7 Best Accessories You Can Fit To The Dirt-Loving Subaru Forester, Crosstrek, Or Outback

Subaru is the brand built for outdoor enthusiasts and offers plenty of accessories for the new Forester, Crosstrek, Outback or Ascent. With standard all-wheel-drive, X-Mode, and extra ground clearance, you can take the three models and outfit them with a few accessories and they are ready for the backcountry trail. Check out the 7 best accessories you can fit your dirt-loving Subaru with to get you away from civilization.

Roof-top tent

If you don’t like towing a camper or paying for expensive motel rooms, a rooftop tent can turn your Subaru into an outdoor venue wherever you’d like it to be. Torque News featured the 7 best rooftop tents for you, and we also researched the 7 best roof racks that offer a safe and sturdy platform for your tent. All these accessories are even available on the smaller Crosstrek.

Roof box

You won’t be able to fit all your camping gear inside your Subaru, so the best accessory is to get a roof box cargo carrier. They are more useful for your gear since they are contemporary and aerodynamic and are not much drag on your Subaru’s appearance or fuel consumption. There are a number of excellent options from Thule, Yakima, and Rola.

Bike carrier 


Mountain biking is one of the fastest-growing sports around the globe. In the mountain regions of the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, France, and South Africa, it’s gaining popularity. The best way to transport your bike is a hitch-mounted bike carrier as opposed to a roof-mounted bike rack.

A roof-mounted bike rack can be challenging to load-and unload, and it affects aerodynamics, which increases fuel consumption. Thule offers a sweet 2-bike hitch-mounted carrier that allows tailgate access. Its lightweight aluminum rack is nearly half the weight of most hitch racks, for easy handling, installation, and removal. The carrier is unique to Subaru and designed to properly attach to the Subaru trailer hitch. It fits Ascent, Crosstrek, Forester, and Outback.

Roof blades and cross bars

Outdoor and adventure toys like surfboards, kayaks are best placed on the roof of your Subaru due to their shape. They are all too long for a tow-bar mounted racking solution. This is where having roof rail crossbars are useful. If you own a Subaru Outback, you can simply deploy the bars that are already embedded in its roof recesses. The Cross Bar Set is available for Crosstrek, and Forester. 


Splash guards

You will likely be driving on muddy roads with your Forester, Crosstrek or Outback and splash guards help keep mud sprayed by the tires off the car’s body panels. Mud is abrasive and will adversely affect your Subaru’s paint finish over time. Also keeping your wheel wells clean keeps your vehicle’s suspension components and brakes free of dirt creating unnecessary wear.

Cargo step


Even if you aren’t using your Subaru for outdoor adventures, loading and unloading cargo can damage your rear bumper. Unless you are into CrossFit, you might not be able to lift and load bulk or rough surface items into the back of your Subaru. A rear bumper cargo step (scuff guard) for the tailgate’s contact area will save your vehicle’s rubber sealing and prevent it from prematurely aging. With the cargo step in place, you can confidently rest an object, before perfectly angling it into place, without causing damage.

Ski / Snowboard Carrier

With winter sports season here, a Ski / Snowboard Carrier is a must-have accessory for the Subaru Forester, Crosstrek, Outback, or Ascent. It can hold up to six pairs of skis or four snowboards securely with ultra-soft rubber arms that grip without scratching surfaces. It features 30"-wide loading platform and includes four locks to securely lock skis and/or snowboards to the carrier and the carrier to the vehicle.

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Photo credit: Subaru USA, Timmons Subaru