Reviews: Smittybilt Defender Roof Racks

Solid rack. Mounted fairly easily. Instructions could definitely use some work thought. Overall very pleased.

Really can't think of anything to criticize...solidly built, solid installation, and versatile.

Went together pretty easily. Nice, solid rack.

bought this for my 1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Love it! I'm going to put 4 forward facing lights and 2 rear facing lights on it over the next month. I have gotten several compliments on it already.

Can carry just about anything you could think of kayak, canoe, luggage, whatever you need it for.

This is a great rack for my 1998 Jeep Wrangler with the Smittybilt SRC Roof rack. I was not interested in the other rack Smittybilt had to offer with the rack base, so I bought this one and used U-bolts (from the local hardware store) to clamp the rack to the base. The rack was packaged nicely in a thick cardboard box with foam padding inside. There were no dents, scratches, etc. The rack actually eliminated the additional wind noise from the rack base itself. Looks great on the Jeep and seem hold a lot. I was able to put two people on top and watch fireworks during July 4th. Just keep in mind the additional height of your vehicle with the rack. My Jeep lifted 4" with the rack is taller than 6'10" which cannot fit in most parking decks in the area.

4 Wheel Parts of El Cajon went above and beyond what was expected of them. They stayed an hour past closing to get me my truck the same day. Awesome customer service. If you need anything I highly recomend them

This product itself is amazing. Very sturdy and solid.

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.

The rugged rack does not fit the src rack like it says.crossbars do not line up.I had to modify for a good fit.The U bolts that came with it are useless.You need to change that also.When the whole rack is mounted and ready to travel.You my notice a loud humming noise at around 45mph.This is do to way the air hits the rack.You need to make an air fairing to change the way the air hits it.

The rack itself is heavy duty. It feels solid. The instructions are absolutely horrible. The finished product appears to be goo and should work well for what I bought it for. I bought this rack in part because it claims to work with a soft top. My rack absolutely does not work with the factory soft top. It does not allow for the top to be retracted. Very frustrating as that was one of the deciding factors in buying this particular rack. Smitty built has an issue with their quality control as some of the holes were drilled a little off and did not line up perfectly. That was an easy enough fix though. The rack itself though is good and solid! It looks good and will do exactly what I wanted other than retracting the soft top. Overall, I'm happy with my purchase.

Instructions wrong for the gladiator. Front and rear brackets both go on outer most holes. Instructions say rear brackets are to go in the second and third hole. That is wrong and you’ll find out the rear brackets won’t be wide enough to slip in the rain gutters. So use outer hold for front and rear brackets. But it’s a good basket and well built. Just don’t make the mistake I did by following their directions on attaching the brackets to the basket

Fits great! Only flaw is in the directions they tell you the wrong holes for the alignment.

The Rack is alright for the quality. It’s sound for the most part but when you put it together some of the tubing isn’t flush. Other than alright quality and non flush parts, it’s pretty nice. I like that there is pod mounts welded to the rack. Overall installation was smooth and easy (self explanatory). if you don’t have a rubicon your going to have to cut into your rear bumper if it’s still stock.

Wish rack was a full 8 foot long. So you can attach a full sheet of plywood for a deck, I built my own extension to effect this. Funny thing I found out, you cant get replacement sections of the rack! If you had an accident with the rack (Hitting a low tree) and damage a section, you have to order A WHOLE NEW UNIT, sad.