If the two kids and the dog have a combined weight over 100 lbs, I’d suggest upgrading the bars or putting the kids and dog inside the vehicleWe just bought a Thule Motion XT XL to put on our 2010 RAV4 for a trip from CA to CO with 2 kids and dog, and only realized afterwards that perhaps our factory crossbars are not going to be strong enough due to weight limit?
Has anyone used the factory crossbars with the XL and had any good or bad experience?
If we do need to upgrade the bars, which ones do you recommend and why? They seem so expensive it was a big cost we hadn't planned on.
Thank you!!
. 
Seriously though, Toyota does list a 100 lb max capacity for cargo on the roof. There are conflicting opinions here about whether it’s a 100 lb limit on the crossbars (50 lb each, distributed) or the rails or the structure. Given that there are rooftop tent platforms for the vehicle, I’d say the crossbars may be the limiting factor as they are rather thin and the thin part of an oval isn’t the strongest.
How much weight (not the kids and dog) are you planning to put up there? A major consideration is the possible change in how the trucklet handles with more than 100 lb on the roof, as this will raise the centre of gravity; this is one of Toyota’s prime concerns. You may want square section tube bars instead of factory units.
