Landing Pad

Removal of the OEM rack and installation of the landing pads were easy. The mounts are well-constructed and secure solidly to the vehicle. We are using the medium length Yakima aero crossbars with a Thule Motion XT XL cargo box attached when traveling because it was important to have access to both sides when loading. The only complaint is that the landing pads mount closer together than the factory bars. Other than that, another great product from Yakima.

I just finished installing my Yakima Streamline System. In my opinion, installing the landing pads was the hardest part and took closer to an hour than it did "10 minutes". I'm still not even sure that I have the rubber cover on right. I had the hardest time seeing the pictures to know if the cover should be "tucked in" or if it should "line the outside" of the landing pad. I ended up "tucking in" because leaving the edge of the rubber outside of the landing pad left a bit of a gap between the rubber and my car rails - looked the opposite of "aerodynamic". The screws were also difficult to line up to the screw holes on the flush rails of my car. After installing the landing pads, the rest of the rack system was simple. It was a little bit time consuming to do everything correctly, but I think installing the Skyline Towers and JetStream Bars was much easier overall than the landing pads. Overall, I'm satisfied with my system and think they look really nice on my car. I'm very excited to use them for the first time!

It's not all about capacity for you Yakima engineers. Stability and weight distribution are equally important. 30" wont cut it for a heavy oversized rooftop tent. Was going to go with the landing pad 15 setup until I learned they will not mount to the rear-most points on the factory Subaru Outback side rails.

Holes and slot don’t line up well with my 2017 Ford Explorer making the install a little difficult, even just getting the rubber pad on the base was a bit of a pain. To make matters worse, I’m unable to find a drill bit that fits the supplied fastening bolt head since it seems to have a Yakima proprietary type head on it, the supplied Allen wrench is a pain to use when the fastening bolt doesn’t line up well , 45 minutes into the install and I only have two of the four mounted, thank god I will be able to just leave them on when I finally get them installed

I have a 2017 Impreza, and Yakima recommends this pads. They definitely work and I have had no structural issues. My only complaint is Yakima does not fit the rubber parts to seamlessly match up with the lines of the car. I do have maybe a 1/8" gap between the roof and the rubber fittings of the landing pad. I know that it does cost more to design the pads around the lines of the car but for the finished look, it is totally worth it. The Landing Pad 11, I believe, was designed from the 2010 Subaru Outback when they changed their roof. Just by adding different types of hardware to the kit, it allows the pad to work many different types of cars. I just wish the level of detail and fit, would match up with the competitor.

I've used a lot of roof racks over the years, and this Landing Pad 8 is far and away them most solid mounting system I've ever used. I use it for hauling canoes and kayaks. I secure the boats solidly to the cross bars and never use front and back straps to the bumpers. They never move.

Just received a set of Yakima Landing Pad 17's for our '16 Suburban as a gift from some friends I tote about when we do out of town rides. The new rig replaced our '03 model that was destroyed in a collision, but the group took many out-of-town rides it it with the help of my Yakima roof rack. I employed a set of Landing Pad 1's previously and they performed flawlessly, so I was optimistic that the new model wjould work as well - and they do! Excellent design results in a clean, stable fit. Mounting is easy, and the Landing Pads do not present an hideous appearance when left installed on the vehicle without the roof rack installed. I had looked at the Landing Pads prior to receiving them as a gift and was floored by the $100 price tag, so I began to consider the idea of replacing the entire roof rack with a competing brand. But, my assessment of the competing brands left me with the impression they were significantly inferior to my Yakima. And, since I have such GREAT FRIENDS, they surprised me with the new Pads - YAY! :-)

RICK LOVES IT...HE IS ON THE SNUGTOP BROCHURE IN A BATHING SUIT...

LOVE THEM A+++++++++++++++++++++

Thanks to Yakima and the new rack modification for the 2015 Subaru Outback, I purchased the Landing Pad 15, Control Tower 4 and 58" Crossbars direct from Yakima. I can now carry both my Yakima SUPDAWG and Kayak Jaylow at the same time. Installation was easy for a girl with no handy skills. I have had this rack on my car for a couple of weeks now and no issues.