Can I Put A 60" Long Crossbar On A 2022 Subaru Outback

Question:

I want to mount a thule hullavator to a 2022 Subaru Outback to carry a 17 sea kayak. I am also getting two pack boats, which the dealer says I need to have 60-inch bars to attach both boats. Is it possible to accomplish both of these with one rack?

asked by: Joe G

Expert Reply:

Hello Joe, thanks for reaching out. Yes, it is possible to put a 60" (or longer) crossbar on your 2022 Subaru Outback. I will need to verify a bit more vehicle information before I can recommend the correct parts.

Does your outback happen to be the Wilderness edition? Let me know. Also please verify that your Outback has the factory installed raised rails running from front to back. Let me know and I will be able to narrow down the right roof rack.

For example, if you do have the Wilderness edition with the raised rails, I recommend using the Malone AirFlow2 Roof Rack # MAL24AR. This comes with a 65" long Aero crossbar which will be plenty long to support the Hullavator. You will want to measure your kayak and the two pack boats to make sure the 65" bar is long enough to hold all that.

If yours is not the wilderness edition, you will need to use something different. For that use the Yakima Skyline Roof Rack which can be paired with a 60" bar. The complete roof rack consists of the following parts:

- SkyLine Towers for Yakima Crossbars - Fixed Mounting Points, Flush Rails, and Track Systems - Qty 4 # Y53TR

- Landing Pad 27 for Yakima SkyLine And Control Towers - Qty 4 # Y46VR

- Yakima JetStream Crossbars - Aluminum - Silver - 60" Long - Qty 2 # Y00429

Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.

expert reply by: Jesse M

Joe G.

10/4/2024

Jesse, the Outback is not a Wilderness model. It is the standard Wagon/5-door. The factory installed roof rack does run front to back with the pull-out cross bars. Just to clarify our needs, we would either be carrying the sea kayak, or the two pack boats, not all three. Each pack boat has a 26" width and need to lie flat on the roof. We are told by the seller that we would need a 60" rack to accomplish that. The rack you described above appears like it would meet the requirements for the pack boats. I just wanted to clarify that the Hullavator can attach to that rack. We were led to believe that we needed a Thule rack for that purpose. One final question...I have a 2024 KIA Niro hybrid. It has a narrow roof rail that runs front to back (approx 66" long, 1-1/4" high with what looks like 5 plugs along the top of it). Is there a 60" rack that I could install that would accommodate those two pack boats as well? I would not have a Hullavator on this car. Thanks. Joe

Jesse M.

10/4/2024

@JoeG Ok great thanks for clarifying. The Yakima roof rack I mentioned above will absolutely work for your needs. It will easily hold both pack boats and the Yakima JetStream Crossbars are known to work with the Hullavator. I had some doubts about carrying all 3 boats at the same time but if you are doing the two pack boats OR the kayak, space will not be an issue. The Hullavator system does require the crossbar to sexted 4"-8" past the tower, so the longer 60" crossbar will be prefect for that. As far as your 2024 Kia Niro Hybrid, there is a 60" rack that can be used. In fact, you could use the exact same 60" crossbars that you are using on your Subaru. You would just need a fit kit and towers for your Kia. Here is what I recommend: - SightLine Towers for Yakima Crossbars - Flush Side Rails - Qty 4 # Y64AR - SightClip Fit Kit for Yakima SightLine and RidgeLine Roof Rack Towers # Y27AR - Yakima JetStream Crossbars - Aluminum - Silver - 60" Long - Qty 2 # Y00429 As always just let me know if you have any questions.