The Z-Rails are a great solution for fitting our Clamshell Roof Top Tent to a canopy as they have been specifically designed and engineered for this purpose. They can also be used to secure a roof top tent to a roof rack where the slats of the rack run across the vehicle such as a Front Runner rack and where there is a raised ‘lip’ around the edge of the rack that the tent needs to clear. The Z-Rails can also be used if you want to be able to fit a table slide underneath your rooftop tent.
Constructed from 5mm thick CNC machined steel the Z-Rails and are 1,702mm long, 38mm high and 73mm wide and weigh 5.65Kg each. When using the Z-Rails to attach a roof top tent, we recommend spacing them between 650mm to 850mm apart.
Along the bottom edge of the Z-Rails which is 1400mm long and normally faces inwards on the roof of the canopy, there are four slotted holes for securing the rail to the roof of the canopy. If you are attaching through the roof of the canopy itself rather than to an extruded rail, we recommend using a sealant suck as Sikaflex around the holes and large body washers on the underside of the canopy roof.
The top edge of the Z-Rails which is 1702mm long, has four sets of slotted holes that are used to attach the roof top tent to the rail. There are two holes in each of the four sets spaced 100mm apart providing you with some flexibility in terms of positioning the roof top tent on the vehicle. If the top edge has been fitted facing outwards to the side of the canopy roof, accessing the nuts to secure the roof top tent to the rail is much easier. This also means that the tent can be easily removed without removing the Z-Rails, and you then have the option to attach load bars to the rails providing a useful platform on the roof of the canopy
The front edge of the Z-Rails are tapered to provide greater clearance between the rail and the roof of dual cab utes, and to enable a roof rack still to be fitted to the cab roof.
Check out the install videos below to see how we use the Z-Rails for fitment to a roof rack, a custom canopy and even directly to sports bars on a ute.