BLUF
Second test round of the low-profile mount with Sherpa Equipment Co. Mounts slid on after small tweaks. Crossbar position got resolved on the second-to-last bar — the tent's mounting rail couldn't reach the last one. Road test came back clean: zero rattling, tent stayed put.
How the install actually went
The first test was easy. A few washers, some position adjustments, mounts slid on. Front crossbars got moved to the rear to take out extra play and get the fit rock-solid.
The crossbar conundrum
Hit a snag on the rear crossbar — there was a light installed where the mount needed to go. Instead of working around it badly, we moved the crossbar forward. The second-to-last crossbar turned out to be the right answer. The tent's mounting rail wouldn't reach the last crossbar anyway.
Precision install
Tent centered, electric drill and hand ratchets, mounts torqued in. The first-version design had front mounts moving and rear fixed. Already iterating toward rear-moving mounts because that geometry makes for an easier install.
Road test
Tent stayed put. No rattling. No noise. Mount holds in real-world driving conditions, not just on a stationary rig.
The same iteration work fed into the Slipstream — the production quick-release mount.