Best roof rack and cargo accessories for Subaru Ascent?

I honestly think the factory bars are decent for the price. I went with the Subaru Ascent OEM Fixed Crossbar Set and they've been solid.

• way cheaper than Thule
• no crazy whistling
• install took 10 minutes I paired them with the Thule Motion XT L Rooftop Cargo Box and it worked great for our camping trip. No need to drop 800 bucks tbh.

I totally agree that factory bars are a great value! But if you're really worried about that jet engine sound, you should definitely check out the Rhino-Rack Vortex StealthBar Black Roof Rack. It's amazing and feels way more premium than stock! Check these out:

• Rhino-Rack Vortex StealthBar Black Roof Rack
• Yakima SkyBox 16 Carbonite Cargo Box Its super quiet and honestly looks fantastic. Have a blast!

Regarding what #2 said about I totally agree that factory bars are a great value!

• I actually think you are better off skipping the middle ground if you want zero noise and zero roof interference. If you want the absolute best aero performance, you gotta look at the Inno Aero Base Rack System with Flush Bars. The technical reason everyone gets that whistling is vortex shedding from square or round edges, but these bars have a wing shape that maintains laminar flow way better than the factory setup or even the Yakima bars. I love the Inno stuff because they use a T-slot system that sits incredibly flush. You mentioned the Thule sitting too low for clamps... well, the Inno Shadow 16 Cargo Box uses a memory mount system that is way lower profile than those bulky Thule or Yakima claws. It keeps the center of gravity low and honestly looks like it was factory-molded for the Ascent. Costs are gonna be around $950 for the full kit, but you save money on gas because the drag coefficient is significantly lower than a bulky basket or cheap bars. Plus, the Inno bars have a rubber strip you dont even have to cut to install T-track accessories. Its brilliant engineering! Just make sure you torque the stay bolts to exactly 3Nm to 4Nm like the manual says so they dont vibrate. Youll have a silent ride all the way to the Adirondacks!

Saw this earlier and figured I'd chime in. You really might want to consider the Thule WingBar Evo 135 Aluminum Crossbars over the Edge series. The Edge sits way too low and I've seen them rub the roof paint on an Ascent when the box is fully loaded and hits a big bump. Not worth the risk tbh. I would suggest the Yakima JetStream Black 60in Aero Bars if you want better clearance. They look a bit more industrial but they're built like tanks and the mounting system is super reliable long-term. Just make sure to actually use a measuring tape during the install. If those bars aren't perfectly parallel, you're gonna get a hum regardless of the brand. For a box, maybe look at the Thule Force XT L Rooftop Cargo Box. It's a bit more rugged than the Motion series and the matte finish holds up way better against road salt and grime. Just keep an eye on the mounting knobs... sometimes they can loosen up slightly after a few hours of highway vibration so give them a quick twist when you stop for gas. Better safe than losing your gear on the Northway.