When we got our Quickpitch roof tent, we mounted it on two crossbars from Frontrunner. After one crossbar broke, we then switched to a roof rack platform from Rival.

In February 2022 we got our Quickpitch roof tent mounted on our New Defender. First it was installed on two cross beams from Frontrunner. Everything went well for half a year. Then suddenly the roof tent started to make loud banging noises, for example when driving over tiny bumps like drain covers. Real off-road driving was no longer a possibility. On closer inspection, one could see that the mounts of the crossbars were protruding beyond the rubber plates on the roof rails and had deformed the plastic base. So it was off to the workshop. The roof tent was removed and now the full extent of the disaster was revealed: The front crossbar had sheared off completely.

After dismantling, it turned out that the front crossbar was broken on both sides and was only pressed onto the railing foot by the tent's own weight.
After dismantling, it turned out that the front crossbar was broken on both sides and was only pressed onto the railing foot by the tent’s own weight.

The roof tent was no longer held, all the load was only on the rear carrier. When the road was uneven, the tent lifted up at the front and then slammed back down onto the broken edge of the carrier, hence the banging noise.
It’s hard to imagine what would have happened if we had had to brake hard.
After this experience, it is clear to us that we will never again use Frontrunner crossbars for heavy roof tents such as Alu-Cab or Quickpitch, even if on paper they should be able to carry the load.

Instead, we have now switched to a roof rack platform from Rival. This is attached to the roof rails in more places than the crossbars with their total of only 4 points. The tent also has more attachments on the roof rack platform than before on the crossbars.
The whole construction seems more stable and torsion-resistant.