OEM roof rack and Ford accessories for it

Feb 21, 2024

I have a 2 door Badlands and an Expedition that both have OEM roof racks and I hope I can get multiple use. That is why I do not plan on an aftermarket roof rack. Not that the Expedition is at a loss for room.

I am looking for feedback and experiences from those who have the OEM roof rack and have added any Yakama, Thule, Overland or other accessories. What did you get and how do you use it?

I would not do overlanding or, as we used to call it, camping, with my Bronco. I have a cab over camper on a Super Duty for that. My bronco is for road trips to fun trails or off road day trips. When my dogs are in the back, the bronco is full. I may want to bring extra fuel too.

I have lots of ford pass points and I am thinking of:

Yakima rack mounted cargo basket.
Thule rack mounted cargo basket with net.
Yakima small roof mounted cargo platform.
Yakima or Overland awning

If you added anything else to your OEM roof rack, please let us all know.

Feb 21, 2024

The easiest approach is to decide on either the Yakima series of products or the Thule series of products. Once you have that decision made... you can buy the crossbar kit(s) for that particular company. And once you have the crossbar kit you can use it for just about any accessory that company makes.

Yakima
Thule
- Expedition
- Bronco

My personal opinion?? Yakima is the way to go.. Not only do I like most of their products better, but they also make adapters for just about every vehicle and even 3rd party roof racks. They also are good about supporting their older products, so you don't have to worry about needing to buy a bunch of new gear when you swap to a new vehicle. I personally have all of my old 1990s Yakima gear mounted to my Trailrax (overlanding-style rack) with the help of some Landing Pads.

And as an added bonus, the Yakima crossbars Ford sells online works on both the Bronco and Expedition, so you can share one crossbar kit between two vehicles.

Of course the crossbars are optional, and some of the products Thule/Yakima/Overland/whomever sell can be mounted directly on the factory rack. But, having the crossbars takes just about all of the guesswork out of the situation, and you no longer have to fiddle with ton of adapters for various products. Everything you'll have will mount on both the Bronco and the Expedition in the exact same manner.

2022 4dr Badlands, 2.3L Manual, Mid pkg
YouTube: youtube.com/@ragnarkon

jcampbelldds, Lots O Fords