March 18, 2015
Rack Attack Team
Thule 300R Rapid Rain Gutter Low Foot Pack Review
Today we received the brand new Thule 300R Rapid Rain Gutter Low Foot Pack! This system is Thule's newest line, aimed at utilizing the versatile rain gutters on many popular SUV-style vehicles.
I installed this kit today on my 1998 Jeep Cherokee! For this application, I paired the 300R foot pack with ARB53B Aeroblades in Black. This gave a low-profile, subtle sleekness to my roofline, while still offering over 4 feet of loading space capable of carrying up to 165 lbs!
The first thing I noticed taking it out of the box, was the minimal design of the whole kit.
There are not a lot of little parts, making this incredibly easy to assemble (also cuts down on the number of pieces to break or lose over time). Took me about 5 minutes to get each foot assembled.
That's 5 minutes total.
Installation is just as quick as assembly. The feet will sit in the rain gutter loosely with a clip that hangs under the gutter. You simply measure to get the right distance you want then tighten each knob.
These give more carrying space than a rail-mounted kit, so I can haul my cargo box on one side and still have room for a bike on the other! It's very sleek and sits about 4 inches from the top of my roof line. The Black Aeroblades will look great with any car, but I like that they blend better with my car then the standard silver Aeroblades. They are definitely worth the extra $20. This is, by far, the best looking rack I've seen for this car!
The biggest feature I find on the 300R is that I can get my bars as wide as the entire rain gutter, which is typically the length of the roof on most cars. In my case, the gutter goes from the front edge of the top of the passenger front door all the way to the rear hatch door seam! As pictured, my crossbars are 40 inches apart, but I can spread them out to a full 80 inches! I could also put another entire 300R setup just like this one in the middle of the roof here, and get an even better load-bearing platform! This would be ideal for someone looking to carry some 18 foot sea kayaks or sheets of plywood!
Without a doubt this is the best rack you will find for your rain gutters. The ease of use, versatility, and sleek design make for the ultimate crossbar system!
