It can be a hassle, lifting your bike, kayak or whatnot onto the top of your car, then reaching up there to secure it to the roof rack. The Dropracks system offers an easier alternative, as it temporarily brings the rack down to your level.
Designed in Norway, Dropracks consists of two main parts: a base that stays up on the roof at all times, and the actual rack, which moves on and off of that base.
To use the system, you start by pressing two buttons (one at either end) to unlock the rack from the base. You then grasp the rack and pull it out horizontally. Once it's all the way out, you unfold a crank arm from its side, and start cranking.
Doing so causes the whole rack to initially tilt diagonally towards you, after which the carrier section of the rack slides down relative to the rest, and levels out to sit parallel to the ground. The process is difficult to describe in words, but can be seen in the video at the end of this article.
Once you've loaded your bike, boat, skis, cargo box or whatever else onto the rack (using third-party T-bolt-style mounting accessories), you just reverse the procedure to get the load back up on top of the car and locked in place.
Dropracks is available in two models, the Sport and the XL. The Sport has a load width of 130 cm (51 in) and a maximum load weight capacity of 75 kg (165 lb), while the XL features a load width of 150 cm (59 in) and a weight capacity of 80 kg (176 lb). Both are constructed primarily of black anodized aluminum.
The system has actually been available in some markets since 2019, but is just now being introduced in regions such as North America and the UK. Prices will vary by location, but on Dropracks' own website, the Sport is listed at €1,950 (about US$2,235) with the XL going for €2,250 ($2,579).
