Attaching regular roof racks to your car is an investment, involving costly fixings that you almost certainly won't use every time you jump behind the wheel. Lately we're seeing cheaper and more flexible solutions emerge, the latest of which uses bicycle inner tubes to support sports gear en-route and keep your paintwork scratch-free.
The beauty of an inflatable rack solution, such as the Tair featured here and others like the TrunkMonkey, is that they can be packed away without too much trouble when they're not needed. This offers a capable roof rack for folks who aren't after a permanent solution.
All the components needed to install the Tair racks come in a mesh bag the size of a shoebox, which can easily be tucked into the trunk when not in use. Included is a set of Kenda bicycle inner tubes, which sit inside sealed nylon covers and across the roof of the car once pumped up with a standard bike pump.
These inflatable racks are then secured in place with a combination of hypalon straps, d-rings and solid cam buckles, with the entire installation said to take five minutes. The makers say the Tair setup is capable of transporting surfboards, snowboards, paddle boards, kite gear and even furniture.
It is also said to fit most types of cars, with examples offered including city cars, crossovers, saloons, SUVs and hatchbacks. Then, when it comes time to pack up the sports gear for the season, the Tair racks can be easily disassembled and stowed away.
Ultix Outdoors, creator of the Tair roof racks, has taken to Kickstarter to get it into production. Early pledges of £50 (US$65) are still available, which will land you a set in black when shipping kicks off in June 2019, if all goes to plan. They are also available in a Camouflage styling for pledges of £60 (US$78).
You can check out the pitch video below.
Source: Ultix Outdoors
