Front Runner

Front Runner Outfitters is the South African overlanding brand that made modular aluminum roof platforms the standard for serious expedition rigs. Founded in 1997 in Johannesburg, the company cut its teeth building racks for the African safari and expedition market before expanding to the U.S. and Europe.

The Slimline II platform is the flagship product — a bolt-together aluminum tray with hundreds of mount points for rooftop tents, awnings, shovels, jerry cans, and recovery gear. Other brands make similar systems now, but Front Runner invented the category.

They're not cheap. A Slimline II for a 4Runner starts around $1,200 before accessories. But if you're actually going to Baja, the Dempster, or the Pan-American, this is the platform other overlanders won't talk trash about.