Material choice? Canopy rack

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I just picked up an ARE DCU commercial style truck canopy that I want to use to mount my roof top tent (RTT) to. I tried re-purposing a standard ladder rack I got off Craigslist but the sides of the canopy are at an angle that it doesn't work well so thinking of building one instead.I'm looking for suggestions on what material to use.  Square tube versus round, tube sizes, thicknesses, etc?  I've already looked at the various ladder rack threads for design ideas, primarily looking for pros and cons of the material choices to start.The tent itself weighs 115lbs and it sleeps 4 so potentially there could be upwards of 600 pounds up on the rack when it is at rest.  If you're not sure what a RTT check this out: http://www.cascadiatents.com/index.p...=594&c=&id=115  This truck gets used extensively off road but isn't a purpose built crawler or anything.  The rack will need to be sturdy enough to handle back country travel but ideally it wouldn't be prohibitively heavy.Thanks in advance for the advice.
Reply:My old pop up trailer used a predicious amount of round alum tube. As much as I thought it was too light, it never missed a beat. Even with bends. I would start with round 6061 tube, .059 wall. And weld with 5356 filler.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:I forgot to specify that I only have MIG welders. My 175amp one does have a spool gun for aluminum but I've never used it (just got it).  Realistically for my skill level steel is probably the way to go. Still learning.
Reply:From their site:"Cascadia Vehicle Tents are designed to mount simply on your stock rack system or on a couple of Thule, Yakima and other aftermarket crossbars, the same as you would use to carry your bicycles, canoe or kayak.The rack system transfers the weight to the structural parts of your car's roof. All roof racks carry a dynamic weight rating, to provide guidance on the tested limitations of the rack system when the vehicle is in motion. Most racks carry a maximum 165 pound dynamic rating, which means the rack can support 165 pounds of weight while driving down the road. Cascadia Vehicle Tents weigh only 108 pounds, so the rack system can easily handle the weight on most vehicles. When you are occupying to tent, this is a "static load", much more gentle and the racks can easily handle this weight. Always check with the manufacturer of your car and of your roof rack to determine the applicable weight limitations as they vary from vehicle to vehicle."Round or Square- it won't matter too much for you.Round stock is probably easier since you don't have to worry about orientation of the piece where you would in say a rectangle piece of tubing.Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Problem solved!  Traded my canopy for another that has a built in rack with four cross bars.  Woot!