Sprinter Van Roof Rack
Backwoods Adventure Mods Sprinter Van Roof Rack and Ladder
Backwoods Adventure Mods is an off-road aftermarket steel and aluminium bumper company based in Arkansas. Starting in 2007 in Evan House’s backyard the company eventually merged with Chandler Equipment in 2017. The Backwoods company can now be found in a 65,000 square foot production facility in Springdale Arkansas. Despite their rapid success and growth the team holds fast to its roots. We had the opportunity to work with Evan and the Backwoods team on their newest project, the Backwoods Sprinter Van Roof Rack and Ladder.
One of the earlier renderings of the Backwoods Roof Rack
From CAD to VAN
It was great to share their creative process. We watched the Sprinter Van Roof Rack design grow from a sketch on paper to 3D CAD renderings and finally to the first ever Backwoods Rack and Ladder prototype. We were super excited to be able to test the new products out on our Bruce Banner build and give feedback to the team. We love the robust look of the Sprinter Van Roof Rack’s front. It compliments our Backwoods Nomad Bumper and gives our rig a rugged aggressive look. The front of the Rack helps to cover the large forehead design of the Sprinter van and holds two Pathfinder light bars, perfect for nighttime off-roading.
Light weight yet robust
The Backwoods team shipped the Sprinter Van Roof Rack to us in Colorado where we were working with TouRig on the interior build out of our 4x4 Sprinter van. We have a 170 ext model so our rack was split into 4 pieces (It would be 3 pieces for a 144 Sprinter van). Designing it in multiple pieces allowed it to be shipped on one pallet and we were able to assemble it on top of the van with 3 people and two ladders. The 4 pieces fit together with special brackets and lag bolts as well as T-bolts adhering each section to the roof rack rails.
Levi, Joey and David installing the Backwoods Rack at TouRig
We were impressed with how light weight the Sprinter Van Roof Rack was. In spite of its rugged look we were able to easily carry a section single handed. The racks perforated decking gives us both an area to hang out on top of our rig and a place to add storage, solar and recovery gear. We have one large 375 watt solar panel, 3 Roam Adventure Co boxes and a HiLift jack on our rack deck, which we mounted using plus nuts. We also have Rugged Radio antennas and a WeBoost which matched up to the perforated decking for easy quick install. The flat sides of the rack are the perfect size to allow mounting of the Thule Omnistor awning and our MaxTrax. We plan to also add a splitting maul by using quick fist mounts. These flats sides also allow for easy mounting of load lights, we have 2 on each side and on he rear of the rack.
tested in the wild
We then added the ladder which again came in multiple pieces. The two piece ladder makes for easy shipping and we were able to install it in about 20 minutes with two people. It bolts in to supplied holes in the rack at the top and to the pinch weld underneath the van which requires drilling 4 small holes. The ladder sits tight to the vans side curvature but allows enough space to comfortably climb without hitting your toes in the rig. The built in tread scallops allow for a good grip on wet days and the smooth sides give you a comfortable hand hold as you climb. On our van layout the ladder sits over one of our CR Lawrence bunker awning windows, there is enough space to still open the window fully without hitting the ladder.
Now it was time to test the new Backwoods products off road and on highway. They performed wonderfully. We don’t hear any wind noise and they have stated solid on board after many off-road trails. The angles on the front corners of the rack perform well when brushing past low hanging branches allowing them to brush over the rig.
We are very happy with our Backwoods Sprinter Van Roof Rack and Ladder and we hope to see more of them on the road soon! Once you join the Backwoods club let us know! We host guided tours nationwide where you can join us and fellow Backwoods Adventure Mods enthusiasts on the trails for some guided weekend rallies.