Introducing The Martin Offroad Roof Rack For The 5th Gen 4Runner

Review Of The Martin Offroad Roof Rack & Accessories

One of the best ways to increase your gear carrying capacity is with the addition of a roof rack.

Whether you’re looking to add a rooftop tent, storage boxes for recovery gear, lots of new lighting, or all of the above, a roof rack could be one of the most practical mods you can add to your 4Runner. Even if you’re not an avid offroader or gear-happy overlander, a roof rack is extremely versatile.

They’re great for family road trips, carrying oversized items, keeping dirty gear out of the cabin, and plenty more. Not to mention, a great-looking roof rack can really elevate the look of your 4Runner.

I previously had a steel roof rack, and while it was incredibly strong, it was very heavy. Also, after a few years of use, the powder coat had chipped and it started to rust. When I was looking for a new rack, I wanted something sleeker, more lightweight, and wouldn’t rust.

While there are a ton of awesome CNC roof racks for the 4Runner, the Martin Offroad CNC aluminum rack is a solid, affordable option that stood out to me.

Who is Martin Offroad?

Martin Offroad is a small, one-man operation out of Denver, NC. The founder, Gage Martin is a Toyota enthusiast with a background in mechanical engineering. While putting himself through college, rather than buy a rack he couldn’t afford, he decided to build one himself, and Martin Offroad was born.

This history is carried forward today in well-engineered, affordable roof racks. Martin Offroad offers options for 3rd, 4th, and 5th gen 4Runners, as well as 1st-3rd gen Tacomas, Lexus GX, Toyota Tundras, and FJ Cruisers. They are adding racks and accessories all the time, so this list is sure to grow!

Price:

Before I get any further, I wanted to point out the price of this rack. I’m a firm believer in the philosophies of “you get what you pay for” and “buy once, cry once”. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t take cost into consideration. When shopping for racks, I began to realize that all CNC aluminum racks are largely the same in overall construction and materials used.

Each brand will be some unique aspects, but there are more similarities than differences. That’s what makes the $899 price of the Martin Offroad rack so appealing. It’s made from high-quality materials and has excellent powder coating, just like you would expect from big-name companies. The benefit is that you get all of that at a lower price point. Comparable racks start anywhere from $1000 and go up to $1400 and beyond.

Roof Rack Overview & Specs

Features:

• Low-profile, no-drill, full-length rack
• Side rails are CNC cut 1/4″ 5052 aluminum, powder coated in satin black
• Crossbars are black anodized aluminum extrusion with black, stainless steel hardware
• Front wind faring is available standard (no cutout) or with a 40″ lightbar cutout and is powder coated in satin black

Specs:

• Length: 87 3/8″ (mounting surface length, measured from the top of the wind faring back)
• Width: 47 1/4″ (mounting surface width, measured from side rail to side rail)
• Height: 1 5/8″ (measured at the center of the roof)
• Weight: ~55 lbs

Construction & Design

The Martin Offroad 5th Generation 4Runner rack is a low-profile, no-drill full-length rack.

The side rails are built from 1/4″ 5052 aluminum that is CNC cut and bent. Some other racks use 3/16″ side rails, so I liked the extra beef of the 1/4″ rails on Martin Offroad’s roof rack. The side rails come powder coated in a textured satin black at no extra charge.

I love the look of this powder coat. It has just the right amount of texture to give it some good grip, but not so much that it looks like a bed-liner. After months of use, mounting/unmounting gear, and living outside 24/7, the rack and powder coat look the same as new, without any chipping, scratching, or fading.

The crossbars are anodized black aluminum extrusions. They are 2″ by 1″ and have six T-slot channels; with two each on top and bottom, and one each on front and back.

This makes mounting items super simple, you can use drop-in T nuts and mount accessories without removing the crossbars. All included hardware is black stainless steel and the crossbar bolts are Torx heads, which have a solid bite and shouldn’t strip.

The rack mounts using the factory roof rail mounting points in the middle and rear of the rack. Martin Offroad includes aluminum spacers for these to lift the rack enough to clear the roof. The front mounting feet are adjustable in/out and up/down with a pretty clever design. They sit down in the rain channel and the up/down adjustability takes any play out of the rack and completely eliminates any bouncing.

Fit & Finish

Personally, I think the Martin Offroad roof rack is one of the best looking on the market. The low-profile design gives it a sleek look, and the side rails follow the body line really well. As mentioned above, the powder coat on this rack is perfect for my taste. In my opinion, it gives a really high-quality look and feel.

It’s also very low profile, so much so that the rear shark fin actually rises above the crossbars. If you intend to run a mounting plate or something in the rear that requires flush mounting to the crossbars, you’ll need to pick up a shark fin delete kit from GFC.

The front wind faring is curved and hugs the roof closely. That gives it a nice appearance as well as cutting down on wind noise. Martin Offroad provides auto trim for the faring that prevents airflow under the faring. It’s much quieter than my previous rack, and I really don’t notice any wind noise at all. The wind faring is also available with a cutout for a 40″ light bar.

Like most aluminum racks, it’s very lightweight, which makes assembly and installation simple. It was very easy to assemble, with the crossbars being bolted to the side rails with two Torx-head bolts per crossbar. The crossbars have threaded bolt holes so there are no nuts to fiddle with. The roof rack comes with nine crossbars, and the side rails have long slots where you can add more crossbars or adjust their positioning to customize your rack for mounting.

Functionality

Martin Offroad offers a number of accessory mounts to make your rack even more functional.

Tent Mounts

The Martin Offroad tent mounts have a 1.5″ rise and come in the same satin black powder coat as the rack. They come in a set of four and easily mount to the crossbars using drop-in T slot nuts and bolts.

Awning Mounts

These awning mounts attach to the side T-slot channels on the crossbars, and feature in-out adjustability, multiple holes, and a slot for some up/down adjustability on the awning.

Recovery Board Mounts

These mounts attach directly to the crossbars with four bolts each and are compatible with MaxTrax, ActionTrax, and TRED traction boards.

Beyond the accessories listed on the Martin Offroad site, the overall design of the rack makes adding other mounts and accessories super easy. I have some angled Hi-Lift mounts from LFD Offroad that are easily mounted to the crossbars, as well as a gun case mounted to my rack. Pick up some of these drop-in T slot nuts and you can mount almost anything with ease.

Final Thoughts

I’ve had the Martin Offroad rack on my 4Runner for several months now. It’s been everywhere from the beach to the mountains, loaded down with everything from camping gear to supplies from the hardware store, and it’s handled it all with ease.

It still looks basically brand new despite all this use and abuse. The powder coating hasn’t chipped and the crossbars haven’t faded, despite my 4Runner being outside 24/7. Truly, I don’t have any complaints. If you’re looking for an affordable, lightweight, and stylish rack for your 5th Gen 4Runner, the Martin Offroad roof rack might just be perfect for you!