Rubbermaid FastTrack Garage: A Complete Guide to the System
The Rubbermaid FastTrack Garage system is a wall-mounted storage system that uses horizontal metal rails and a collection of compatible accessories. The idea is simple: you screw the rails to your wall studs once, and then snap-in hooks, shelves, baskets, and bike hangers can be repositioned anywhere along the rails without any tools. It's one of the most popular garage wall organization systems sold, and for good reason. If you're trying to get bikes, tools, sports gear, and garden equipment off your garage floor and onto the wall, FastTrack does the job well.
The important thing to know upfront is that FastTrack is a lighter-duty wall organization system, not a heavy-shelf replacement. It's built for items that weigh under 50 to 100 pounds per hook or accessory. For heavy bins, car parts, or bulk storage, you'll want freestanding shelving in addition to the wall system.
The Core Rails
Every FastTrack setup starts with the rails. There are two rail lengths: 36 inches and 60 inches. You mount them horizontally to the wall, and every FastTrack accessory clicks into the rail's slot pattern.
Most garages install two rails, one above the other, with 16 inches of spacing between rail centers. This 16-inch spacing is the standard for the full range of Rubbermaid accessories. Rubbermaid sells rails individually or in starter kits with a handful of accessories included.
The rails are steel with a powder coat finish and mount using three screws per rail: two into studs and one into the center. This gives you a stable mount that can handle the combined weight of all the accessories you'll hang on it.
Rail Orientation Options
Most people mount FastTrack rails horizontally, running along the wall at one or two heights. You can also install them in a vertical orientation (running from floor to ceiling), which works well for narrow wall spaces between a door and a corner.
Horizontal rails are the standard. Vertical rails are a good option when you have limited horizontal wall space but a tall wall to work with.
FastTrack Accessories
Rubbermaid has built out a wide accessory ecosystem for the rails. Here's what's available and what each piece is good for:
Hooks
Single hook: A simple curved hook for hanging individual items. Useful for extension cords, rope, jumper cables, and small tools. Rated at 25 to 50 lbs depending on hook size.
Double hook: Two-prong hook for hanging bikes by the front and rear wheel simultaneously, or for wider gear like camping chairs. Rated at 50 lbs.
J-hook: A larger J-shaped hook for round or bulky items. Works well for garden hoses (50 to 100 feet of hose coiled up weighs 15 to 25 lbs), ratchet straps, and rope.
Garden hook: A Y-shaped hook with a wide cradle for long-handled tools like rakes, shovels, and hoes. Stops tools from sliding off sideways.
Shelves
The utility shelf is a wire-frame shelf that attaches to two rails. It comes in different depths (11 inches and 17 inches are common). These shelves hold 50 to 100 pounds of evenly distributed weight, making them good for small bins, helmets, spray cans, and small gear. Not ideal for heavy totes.
Baskets and Bins
The hanging basket is a wire mesh bin that clips to the rail. Great for sports balls, water bottles, small parts, and loose items that don't hang well on hooks. These hold 25 to 50 pounds.
Bike Accessories
Rubbermaid makes a few bike-specific accessories: - Vertical bike hook: Holds one bike by the front wheel in a vertical position. The bike hangs with the front tire up. Rated for bikes up to 50 lbs. Works for most standard road and mountain bikes. - Horizontal bike bracket: Holds the bike frame horizontally against the wall. Takes more horizontal space but the bike doesn't swing or tip.
For a two-bike family, two vertical bike hooks side by side on a 60-inch rail work well and keep both bikes off the floor.
Installation: Step by Step
Installing FastTrack rails is a 45-minute project with a drill, stud finder, level, and pencil.
What You Need
- Stud finder
- Drill with bits
- Level (a 2-foot level is ideal for this job)
- Pencil
- The rail's included mounting screws
Installation Process
1. Find the studs. Use your stud finder along the wall and mark each stud. Standard residential construction spaces studs 16 inches apart. Mark every stud across the width of where your rails will go.
2. Plan your rail heights. Decide where you want the first rail. For most uses, 36 to 42 inches from the floor works well for the lower rail, with the upper rail 16 inches above the lower rail center. If you're specifically hanging bikes, the lower rail often goes higher, around 48 to 54 inches.
3. Mark the mounting hole positions. Hold the rail against the wall and mark the mounting hole locations on the studs. Drill pilot holes at these marks to prevent splitting the stud.
4. Mount the first rail. Hold the rail level and drive the screws through the rail mounting holes into the studs. Check level one more time after driving the first screw before completing the rest.
5. Mount the second rail. Measure down from the first rail to get the 16-inch center spacing. Mark and mount the second rail the same way, confirming level before finishing.
6. Load the accessories. Clip accessories into the rail slots by pressing the clip in and sliding down. They'll click into place and can slide horizontally anytime.
How FastTrack Compares to Other Systems
Understanding where FastTrack fits helps you decide if it's right for your garage.
FastTrack vs. Slatwall: Slatwall covers the entire wall with grooved panels and accepts a wider range of third-party accessories. It looks cleaner and more finished. FastTrack has fewer compatible accessories but the rail mounting is more secure. For a working garage, FastTrack's durability wins. For a showroom-style garage, slatwall looks better.
FastTrack vs. Heavy-duty bolt shelving: FastTrack is for lighter items. Heavy-duty bolted wall shelving handles 300 to 500+ pounds per shelf. If you need to store heavy automotive gear on the wall, FastTrack is not the right tool. Use it alongside heavy shelving, not as a replacement.
FastTrack vs. Pegboard: Pegboard is cheaper and accepts a wide range of hooks. The tradeoff is that pegboard hooks fall out constantly, especially when you grab one item and its neighbor falls off. FastTrack accessories click in and don't fall unless you deliberately release them.
Our best garage storage guide covers a wider range of storage options if you want to compare systems, and for overhead storage that pairs well with a wall system, see the garage top storage guide.
Tips for Getting the Most from FastTrack
Plan your layout on paper first. Measure your wall, list everything you want to hang, and estimate how much space each item needs. This prevents you from buying accessories that don't fit or running out of rail space.
Mix rail lengths. If you have a long wall, consider starting with two 60-inch rails for the main zone and adding 36-inch rails for secondary zones above workbenches or in corners.
Use a 60-inch rail for bikes. A 60-inch rail gives you room for two bikes side by side, plus some additional hooks or accessories on the same rail. Two 36-inch rails side by side work too, but 60-inch rails are easier to install and line up.
Add a utility shelf for frequently-used gear. A shelf at chest height for sports helmets, gloves, and regularly-used tools makes those items easy to grab without reaching for a specific hook.
FAQ
Can you install FastTrack on drywall without studs? Not reliably. The rails need to be anchored to studs for any meaningful load. Drywall alone won't hold the screws under repeated loading and unloading. If you genuinely can't hit studs (for example, a concrete block wall), you'd need to use concrete anchors and the rails would still support much less than a stud installation.
Are FastTrack accessories removable without tools? Yes. To remove an accessory, you press the clip slightly inward and lift while pulling forward. The motion takes a minute to learn but it's quick once you have it. No tools required.
What's the maximum rail span for FastTrack? Individual rails max out at 60 inches (5 feet). You can install multiple rails end-to-end to span a full wall. The accessories slide along a single rail and don't cross the gap between rails, so each rail section is independent.
Does FastTrack work for kayaks and canoes? Rubbermaid doesn't make a specific kayak accessory for FastTrack. For a kayak or canoe, you'd need a ceiling hoist system or a dedicated wall bracket rated for the weight (kayaks run 40 to 70 pounds, canoes 40 to 90 pounds). These are usually separate products from ceiling or wall mounting systems.
The Right Setup for Your Garage
FastTrack works best as the wall layer of a layered storage system. Wall rails for bikes, tools, and sports gear. Freestanding racks for heavy bins and bulk storage. Ceiling racks for seasonal items that sit for months.
If you start by installing two 60-inch rails on your longest clear wall and load them with the bikes and garden tools that currently live on the floor, you'll likely free up 10 to 20 square feet of floor space in one afternoon. That's a reasonable return on a couple of hours of installation work.