In this buying guide, I’ll be covering the best roof racks for the Toyota Camry.
I tested fourteen of the top Roof Racks on my Camry.
Overall I found that the Malone Cross Rail Roof Rack is by far the best in terms of quality.
The Malone Cross Rail Roof Rack Provides you with 135lb load capacity, the corrosion-resistant load bars allow you to transform a bare roof into a functional platform for transporting anything from your camping necessities to canoes, bikes, and cargo boxes.
If you’re interested in finding more about this particular roof rack, as well as the other I’ve tested in the field, keep reading.
Malone Cross Rail Roof Rack
Overall Best
Allowing you to transform your bare Toyota Camry roof, the Malone Cross Rail Roof Rack is easy to set up, offers you the ability to carry a 135lb load comfortably, and comes with safety straps to offer further safety.
This roof rack is within the midrange in terms of pricing and hands down the best bang for your buck.
Built from composite materials, which gives it a corrosion-resistant design, the roof rack’s overall build is light and very sturdy. You’re adding minimal weight to your vehicle and will make for an easy time when you’re setting up or taking it down.
Despite its lightweight design, this roof rack is one of the strongest I’ve used and that is thanks to the suction cup and safety trap design preventing it from shifting or creaking when moving at high speeds.
Mounting this roof rack on your car takes no time at all. There is no drilling or fiddling around with parts, you just need to take a couple of measurements, stick the rack on your roof and then secure it down with the 1.5-inch nylon safety attachment straps provided.
And although this guide is specifically for a Camry, this roof rack can fit on many different SUVs due to its universal design.
I also want to mention the sleek design of this roof rack; plenty of roof racks on the market can look tatty, whilst still being practical. But the Malone finds the sweet spot in practical design and style, a welcomed benefit for any Toyota Camry enthusiast.
All in all, the Malone Cross Rail Rack took about 15 minutes to set up.
Now, let’s move on to usability. You can carry up to 135lb of weight, which isn’t quite the highest I’ve seen but it still will allow you to carry all your camping gear, kayaks, and even a couple of bikes.
The only real complaint I have with this roof rack is that when it rains, the water can run down the safety straps and immediately into your car – although you won’t get soaked, its definitely not ideal.
Pros
- Lightweight design
- Sturdy
- Doesn’t produce much noise
- Setup takes just 15minutes
- Can hold up to 135lb in weight
- Can fit on many vehicles due to suction cup design
- Ideal for both short and long haul trips
Cons
- Some water leaks in due to safety straps
Amazon Basics Universal Cross Rail Roof Rack
Overall Best
Allowing you to carry 165lb of weight, whilst still being very sturdy, and with a locking system featured you can have peace of mind when you leave your car unattended.
The heavy-duty aluminum crossbars offer a strong, lightweight design that is resident to corrosion, which is really impressive when you consider how cheap this particular option is.
And don’t let the cheap price tag fool you, you’re still going to be getting a sleek, modern, and practical roof rack that will be able to hold 165lb. Placing it at the very top-end of roof racks when considering the weight it can bear.
Installation wise, it is very easy to set up due to the rubber-coated steel clamps that provide superior grip and damage protection. Setting up the weather strips can be quite fiddly if you’re not a handy person.
These weatherstrips will help to reduce noise when driving and are very much worth the time it takes to measure, cut, and install them properly to avoid buzzing or vibrations when driving at high speeds.
This is a one-and-done job and it’s definitely worth your time.
This roof rack does use plastic parts here and there in its design, but I’ve found it to still be very sturdy and robust and has been unfazed by winds and high speeds thanks to the aerodynamic styling and low profile design.
The 52-inch long universal cross rail roof rack mounts to most cars, SUVs, or crossovers which have raised longitudinal rails – Perfect for a Camry, but also ideal for any other car you might own.
The Amazon Basics roof rack also comes with an anti-theft feature, and whilst very simple in its design, you can lock the clamps in place. So if you leave the roof rack unattended then you can have peace of mind knowing it’s going to be there when you get back.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Great quality
- Very sturdy
- Makes no noise (if set up properly)
- Ideal for both short and long haul trips
- Holds 165 pounds of weight
- Anti-theft feature
Cons
- Fiddly to set up weatherstrips
MeeFar Universal Soft Roof Rack
Best Soft Roof Rack
This soft roof rack is easy to install, can be folded away for easy storage, offers protection to your roof so you don’t cause marks, and is overall a great alternative to your typical crossbar designed roof racks.
This style of roof rack is not something you see every day, as the market is dominated and favored by your typical crossbar design but this soft roof rack impressed us quite a lot.
Made from EVA (Ethylene-vinyl acetate), the MeeFar has a built-in non-slip mat that prevents scratching or scuffing the top of your car when attached tightly to reduce wind noise.
These materials will also prevent vibrations when driving at high speeds – which if you’ve ever been subject to due to using other roof racks, you’ll know can be very annoying on long-haul journeys.
Installing this roof rack is an absolute breeze, no tools are required! It comes with 2 tie-down straps, 2 quick loop straps, and 2 tie-down ropes to attach the pads to the roof of your car and hold the load in place.
And due to its universal compatibility, you can fit the soft rack to most cars or SUVs with or without gutters.
The MeeFar is on the low end in terms of the weight you can carry. But if you’ve got a kayak you need to transport, a longboard, or even a couple of shortboards, then this is going to be the perfect and most convenient roof rack for you.
The best part about this particular roof rack; when it’s not in use, you can simply fold it away.
No need to risk leaving it on your unattended car, you can simply take it off the vehicle and fold it away in your backpack or put it in your garage for the next time you need it.
MeeFar provides a lot of utility and high-quality construction without being too expensive, and whilst it’s not going to allow you to transport a lot of goods, the combination of value and performance is exactly why I feel you’ll like this roof rack quite a bit.
Pros
- Soft materials will protect your car
- Plenty of straps and ties to keep it secure
- Reduced vibration/noise
- Easy to set up
- Easy to put away
Cons
- May not fit older model trucks
