I cannot understand why the premade roof racks are so ridiculous expensive ranging from $1,000 to $2,500 ? I am thinking about building one myself, anyone with experience in this can guide me a bit? I am looking into "C" channel aluminum rails...
luisperez5518
Take a look at aluminum Unistrut - total cost under $600, using Unaka Roof Rack Brackets.
I covered it here in my build thread, and this was based off another post from a few years earlier - I made some changes to the dimensions.
Very happy with the results.
I covered it here in my build thread, and this was based off another post from a few years earlier - I made some changes to the dimensions.
Very happy with the results.
i am looking at purchasing 14 gauge "C" channel struts in aluminum from granger, I know would be enough for solar panels mounting I am wondering if it will be enough to support the awning when it comes time to install it...
Hi,
8020 stuff has worked well for me. The link below is for 6' extrusion, Zoro has many other items that could help you.
www.zoro.com
Mike
8020 stuff has worked well for me. The link below is for 6' extrusion, Zoro has many other items that could help you.
80/20 T-Slotted Extrusion, 10S, 72 Lx1 In H 1010-72 | Zoro
Order 80/20 T-Slotted Extrusion, 10S, 72 Lx1 In H, 1010-72 at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account.
www.zoro.com
Mike
I used 80/20 half height 15 series for my roof rack rails. I bought from Graingers for local pickup to save on shipping. My super high roof has no rail mounts so I had the freedom to install whatever rails I wanted too.
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I also feel that non-slotted aluminum Unistrut is the ideal "least cost" roof fack solution. There are many inexpensive ways to attach hardware to Unistrut for crossbars, etc. I like the DIYVan mount pads for attaching the struts to the factory attachment points. Here's my installation: Low Cost Roof Rack
If the roof rack is just for solar panels, there is another (cheaper, simpler) option that many of us have used. Solar panels can also be mounted directly to the roof using panel mounting feet, VHB tape, and through-roof fasteners if you don't trust VHB alone. Ours are fastened just with VHB tape. Surface prep and temp are the keys for a good bond. A roof rack is only necessary if your panels are so big they overhang the roof.
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Hi,
I'd 2nd Steve's suggestion that mounting the PV panels to the roof with simple angle brackets is a simple, sturdy, cheaper aesthetically pleasing and lower aero drag way to go if it meets your needs.
![Image]()
Our ProMaster Van Conversion — Solar Panel Mounting – Build A Green RV
Gary
I'd 2nd Steve's suggestion that mounting the PV panels to the roof with simple angle brackets is a simple, sturdy, cheaper aesthetically pleasing and lower aero drag way to go if it meets your needs.
Our ProMaster Van Conversion — Solar Panel Mounting – Build A Green RV
Gary
I too was blown away with the pricing of the aftermarket roof racks, so we ended up with a simple unistrut roof rack with a roof brackets I designed my self.
abroadreachtravel.com
DIY Roof Rack for Promaster Campervan - Abroad Reach Travel
Updated on June 11th, 2025Roof racks for campervans can be super pricey! Since we are building on a budget, we knew we needed to create a DIY roof rack that was both effective and inexpensive. We managed just that with the roof of our Promaster 157 DIY roof rack. Maxxair Fan In a previous post, […]
abroadreachtravel.com
I used aluminum uni-strut and welded custom brackets for a Dometic 9500 self-supporting awning. I didn't have a clue what I was doing. Since then I have made everything lighter, smaller and lower to the roof, streamlined the cross bars and moved the floodlights out of the slipstream. The original build dropped MPG from ~19 to 17.5. Now it is around 17-18.5 mpg over 3000+ mile road trips.
Starting from scratch I would just VHB everything to the roof and use an awning that mounts directly to the roof-pins. Sure, its easy to bolt stuff to the 8020 or uni-strut, but it is also super easy to VHB your lights or starlink (well, I used magnets) to the roof or hood.
I originally had dreams of a small deck up top to watch sunsets with a margarita, but now, I think a folding chair next to the van works just fine and is far easier to manage and less life threatening.
Starting from scratch I would just VHB everything to the roof and use an awning that mounts directly to the roof-pins. Sure, its easy to bolt stuff to the 8020 or uni-strut, but it is also super easy to VHB your lights or starlink (well, I used magnets) to the roof or hood.
I originally had dreams of a small deck up top to watch sunsets with a margarita, but now, I think a folding chair next to the van works just fine and is far easier to manage and less life threatening.
I am thinking to go with the vanlife outfitters roof rack and awning kit, everything is compatible not cheap but not super expensive and everything fits and I dont have to be fumbling with parts and incompatibilities...
I used the Unaka mounts along with 80-20 from Grainger. Mounted the solar panels with Unaka flush mount brackets, and the Fiamma awning with the Unaka brackets. Couldn't have been easier, I would do it again.
You can get a functional inexpensive roof rack from Topper. OGA in Maryland has several on discount.
if your thinking of making one. Go for it!!! I want to believe that is what mostly this forum is about. People sharing their knowledge and how they made something unique, or the research they do about a project. Like Diytech, I use strut, also known as uninstructed, c channel, u channel. Etc. for a lot of projects. In the future you can add a lot of things to strut and make adjustments. And it is easily available from the bigger home improvement stores, don’t forget to check out your electrical supply houses also, as that is what the trades use, as for which one you pick, pre galvanized, which is the most common, aluminum stainless, , hot dipped galvanized, green coated, it’s up to you to decide. And your style. you have to also consider the weight and over hang and what you are going to use it for. Now and in the future. I use the pre galvanized, common one, because it is relatively strong which I use for my kayaks, s canoe. My Kayaks are a heavier than most, because I am not a light weight. It will take many, many, years before you even begin to see any wear and tear. It may rust a little on the ends, but a little WD 40 will take care of of that. Or perhaps a quick over spray of gray paint / primer on the ends after cutting. After a year all the over spray will blend into the aging of the galvanized. A lot of people on this forum paint them and have outstanding results. I just leave them natural because it’s my industrial style. I often laugh, in my travels, when I see these expensive racks on different vans, from camper vans to work vans, and I further see strut added to these expensive manufactured roof racks to mount stuff to. 🤣😁😅. As for the mounts you use to the oval t bolts to attach the strut. That’s up to you and everyone else to help you with. 80/20 is another option a lot of people use. My friends, neighbors, and even I, laughed when I made a simple strut rack for Chevy pick up truck rack. But heck I was able to bring a boat from Florida to Chicago on it. Do not be afraid to try something you think of.
I wanted an extra large rack. My first real foray into the world of welding, stoked on how it came out, (still needs a deck). It's powder coated aluminum (mig welded) bolted into plus nuts, (no factory tabs on SHR).
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