. I think in either case, I'd have to find some sort of rails to mount on the roof, which is where I hit a wall and have two problems.

First off, I'm not going to be keeping this topper forever. It fits just ok (check the pic) and doesn't quite match. So, if a better one comes along I'm ditching. (If you're wondering, I bought it because is was cheeeeeeeaaaappp). Therefor, I don't want to spend much money on the rack/mounting. Is there a simple way to make this work? Maybe a rack from a junkyard SUV? I don't want to drop the bucks for a Yakima or a Thule set up.

The second problem I have is, the roof of the topper slopes (a big advantage when sleeping in the back - a disadvantage for mounting rails on the roof). Anyone know a way to get around that without having the rack way up in the air? Maybe a really short set of rails just on the flatter (middle) part? Maybe mount the PVC pipe running the width of the topper instead, right behind the cab?

Anyway, I'm going to try and attach a pic. I'd love to hear some feedback or other ideas for how I can make this work. It would certainly make camping a little less smelly, haha.

 

Well. This I gotta see.

 

My opinion, save your money, wait until the topper you really want comes along and then invest in a nice rack and get a road shower. It is essentially what you are describing but tested and reworked to near perfection.

I have had various projects where I tried to do it cheap only to end up doing it over because I wasn't satisfied with the results.

 

Excellent advice, but that means doing without a shower in the meantime. (I know most people wouldn't have this sort of problem this time of year, but I've camped in the truck two night this year already! And yes, it was cold).

Maybe I should just get one of the vinyl bag showers like Cabela's sells and just throw it on the roof when I get to a campsite...

 

Welp... I'm just crazy enough to try and rig something up.

I went and talked to a friend-of-a-friend who works at the local junkyard. For 30 bucks, he's pulling a rack off either a Ford Explorer or a Jeep Cherokee for me (depending on which one is in better shape under the snow). I'm going to have to wait for it to warm up some, but my plan it to cut it down and install it on my topper.

 

sub'd

i want to do the same thing.

 

Hey Kanga, check out what these Jeep guys are doing:

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/roof-rack-hard-top-not-cargo-rack-214717/

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/junkyard-roof-rack-630944/

 

Hit a bit of a snag, the guy at the junkyard got me a rack from a Subaru and it's just not working out. The "feet" of the rack aren't flat and the bolts are at an angle. After measuring, trimming, modifying, etc., I decided that the bolts being at an angle was a fatal flaw. I could just imagine it putting uneven pressure on the roof on the topper resulting in a busted roof. So, I scrapped that idea.

Then, I asked around and found a guy with a pile of junked Fords. I snagged a roof rack off an Explorer for 15 bucks and cut it down. Well, more like in half. The rack wound up being shorter than I wanted originally, but looks decent and I think will serve my purposes. The install was pretty straight forward, so I feel like this is an easy and cheap mod that's definitely worth trying. I'll get some pics up when I can.

 

I also explored solar shower options for my topper but in the end went with a portable propane shower that I happened to get a really good deal on. The solar route just wasn’t worth the hassle and I wanted (relatively) instant hot water. Let’s face it the colder days when a hot shower feels the best are not the same days that a solar shower will produce much hot water. Good luck with your experimentation.

http://zodi.com/hot-showers/extreme-sc
http://zodi.com/hot-showers/ihut-shower-enclosure

 

Yep, I've seen those Zodi showers. They're nice, but I'm a sucker for DIY. In truth, there's a couple music festivals I camp at every summer and I think a solar unit will serve me just fine there. Even if it doesn't, I can still throw a basket on the rack and at least haul light stuff up there.

 

OK.... so here's an update and some pics:

(Please forgive the crappy pics, it's freakin' cold out there and I just took a few quick ones will my phone).

So, this isn't the actual Explorer I robbed parts from, but virtually identical:



After hacksawing down the roof rails, some careful measuring and some more careful drilling, I bolted it down to my topper:


I sealed everywhere I could think to seal with silicone, then put big rubber washers and fender washers on the inside (and I think, er, hope, it's enough support... ). Here's a shot from the tailgate:


And from the inside:

 

Couple more pics. I was hoping the Subaru rack would work out because it would have spanned almost the whole topper, but I don't think the shorter rack will be any less useful. Best of all, I like how with the step on the roof of the topper, it makes a pretty low-profile rack:



Here's a shot of the truck over all:



Well, tell me what you think folks.

Now, I've got to run to the Habitat Re-Store and see what they've got in the way of plumbing parts that can be turned into a shower...

 

I love it. That's exactly what I've been wanting to do with my camper top but putting holes in fiberglass that covers things that I want to keep dry makes me nervous. You've given me the drive to look into it some more.