Review of the Best Soft Surfboard Roof Racks
If your board doesn’t fit inside the car and the forecast says 4′ and clean, then you need to get to the beach. And if you don’t want to invest in a permanent roof rack or your car just isn’t compatible, you’ve only got one option – a soft rack.
Great for travel, soft roof racks are lightweight and pack down small. If your plan is to fly to Biarritz and hire a car, a soft rack means you can load the boards on the roof and seek out the best break on the day. Because your boards are on the outside, it also means you can hire a smaller car and save some pennies. If you’re swapping cars for the day, no problem, your soft rack will fit most vehicles.
There are some limitations. We don’t recommend going faster than 100 kph with a soft rack, and if it’s pouring with rain you may find some drips run along the straps and inside the car. It’s all part of the surf trip adventure!
A single soft rack will fit 1 to 3 shortboards, whilst a double will fit 2 to 6 shortboards, and they’re also suitable for longboards and SUPs.
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How to fit a soft roof rack
Fitting a soft rack is straightforward and takes less than 5 minutes, but there’s a couple of things to bear in mind. Open all the doors and position the pads about 70 cm apart on the roof. Pass the straps through the inside of the car and secure tightly with the buckle mechanism. Now place your surfboard on the pads wax side down and as an extra safety precaution make sure the fins are facing forwards. Take the tie down straps and place the buckles on top of the surfboard and throw the straps over the top. Walk round to the other side of the vehicle and pass each strap through its respective D-ring. Again, throw the straps back over the top. Walk back round, feed the straps through the D-rings and up and under into the buckle before pulling tight. Putting a twist in the straps before you pass them through the buckles will help stop any noisy vibrations. Tie them off with a couple of half hitches and you’re done.
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Here we review the best soft racks available:
Northcore Single Soft Surfboard Rack
The Northcore soft rack feels well made and robust. The buckles are strong and the webbing feels like it will last the test of time. The metal buckles on the tie down straps come with neoprene sleeves to keep you from scratching your board. The D-ring tie-down system is simple to use and works well. Northcore say that this rack can carry 5 boards, but it would be wiser to limit the load to 3. The straps are prone to vibrate at speed, but a single twist in the straps will help reduce any noise. The soft rack comes with a heavy duty storage bag.
Roof pad dimensions: 43 x 13 x 3 cm
Strap length: 3.2 m
Strap thickness: mm
RRP: £39.99
Available from: Amazon.co.uk
FCS Premium D-Ring Single Soft Roof Rack
FCS are well known for their high quality fins and surf accessories but they also have an auto products range that offers a variety of solutions for securing boards to your car. FCS’ Premium D-ring soft rack includes rectangular pads and integrated tie-down straps with an easy to use D-ring mechanism for pulling the straps tight. FCS claim that since the D-ring doesn’t have any moving parts it’s more durable than a conventional cam lock buckle. That may well be true, but we haven’t had any problems with either system. The straps wind up neatly for storage and everything fits in a good quality bag. Single soft racks hold 1 to 3 shortboards and 1 to 2 longboards.
Roof pad dimensions: 45 x 9 x 5 cm
Strap length: 3.0 m
Strap thickness: 32 mm
RRP: £44.95
Available from: Amazon.co.uk
Bulldog Double Soft Roof Rack
Bulldog’s temporary roof rack is very well made and the extra wide straps and beefy cam lock buckles inspire confidence when securing your pride and joy. Unlike the FCS soft racks, the Bulldog pads and board tie down straps are separate, which adds about 30 seconds to the time it takes to strap a board to your car. Noisy vibrations can be avoided by putting a twist in the straps. This double rack can hold up to 6 shortboards and 4 longboards. The rack comes in an equally durable carry pouch. Highly recommended.
Roof pad dimensions: 45 x 9 x 5 cm
Strap length: 3.0 m
Strap thickness: 40 mm
RRP: £49.99
Available from: Amazon.co.uk
Streetwize Easy Fit Single Soft Roof Rack
As the name suggests, this rack is very easy to fit to the car and secure a load. Good wide pads, this rack is ideal for an SUP, a longboard or even a kayak. It’s one of the cheaper racks in this lineup, and with thinner straps, the product may be more suited to occasional use. Comes with a drawstring storage bag with fitting instructions printed on the rear.
Roof pad dimensions: 60 x 12 x 8 cm
Strap length: 3.0 m
Strap thickness: 25 mm
Price: £31.45
Available from: Amazon.co.uk
Rhino Rax Heavy Duty Double Soft Roof Rack
Rhino Rax soft racks are well made and hardwearing with super strong webbing and heavy duty cam lock buckles. There’s nice attention to detail like the neoprene sleeves to stop the buckles from scratching your boards and anti-scratch D-rings. Like the Bulldog, this double temporary rack will hold up to 6 shortboards and 4 longboards. Like the FCS, the tie down straps are integrated with the pads making it very easy to fit and your boards feel secure.
Roof pad dimensions: 45 x 9 x 6 cm
Strap length: 3.2 m
Strap thickness: 25 mm
Price: £59.99
Available from: Amazon.co.uk
Creatures Wrap Rax Single Soft Roof Rack
Creatures make the bold claim that the Wrap Rax is the most advanced soft rack system available. Not sure they could back that up if their product was viewed alongside the FCS. However, it’s a well made rack and the thick 30 mm straps feel like you could hang a car off them. The buckles are military grade and also feel like they’ll last the test of time. The foam pads are encased in a durable nylon, but they could be a bit thicker. The tie down straps are long enough to carry 3 shortboards and 2 longboards. We’ve even seen 2 SUPs strapped to a VW Touran using this rack. Comes in a sturdy carry-bag with a tough Velcro opening.
Roof pad dimensions: 45 x 9 x 6 cm
Strap length: 3.2 m
Strap thickness: 30 mm
Price: £39.95
Available from: Amazon.co.uk