When you select your roof basket, you’ll first want to consider what items you plan to carry in it. Are you just wanting to carry a spare tire? If so, a smaller basket will do just fine and can be positioned further back to reduce drag. However,  if you plan to carry luggage or a bigger selection of gear, then something larger is the way to go. Some baskets are also expandable. So if you find yourself needing more room, you can purchase an extension section.

Once you decide on a size, it’s a good idea to make sure the mounting system for your potential basket will work with your current cross bar set up. We’ve found that almost all mounting brackets work with the Subaru factory cross bars. But it’s still important to check.

There’s no way around it, but installing a roof basket will of course create some wind noise and loss of mpg. This is just something to be aware of. Some baskets are a bit more sleek than others, but once they’re filled with gear it’s almost impossible to avoid creating noticeable drag. We suggest carrying your most tall and “boxy” cargo inside the vehicle. Items like storage boxes stacked up can significantly drain power from your car on the highway.

Finally, we suggest looking at the availability of accessories for your future roof rack. The Yakima baskets have a lot of really well designed attachments for carrying Rotopax, shovels, hatchets, light bars, and more that can be extremely useful. If you spend a lot of time overlanding or camping, this might be a big factor.