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Need more cargo room in your Jeep? Who doesn't! Trunk space can be too valuable, and sometimes there are things you may not want inside your Jeep, like firewood, lumber, extra luggage, or even garbage. Why not put it on the roof?

This Wilderness Expedition Rack, made for the Grand Cherokee (also available for the TJ, XJ, and other models - see our '94 XJ Project) by Garvin Industries, was incredibly easy to install. It only took about an hour in my front yard one weekend using simple hand-tools before I had a completely installed basic roof rack (I installed the accessories later) on Project PJ - our 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Though the directions were lacking minor details in a couple of steps, they were well-enough written that I figured them out for myself without needing to call for technical support. All-in-all, these directions were much better written than most. Assembly is a snap: 1. Assemble the cage part of the rack. 2. Assemble the mounting brackets. 3. Slide the assembled mounting brackets into the factory rack rails. 4. Bolt the rack to the mounting brackets and adjust the height of the rack to make it level. That's all there is to it!

As with the Garvin products we've evaluated in the past, fit and finish were outstanding and the kit was extremely complete - it even included a few extra nuts, washers, and bolts...just in case. Helpful hints are added to the instructions - like the advice to leave the two center floor bars 5.375" apart if you plan to use the optional rooftop tire mount - that you would probably be thankful for later on. As always, Garvin leads the pack in quality and attention to detail; all hardware is black stainless steel (a pet peeve of mine is when a company sends black parts with tacky-looking, mismatched silver-colored hardware - kudos to Garvin!), and all parts fit together expertly. The mounting system used by the Wilderness Rack is well thought-out, and will not interfere with other components on your Jeep.

Rack Assembly

Mount Assembly

Placement of Mount Into Factory Rack

Placement of Mount Into Factory Rack

Available accessories include a roof-top tire mount, Hi-Lift jack mount, light brackets, and a net to secure your stuff - jerry cans are not recommended by Garvin for mounting on the roof of '99+ Grand Cherokees due to weight limits set by DaimlerChrysler.

Since the installation of the basic rack for this article, we have added six light-tabs and a spare tire mount (see top photo; additional accessories available from Garvin; Hi-Lift mount soon to come!), and everything fits and works perfectly. Who could ask for more from such a great rack?

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Dirt Road Magazine is sponsored by Turner 4WD Parts Co.