The Ultimate Honda Element Roof Rack Guide

The main attraction of the Honda Element is the versatility the vehicle delivers. Whether you intend to use it for camping or it’s ability to pick up large payloads such as a motorcycle in the rear of the element, the amazing versatility of the Honda Element is probably it’s favorite feature of all Honda Element owners. In an attempt to add even more functionality to the Element, most owners will eventually want to add some kind of roof rack or roof basket option at some point. In this article I will take a full look at all of the options we have when it comes to adding extra storage to the roof of our Elements.

The Honda Element OEM Roof Rack Option

OEM STYLE

OEM Style Roof Rack for Honda Element (2003-2011)

Take your Honda Element to the next level with the OEM Style Roof Rack, the ultimate solution for carrying extra gear on your outdoor adventures. Designed specifically for the Honda Element (2003-2011 models), this durable and stylish aluminum roof rack provides the perfect platform for hauling bikes, kayaks, cargo boxes, camping gear, and more. Whether you're heading to the mountains, the beach, or a weekend camping trip, this roof rack ensures you have the space you need for all your essentials.

Key Features:

Perfect Fit: Designed exclusively for the Honda Element (2003-2011), ensuring a seamless and secure installation.
Durable Construction: Made from high-quality aluminum, this roof rack is lightweight yet strong enough to handle heavy loads and harsh weather conditions.
Sleek Design: Features a low-profile, aerodynamic look that complements the Honda Element's rugged style while reducing wind noise.
Easy Installation: Comes with all necessary hardware and instructions for a straightforward, tool-free installation process.
Versatile Use: Compatible with a wide range of accessories, including bike mounts, kayak carriers, cargo baskets, and roof boxes.
Increased Storage Capacity: Adds valuable extra space to your vehicle, making it ideal for road trips, camping, and outdoor activities.

OEM Style Roof Rack for Honda Element (2003-2011)

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If you do buy a Honda Element OEM Roof Rack here is a great install tutorial video

I would bet the OEM version of the Honda Element Roof Rack is more than most of us want to spend on an accessory that can barely carry the things we plan to throw on it. There is of course the knock-off third party replica version of the OEM rack. Well actually scratch that, I cannot find the knockoff ones anymore on Amazon or eBay. I was going to link it here so you can see the price savings but there are tons of people on forums who have bought the aftermarket replica rack and have only negative things to say about it. I was going to suggest you NOT buy it anyways.

What other options do we have?

What other options do we have? As with all things cars, it often turns out making your own version of something usually ends up the best option. You can make a Honda Element Roof Rack that is much cheaper and a whole lot stronger (which means you can carry more weight) than its OEM option. There are plenty of unique builds online and I’m sure most of you Element owners are creative people who can come up with great ideas all on your own. But I am putting this article together to showcase some of the best builds (that I have found) out there. Let’s go over the best pre-made and home-made Element roof racks out there!

Of course this list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the rolls royce of roof racks specifically made for the Honda Element, The Gobi Stealth Rack and The Gobi Ranger Rack both coming in at a whopping $1,495 which is exactly half the price I paid for my entire Element. Too much in my opinion as I would rather own half of another vehicle than a couple pieces of metal welded together. This is the most baller rack money can buy and if you don’t care about money and want the functionality for sure this is the best rack you can get.

Another option is from TPS Lizard on EOC. He created a very high quality roof rack solution that he sells to members for $750. I think this rack is very well made and seems super sturdy. It would be great to throw a full size spare on it and I love how the sides have those angled-up pieces so that you can secure your gear down. It’s a great design coming in at half the price of the Gobi racks and also half the size of the Gobi. I’m not even 100% sure he still sells them but you can click the picture to the left and reach out to him if you are interested.

Is DIY is the Best Option for you?

When it comes to Honda Element roof rack options I think we can all agree that buying an OEM rack or a ready to install rack can be quite costly. If you are good with tools and would like to make something yourself I think that building your own rack is one of the best ideas. It will save you the most money to put towards the gear you are going to haul. You could easily buy a kayak with the money you will save by building your own Honda Element roof rack. If you are feeling creative and want to put in some elbow grease to create your own DIY Honda Element Roof Rack then you are in the right place. To get started making any rack we need to take a look at the feet. This is going to be your foundation to any kind of rack you set out to create.

While looking online I found these interesting brackets on Amazon but their price tag is really high for what you are getting. Seriously $96.39 for these? I will show you how to make these for much less. But I wanted to show you these as a foundation for our DIY rack. We can start with these footers as a foundation which many things can be built off of.

Thanks to the wonderful community of Element Owners over at Element Owners Club and the good work of user TwilightZero you can download a printable template to help you get started making your own brackets.

By far the best DIY Honda Element Roof Rack I have seen is by Sticks, Stones and Iron on YouTube. He uses angled brackets which you can buy at Menards or Lowes locally. He makes the brackets to fit his Element and then cuts grooves into tubes and secures them using PTO Quick Release Pins. I think this is by far the most genius setup for creating the feet and the bars in your DIY roof rack setup. He then goes on to use Kee Klamps and 3/4th inch pipes (the same as the Yakima Bars) to create his crossbars. This way you can use any Yakima Accessory to mount to your homemade Roof Rack. Genius!

The same YouTuber created another Honda Element Roof Rack using Aluminum tubing. I really like this guy’s work and I encourage all the DIYers out there to give his videos a watch to get some inspiration to get out there and create your own Roof Rack for your Honda Element.

Final Thoughts

I hope this blog post helps to inspires you to create your own Roof Rack for your Honda Element. If you are not feeling up to making your own roof rack, hopefully I showed you enough options that exist to purchase the rack that is right for you. If you have any questions please leave them below and I will answer them all to the best of my ability.

PLEASE USE CAUTION WHEN CREATING YOUR OWN ROOF RACK. PLEASE DO NOT PUT ANYONE IN DANGER WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH GEAR ON YOUR ROOF. ALWAYS STRAP EVERYTHING DOWN SECURELY. BE SMART.