Honda Element Tent Rack Prototype

Tho prototype platform rack for the Honda Element took a few months to work out. We first took measurements of Elements from different years to see if there was any change in the the overall roof design. Then we consulted with a Honda dealer to confirm that the roof never changed from ‘03 to ‘11.

From there, the side panels, connection brackets and crossbars were designed on the computer. We cut them out, held them up to the vehicle and made needed adjustments until everything was perfect. The final design was a long, sleek, 8ft+ steel side panel that perfectly alignes with the curvature of the roof, while mimicking the curves of the Element’s corners. Then we added powder coat and our logo to the rear which doubles as additional mounting slots, (seen in the bottom crossbar pic).

Our custom built crossbars are exceptionally beautiful. Most rooftop platform racks use aluminum extrusion crossbars, which offer one channel to mount from. We decided to make custom crossbars with tons of cutouts for almost any mounting combo needed! We tested different thicknesses until we landed on the perfect option for strength vs weight. Without drilling, you can easily mount all kinds of stuff in all kinds of places.