Reviews: Smittybilt Defender Roof Racks

This is a fantastic rack very stable very solid. It took about five hours to put it together but I am very very satisfied with the quality.

Packaged very well. No damage from shipping. All parts were accounted for. Directions are ok you just need to follow common sense. Powder coating is thick and very attractive. Fit my 07 -13 new body Sierra perfectly.

Had this on my 2004 TJ Rubi, it was solid and could take a beating from tree branches and other low hanging obstacles. :) Mounted it directly to the hard top, so had to add good quality caulking to waterproof the holes. I don't know what the other poster was complaining about unless he was a pavement princess looking for a shiny Thule. There are zero rattles and no issues putting it together.

Very nice roof rack, the horizontal 1” pipes do sway a little, when you ratchet down cargo, however doesn’t stay that way

Not perfectly straight, but this is a solid rack. Medium amount of hardware. Make sure your rain channels don't have reinforced channel sealant for an easier install. Mine did, but you can cut the sealant sections away and reapply with some fresh stuff after mounting. Satisfied. The rack adds another 8 inches to the height of your Chevy.

I really like the look of my Defender roof rack! Was pretty easy to install by myself.

good quality looks great

The rack itself is very solid and relatively easy to assemble, the powder coating is relatively thick and tough but the box it came in caused some rubbing and after a week or 2 I already have a few small rust spots where the coating rubbed off. Overall it's very sturdy and I highly recommend it.

The rack is awesome, however, the gutter mounts for a 1990 XJ suck. Too short (length wise) and needs gusset supports. The rack itself is awesome!

My rack arrived today and I’m in the middle of installing it now in between rain showers. I must say I was surprised to see how robust this was. In my mind I was picturing something that I would have to be careful climbing around on it so I wouldn’t damage it. Well I’m pretty sure, after seeing how this thing is built, that I could jump up and down on any part of it without it budging. I’ll add some pics later. Very well done Smittybilt!!

Product arrived two very heavy boxes, each more than could be carried. Overall assembly was easy, other than had to remove my rear bumper which was too wide and one other aspect, installing front mounts, very difficult to remove, and more so re-add the under cowl windshield bolt. Recommend jamming 1@1" wood stick to hold cowl up to finger the bolt. Overall very impressed, almost as sturdy as a deer guard bumper. One other gotcha, the hardware bolts didn't match the direction s, appeared to be improved hardware, but documentation was most likely older model

Love the look of the rack on my 2014 Jeep Unlimited. I was looking for a rack primarily to carry SUP's and surfboards. This rack is perfect for that. I wouldn't suggest it if you are looking to carry a lot of weight. Specs say 150lbs max. I mounted my Highlift jack to the rack and carry two SUP's daily to the lake - total weight on the rack is probably about 100 lbs. I haven't done any serious off-loading with the rack - most of my 4 wheeling is beach driving. However on the road and my light duty off roading the rack is very secure. I am very happy with this purchase. Also mounted 4 KC lights on the front and 2 utility lights on the back of this rack.

amazingly well built roof rack and for those with a jeep gladiator this rack fits perfectly on the back half of your roof allowing you to fully remove the freedom panels with no trouble...in fact i have a bestop sunrider installed and they look amazing together lining up perfectly! (super easy install by the way, i did it by myself in about 45 min)

Well built and installation was a breeze with 2 people

Install was straight forward. Directions were clear and easy to understand.

Fit’s perfect and looks fantastic on my 2021 Wrangler JL. Quality built and finish is fantastic easy to install with 2 people.

Fast shipping ordered Sunday received Wed. Just be aware it's shipped by semi. So have to be home to receive. Plus was there was no damage to the rack. It's a great quality roof rack. Easy install and removal ability without drilling holes in the top attracted me to this rack.

This rack seems really sturdy. I love how it looks on my Jeep. Except for 1 bolt needing to be ground and rethreaded, it was an easy install.

Great rack. Looks good and functions as intended. I prefer the flat rack design. Haven't strapped anything too it yet but I put it on my roof and jumped up and down a few times for good measure. No issues.

Ordered on 4WP website.Shipping was fast and no damage to it when received. That’s a plus in my book! Thank you 4WP! Will definitely use 4WP for future upgrades for my rig!