Why We Chose A Prinsu Rack For Our Outback Wilderness | Install and Thoughts

[@JimEdds]

This is exactly what I need to do with my 2020 Outback for storms. The trac gas cans would fit nicely on the side for Canes. Nice work.

[@roamingwithjosh]

Thank you!

[@mattvogelsong8460]

How did you route the wire for the light bar? Did you use a existing hole or just tuck it in somewhere else? I have the trigger4 system on my wilderness and want to get this rack with a light bar but dont know about where id put the wire loom unless i drill a hole with a waterproof grommet

[@roamingwithjosh]

Run the wire down your windshield and use KC lights wire hider to conceal the wire. That's what i've done. Here are the links for the light bar and the wire hider is you're interested amzn.to/3nV3AR6 amzn.to/44VoVu9

[@xColter]

What ditch lights do you have on your outback?

[@roamingwithjosh]

these ones adventurerigshop.com/collections/lights/products/rigid-industries-d-ss-series-pro-driving-surface-mount-black use code NOMAD and save 5% if you order from Adventure Rig Shop.

[@collinis1]

How did you mount the light bar to the rack? Did you get the specific mounts from prinsu?

[@roamingwithjosh]

I did. You can find them here - adventurerigshop.com

[@collinis1]

@@roamingwithjosh I can’t find it. Is it under the outback -> roof rack tab?

[@roamingwithjosh]

@@collinis1 do you already have your rack and just need the cutout wind fairing? the rack is here - bit.ly/3LLkOJF

[@collinis1]

@@roamingwithjosh I ordered the rack from adventure with the cutout and am waiting for it to ship but I forgot to order the light bar mount

[@roamingwithjosh]

@@collinis1 Ahhhhhh, got it. There is not "mount" that comes with it. When you order a light bar it generally comes with brackets and those brackets fit the rack. this is the light bar I purchased and used the mounting hardware that came with the light to mount directly to the rack amzn.to/3HwSEzD get the 40-inch version and it will work perfectly.

[@merpinallday]

The drilling is a deal-breaker. I think I'll go with the Slimline 2 for my FW.

[@roamingwithjosh]

All you do is make the holes that are already existing a single MM larger. It's not drilling new holes in your roof.

[@Necromancer1776]

@@roamingwithjosh problem is if lets say you had to go back to stock cause you had to trade the car in and cant get your OEM rack back on they could ding you alot of money… sucks i really want this roof rack but the drilling is a massive dealbreaker unless you can eat the cost

[@Cortheawwtist]

@@Necromancer1776 you would absolutely be able to go back to stock. just use a washer on the nut.

[@keilmillerjr9701]

​@@Necromancer1776One would not be dropping the headliner on a car they are going to trade in, your point about drilling is mute. Enjoy what you have, whichever method you choose. Rigid Armor makes a platform roof rack for the sk forester, and it bolts onto the oem rails. The downfall is that it's more expensive than other options and it has a lesser of a weight rating. But it bolts on.

[@jimfarrell771]

I loved the video. Thank you. I just ordered the Prinsu rack for my 2022 Outback Wilderness and now that the video has been out for a while, i wanted to ask how the amazon light is holding up? I Have to order a light, and i don't want to spend $1K buying one, but i don't want to put all the time into setting everything up, and have to redo the light 6 months down the road. Thank you!

[@roamingwithjosh]

Light is still solid and has held up in even the most terrible conditions.

[@jimfarrell771]

Awesome. Thank you.

[@cbackies]

Does the wilderness rack and the standard outback rack attach the same way ? Prinsu doesn't list wilderness separately

[@roamingwithjosh]

yes. it's the same model and part number and uses the same holes for mounting.

[@cbackies]

​@@roamingwithjosh I just had the principle installed on my wilderness this past weekend and the front mounting bracket did not fit. It was an inch too low. Did you run into this with yours? I'm wondering if prinsu sent me the wrong bracket?

[@apco25imbe]

I can't tell from the instructions, but how many unused factory holes do you end up with? When I installed mine on the Crosstrek all the holes were utilized.

[@roamingwithjosh]

I believe there were two on each side if I remember correctly.

[@Timelrd_OBW]

I keep seeing your rig and have to do double takes now that you have the Prinsu. Ours are looking more and more alike. 😊

[@roamingwithjosh]

LOLOL Agreed!

[@MarcusOchoa0921]

Do you know if the Prinsu Rack will fit my 23 OBW? Website shows only to 2022, but I assume it's the same roof. Thanks

[@roamingwithjosh]

Everything from the 22 transferred to the 23. 23 got a few upgrades from a technology standpoint, but the vehicle itself is the same.

[@MarcusOchoa0921]

@@roamingwithjosh Appreciate it!

[@Selassie231]

The rack looks awsome on your OBW and it definitely seems to have a lot of utility. Especially the lightbar cut out if you can upgrade the bar as needed. We thought about a rack for ours but im hesitant to lose any of the Wilderness accents or cladding. And i honestly love the anodized copper. Most likely the front accent will go when a good wench mount comes into production. Would love to see you out on the trails so we look forward to you being in the PDX area.

[@roamingwithjosh]

Appreciate it and yes the look of it is truly game changing if you can stomach losing some of that OBW look that we all love. I'm hoping to try the warn winch bumper that they have for the 6th gen, not sure if it will mount up properly, but so far everything for the 6th gen outback has worked perfectly with the wilderness. Thanks for the input!

[@darksideemt]

Looks great!! If I ever put a rack on the Crosstrek it was definitely going to be the Prinsu. Totally agree with you and it is the best looking/best made rack for subarus out there.

[@roamingwithjosh]

Thanks, Travis! I can see the itch to mod the crosstrek from here!

[@JROSSFOZ]

@jw_offroad has started making a better rack for Subarus & also the new FrontRunner rack as well…

[@oceanbeliever681]

Good stuff as always.

[@roamingwithjosh]

Thank you!

[@prestonestes7672]

Will the 4th gen prinsu fit a 3rd gen on the outback?

[@roamingwithjosh]

I'm pretty sure adventure rig shop can get the 3rd gen rack. Send them an email [e-mail]

[@jeffreya8329]

Does the rack handle way more weight than the original wilderness rack?

[@roamingwithjosh]

I'm not exactly sure if it handles any more weight or not because it uses all the factory mounting points, but it does allow you a lot more versatility in the way you attach items to the roof.

[@maxieboi99]

Do you get any wind noise vs the factory rails?

[@roamingwithjosh]

not a noticeable amount

[@jesseandrews9558]

How’d you run the wiring for your light bar?

[@roamingwithjosh]

I used KC wire hider on my windshield and took it down into the engine bay to the aux switch controller.

[@jesseandrews9558]

@@roamingwithjosh Awesome, thanks for the info. I’ve been looking to get the same roof rack but the last thing I want is for the wire routing to ruin the whole aesthetic of the vehicle.

[@roamingwithjosh]

@@jesseandrews9558 That makes total sense! I think the wire hider on the windshield is pretty slick and 99% of people would never even notice it.

[@MeetAlexChannel]

Sooooo I've owned a Prinsu rack for about half a year on my 2021 Crosstrek. Overall, Great roof rack, BUT it started leaking like crazy about a month ago. To be fair, it was torrential downpour for about 2 days straight, but still. (Keep in mind, I took extra care during initial installation to follow Prinsu's instructions to a T.) Come this past week, my solutions was to take out the whole entire interior AGAIN (and yes its the worst thing ever), apply 3M weather sealant to the inside of the plus nuts, put the interior back (which is arguably worse than taking it apart), and keep my fingers crossed. My advice: seal BOTH ENDS of the nuts with PROPER WEATHER SEALANT the first time around and invest in a rabbits foot and hang it on your rear-view mirror.

[@roamingwithjosh]

That is not a comment I wanted to read. I definitely went above and beyond on the sealant and opted to us a sealant that cures and not simple silicone as they suggested. I’m hoping I don’t have an experience like yours especially while I’m out chasing severe weather. Thanks for the input and sorry to hear about the leaks!

[@apco25imbe]

@@roamingwithjosh I had a leak issues as well on the Crosstrek upon first rain. I use black Silicon and applied to each rivnut. Use about 3 times more than you think you need. The problem is the bolts can leak through the rivnuts by water wicking down the threads. On the Crosstrek, I filled the spacers full of silicon and then set the bolts through the silicone filled spacer. That solved it.

[@ronschwarz4882]

Well done Josh. The Prinsu rack is and looks purpose built for the Outback. Here in Australia adapting a Rhino or other platform rack ends up sitting high, looking crap and increasing drag, particularly with the silly touring model swing over bars that can’t carry proper loads. It cost me a bomb to import but I don’t regret it for a second. Cheers!

[@roamingwithjosh]

Awesome stuff and thanks for the comment! Love hearing from people in other countries about their experiences with the OBW!

[@rayuchida2054]

Curious mind sharing your specs on your wheels? Did you need to chop at all?

[@roamingwithjosh]

Wheels are 17x8 with a +38 offset if I remember correctly. No chopping required even with larger tires.

[@JDS-Dalton]

Man, too bad you ain't coming to the southeast! We got decent trails and pretty much daily nasty storms with amazingly beautiful lightning right now! No tornadoes though, at least not that many. I've been looking at a prinsu for my forester wilderness, but at the moment, I can't really justify it as all I carry on my roof is my awning and my traction boards. Definitely will look into it if I ever get an RTT though. But man, they definitely look pretty good!

[@roamingwithjosh]

I'll be down in the southeast this winter so maybe we can get together then! I totally get where you stand on the "necessity" of not needing it, We should be putting this thing to use soon and hopefully it lives up to all the hype I just put on it!

[@JDS-Dalton]

@@roamingwithjoshsounds good! What area are you gonna be in? And yea, at the moment it's just me and my dog, so I can fit all my gear in the trunk and back seats, but if that changes, yea, I'll be going for the prinsu. My friend makes good use of his and his roam boxes to carry all his gear with his wife and baby in the car, so I'm sure it'll definitely love up to the hype for you! I love how low profile and modular they are.

[@troytokarczyk]

Love my roof rack from Prinsu on my OBW

[@roamingwithjosh]

Us too! Appreciate the input!

[@waltercheney9643]

I've seen several OBW with these and I'm just not a fan. Way too much work to wind up with what I already have. Once you install this setup you can NOT go back to factory, Killing your trade in value. This is important as I trade often. The next issue for me is the fact that I like the space under my current setup! It allows me to wash my roof easily and sunroof. The light bar is cool but that's nothing I cant add to any rack setup. Overall it looks good on them but I just can NOT justify the cost and vehicle modification just to end up with "another rack". That mounting hardware will rust up here in the salt belt also. Unless its all stainless, which it looked like coated steel, its a problem. Keep up the great work! Love the vids as always.

[@roamingwithjosh]

This was definitely something I've been thinking about for a while and totally get your position on why you wouldn't go this route. You definitely could put your factory rails back on with no issue at all. The hole for your factory rails are already larger then the size of the bolts used to attach them (oval shaped), but either way it sounds like you love your setup just the way it is and that's all that really matters at the end of the day. Thanks for the input and appreciate the support as always!

[@apco25imbe]

Aftermarket add-on don't kill trade in value. Dealers don't care what you add or remove from the car. Absolute myth in the auto dealer industry unless this is over a classic car.

[@Ape_Mode]

Go cry about it 🤓

[@LMDubya1012]

If you see this, do you mind responding so I can ask you a question related to the stock rails you removed! It would be the BIGGEST help!

[@roamingwithjosh]

Hey, what can i help with?

[@markpalacios6658]

Hey Josh. This is Mark at palubaru_adventures. I think I'm going to stick to the Pioneer Rack from Rhino but loved that you tackeled this project. It looks like it should be there and its an awesome rack for sure!! On a separate note, I was curious to know if you ran across the camera wiring as you took the plastic apart in the rear? I can't get any help from the dealer on the wiring diagrams and I really don't want to start tearing the plastics off without a game plan. I am still trying to figure out how to relocate the camera and really trying to avoid running a separate camera and monitor. Killer job as usual brother!

[@roamingwithjosh]

Hey, dude! I wish I would have thought about that while I had everything off in the rear, that would have been the perfect time to dig into that. Now that I know how to get everything off I’ll think about tearing back into it and getting it looked at.

[@apco25imbe]

Factory wiring shouldn't be routed in a manner that you would disturb when removing trim and installing the Prinus. I had no issues when I did our crosstrek.

[@apco25imbe]

While I love the functionality and the look of the Prinsu rack, after the pain in the ass it was to install on our 18 Crosstrek and I'm leaning towards not adding one to our OBW's.

[@roamingwithjosh]

It’s definitely a huge pain, but I’m absolutely loving the looks of it and hoping it never gets old. Thanks for the input!

[@eatinlikereptar]

While i haven't bought it yet, Frontrunner's flat platform looks to sit very nicely atop the OBW and i'm leaning into buying one soon for mine. Just not enough people have them on theirs to justify buying one since there is little to no reviews on its functionality

[@apco25imbe]

@@eatinlikereptar I haven't seen Frontrunner. Not having factory rivnut/nutserts does make the install a pain. I am leary of the trim pieces as they feel even software than what is in the Crosstrek.

[@apco25imbe]

Checked it out. Definitely not a cool looking sitting so high on the factory rails. The Prinsu sure has a better fit and look to it.

[@kakauandme]

FYI the sound this time has some noise. Love your Subaru content.

[@roamingwithjosh]

I know it does, I’m using a new lav mic and I’m trying to dial in the sound on it. Appreciate the input and thank you!

[@jeffMinnesota952]

Dude! helpful hint- there are a lot of people that will stop listening to you ramble 4 ½ minutes before you get to what they are looking for... just saying...

[@roamingwithjosh]

Thanks for the comment!

[@ronalgonzalez545]

you got a nice subaru bro

[@roamingwithjosh]

Thank you!

[@justinflott5133]

Hey!!!! I asked you about this!

[@roamingwithjosh]

Here it is!

[@justinflott5133]

Looks great! Can’t wait to get mine next year. Thanks for the video.

[@mrc4912]

For me, the usefulness of having this rack is offset by the giant pain in the ass of an installation process....

[@roamingwithjosh]

It's definitely a pain, but worth it I swear.

[@h20s8804]

Leftover holes? Level? Tape? what?! That sounds really lame. I'm in OREogn it rains a lot.

[@big_bird8597]

seems like a waste to buy the obw and do this just buy a xt or onyx and lift it and put that on there its the same thing and cheaper

[@roamingwithjosh]

I agree. It's like Subaru didn't do everything it could have to make this a complete vehicle. But that's what they do now. I appreciate your comment.

[@big_bird8597]

@@roamingwithjosh i think its similar to gaming pcs some people just want it ready out of the box so they buy a prebuilt and others like to customize so you buy the base and upgrade the obw is for the people who want it ready to go out of the box. lol but my comment was talking about you, why did you buy the wilderness to just remove the rack and so on? im generally just curious and dont mean for it to sound rude

[@roamingwithjosh]

@@big_bird8597 No worries. The roof rails it had on it were stationary and unable to attach anything to the top of the vehicle.

[@big_bird8597]

@@roamingwithjosh isnt that what crossbars are for?

[@roamingwithjosh]

@@big_bird8597 yes, just limited options for what you carry/mount.