# 1
Yakima JayLow Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - Clamp On
The product seems great but I have not figured out how to get it safely attached to my bars. I have an Agricover Adarac on the bed of my truck and the crossbars are 1-1/2 x 1-1/2 inches square. I thought this would work well since it's for up to 3-1/2 x 1-11/16" crossbars, but it isn't secure on these. I'm going to try and figure out an alternate method for attachment though. Thule Hull-a-port Pro's are the perfect (mounting) solution but don't seem to be made any longer.
Great product and great customer service! Very easy to install, but I highly recommend to watch the installation video first. We used typical black office clips to clip the excess straps down since they came untangled when driving. Also, I recommend to purchase locks for the racks since we are concerned someone may steal them because they are so easy to take on and off.
# 2
Rhino-Rack Crossbar Pads w/ Tie-Downs - Universal - 21-1/2" Long - Qty 2
I love this rack! I don't think I'll ever take it off my car. Cool and functional. I've used it for my snowboard in the winter and my surfboard and camping gear in the summer.
The product very well made.. I have owned for a year now.. stays in place.. protects my paddle board
# 3
Rhino-Rack Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - Clamp On
First experience with purchasing from etrailer. Absolutely felt that my order was personalized which is a nice touch. The Rhino Rack S512 folding JStyle Kayak holders arrived boxed impeccably with no damage whatsoever and the price was great! Fantastic first time experience. Looking forward to using them. Thank you.
Sturdy cradle and easy to install. Difficult to keep tie down strap looped over top of "U" bar while trying to get it over the kayak, keeps slipping down. We made a channel out of foam to keep the strap in place and now it is easy.
# 4
Malone DownLoader Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - Clamp On
These kayak J-style racks worked great, AFTER I went to the hardware store and spent $20 on bolts that actually fit my truck rack. It comes with 2-5/8” mounting bolts that aren’t adequate for a heavy truck rack ( mines a Best.Wyle). I had to buy 4” bolts, lock washers, and nuts). I also wish the locking teeth were mitered instead of square. That would make them less prone to breaking and easier to align.
I had the moulded downloader and needed the folding in order to fit in the garage. The top feed for the tie straps isn't as good as the moulded J-style rack, the strap came out of one, but the kayak stayed where it needed to be. It is easy to raise and lower the rack, but I am not always sure at what angle I am supposed to set them. With the moulded J-style, they are at the perfect angle for holding a kayak. I wish the clamp that goes under the bars were a better fit for the oval bars, but they do send two different size bolts and the longer ones work.
# 5
Thule Hullavator Pro Kayak Roof Rack and Lift Assist w/ Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Universal Mount
Bought a pair of these to go on 59" rhino rack bars on our Outback Wilderness and am really pleased. I left the bars full width - they are not a head banger on the car - and mounted the Hullavators as far outboard as possible which means the kayaks clear the side of the car and wing mirrors without folding them in. I did have to modify one Hullavator to make the Hobie Lynx fit (36" wide Lynx = 36" max Hullavator width)
The Hullivator was for my wife to give her the option of loading and unloading by herself. It couldn’t be better. She now goes kayaking anytime she wants with little effort and no need for me to help her. Excellent product that’s worth every cent. Was super easy to install too.
# 6
Rhino-Rack Nautic SUP or Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Clamp On
After attempting to mount the individual rack pieces using the “burglar proof” button head screws with the pin in the recess and the short hex wrench with the hollowed out end I discovered that no real burglar would want the rack but would rather have the kayak so the first thing I did after spending 10 minutes trying to insert the hex into the button head screws with the pin inside the recess and attempting to turn the bolts and continually being obstructed by the support pieces and the paint interference on the bolt heads with trying to get the wrench into the recess I knew it was going to be a long frustrating process so I threw them away and purchased new button head stainless steel bolts and a 4mm extended handle hex wrench to turn them. Smartest thing I ever did. You not only have to mount the rack initially but then you have to put the kayak on the roof and remount all pieces again to fit your boat. All kayaks are different to one degree or another. Having to move the individual support and retighten them with the boat on the rack is even more difficult to do than the initial mounting with these “burglar proof” bolts and hex wrench and you will be happy you threw them away before you started the entire process. Try it for yourself at first and then go get the alternate ones. Worth the little investment and stainless steel will not rust away when you want to remove the rack system in the future. Once the rack is on your vehicle and kayak in rack the tie downs supplied are very good quality. Make sure you use the recommended tie down locations and directions, two kayak body ties and ties at front and rear. Due to numerous kayak hull designs it would be nice to have each support pod have a horizontal swivel built into it so it readily conforms to the hull shape. The overall quality of the system should be the last rack you will have to purchase. I only had issues with the supplied bolts and hex wrench. I gave this rack system a three star because of the bolts and hex tool and the individual pods not swiveling and I haven't at this point transported the kayak anywhere so I am waiting to see how it handles long trips with wind loads and constant loading and unloading performances.
Works great. I’m 5’6” and the pivoting cradles make for easy loading and off loading. I do need a stepping stool to install the carrier on the roof rack.
# 7
Rhino-Rack SUP and Surfboard Pads w/ Tie-Downs for Crossbars - Universal - 33-1/2" Long - Qty 2
These pads worked well on our Yakima RailBar Crossbars- Item #Y00448-0449 that we also bought from etrailer around 2020/2021. Not sure if etrailer carries the exact Yakima Crossbars anymore, but think they have a similar model. Both the pads and crossbars work well to haul our kayak on our 2019 Subaru Forester. etrailer's customer service rocks! We had a lot of questions purchasing both items and they were great to talk to!
The product came quickly and was so easy to install on my existing roof rails! It is absolutely perfect to fit many needs above and beyond my kayaks and paddle boards. They look so good on my new 2019 Jag F-Pace I might leave them on all the time.
# 8
Rhino-Rack Crossbar Pads w/ Tie-Downs - Universal - 27-1/2" Long - Qty 2
Here are some more pics. Very happy with the racks, tie downs and pads. Easy to install, very secure. Love the straps. They have protection around the buckle to protect the board and built in velcro to hold the straps together when not in use.
Trevor made the recommendation,great rack covers thanks ,thanks again!
# 9
Rhino-Rack Storage Rack for Kayak or Cargo Box - Wall Mount - Large - 176 lbs
The padded racks seem sufficiently sturdy, and are deep enough to hold our very wide-bottomed kayaks. I hope they hold up well outside over time. The hardware pack includes long screws to sink through wallboard into studs, which I couldn't use here. Somewhat curiously, only one strap is provided for each pair of saddles, which is why we've got some cheapie straps securing the upper kayak. A second strap would have been really nice!
# 10
Thule Stacker Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Post Style - Folding - Clamp On
We needed a better way to haul around 3 kayaks and after looking at a number of options, we settled on the Thule Stacker setup. Installation is simple and the stackers provide a sturdy option for hauling multiple kayaks. One of the best features is that they fold down when you don't need to use them. My shopping experience with etrailer was smooth and shipping was prompt.
My wife uses these to carry two small kayaks in the roof of her Subaru. They work great and we very happy with the purchase. She also likes finding her car easier in the parking lots, even with the carriers folded down.
# 11
Thule Hull-A-Port Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Fixed - Clamp On
I think the Thule Hulaport kayak racks are the best, most secure way to transport your kayaks. I had these on my Xterra and hauled two kayaks up to Cape Bretton park in Nova Scotia, Canada from Connecticut, USA no problem. We were even able to store gear in the kayaks for the trip. I’m so excited to have them for my Crosstrek. Highly recommend these!
This product is excellent. I have transported my kayak on these J Hooks several times going 70+ mph down the highway. It never moves. The bolts that come with it are short. If you have a thick roof rack, you will need longer stainless steel bolts. Make sure you you orient the blue straps with the buckle on top so you can pull down to tighten it up.
# 12
Thule Hull-A-Port Aero Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - Channel Mount
I rarely leave reviews but I have ordered a few items from etrailer lately and will say that I am impressed with how quickly they get my order shipped and how quickly it gets here.
I really like these j-style folding kayak roof rack mounts. They are very low profile and I am able to leave them on while I drive a standard 5th generation 4Runner through a standard 7 foot garage door.
# 13
Thule Compass Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - Clamp On
Wry disappointed in such an expensive rack and kayak carrier. It is extremely difficult to reach the carrier to place two kayaks. We are very uncomfortable transporting the kayaks for longer and highway travel. I would not recommend these to others. We likely will purchase something other in the future. I’d rather put the kayak in a car or pickup truck that they would fit in.
We bought this Kayak rack for my mom to put on her 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee so her and my dad could haul their kayaks easier. The mounting hardware was a little tricky at first but once we figured it out, it wasn't bad at all. It holds the kayaks in place nicely. Had no issues with them getting loose or moving around. Seems to be built well and they're very happy with it so far.
# 14
Malone DownLoader Kayak Roof Rack w/ Lift Assist and Tie-Downs - J-Style - Clamp On
I can't lift my kayak onto my roof rack like I could when I was younger. This looked like a perfect answer to keep me actively using my kayak. It is simple to use, but it does take some strength as you have to lift your kayak onto the loader and must lift the kayak up onto the roof rack as it only loads to just before the top, so keep that in mind. The legs need to be about 6" - 8" longer as mine don't touch the ground at the connectors. I can only reach the ground with them lowered to where they are almost out of the holder. They also touch the Jeep, so I am going to have to carry something to fit between the loader and the Jeep to prevent scratching the door paint. I think if the legs were longer and they fit with both the holder/connectors then I think they might not touch the Jeep. I would have given 5 stars if the legs were long enough. It works with both my moulded J rack and my fold down J rack. It works with both style of kayaks, rounded and straight hulls.
About a year ago, I purchased one set of the Malone Downloader w/Lift Assist (MPG114MD-351XL) and second set of Downloader J-Style Folding Racks (MPG114MD) for use on a 2014 Subaru Outback with standard Subaru roof racks. I had no issue with installation and use of any of the parts using the enclosed instructions and online videos. Everything seems to fit properly and securely; no broken, unusable, or missing parts. Over the past year we've use the racks extensively for our 10.5 ft recreational kayaks on both short local trips and longer highway trips. We augmented the roof racks with T-handle hood and tailgate tie-downs and some locally purchased camlock tie-down cords. Everything working great with 10's of racking/unracking episodes. We've only used the Lift Assist maybe 1 of 10 trips when there's only a single person lifting, so can't provide as much feedback. However, the Lift Assist does work exactly as advertised and we're happy with the results. In addition, the friendly and well-informed folks at etrailer.com were a huge help with answering tech questions. Well done!
# 15
Lockrack Adjustable XL Watersport Carrier - Canoe, Kayak, or 2 SUPs - Side Loading - Universal Mount
The keys are an issue (wish they were metal), but everything else is great! I go sunrise kayaking only and hate putting straps on with cold hands at 3:30 in the morning. I have a Nissan Pathfinder and was able to put this on with another set of Malone J-hooks so that I can have a second kayak when I go with someone. Once the fear subsides of it possibly falling off, you realize how quick and easy this thing is to use. It takes me 1 minute instead of 9-18 minutes to get my kayak up and secure. I have tested it at 75mph without any jiggling or issues. I sat on this in my shopping cart forever and finally pulled the trigger. If you kayak at least 10 times a year or are going at high speeds for extended periods of time in warm weather, totally worth it. If not, well, there are cheaper options out there.
Rec'd earlier this week, so today i will install. The item was obviously a return. The logos are nearly scratched off in places, all the items were loosely thrown in the box, and the 10mm wrench and hex key were missing. i think everything else is there. The keys should be a bright color instead of black, some spray paint will fix that. Anyhoo, i am a little disappointed.
# 16
Yakima ShowDown Kayak or SUP Roof Rack and Lift Assist w/ Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Clamp On
Wow is all I can say. I put the Malone cross bars on and then this went up in less than an hour. For an older very petite woman, It went up very easy. Yes, be aware shorties: you need a step stool to be able to get the rack up. I have a folding one that will go in my car. Yep so glad I did this. Thank you Paul B for the help in getting exactly what I needed.
Boxes were in rough shape from shipping but racks were in perfect shape inside. Seems well made and hopefully will be a good replacement for my hullavator which have broken gas shocks.
# 17
Malone SeaWing Kayak Roof Rack w/ Load Assist and Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Clamp On
I am happy with my purchase of the Malone SeaWing with the load assist feature. I use it a lot and it is holding up well. I have square crossbars, and the wing base can be flipped over during assembly to fit square bars perfectly. The load assist really does make it easy to get my 14 and 16 foot kayaks on the car by myself. Another reviewer stated that the load assist feature put black streaks on his thermoformed kayak, and I had the same experience. I fixed that by wrapping heavy duty, double sided Velcro around the areas of contact, and that has worked fine. They are still in place one year later. Four stars because Malone should have covered the load assist sliders in a non-marking material.
The lift assist would not work with a skin on frame kayak. Repeated use would damage the skin. You can see in the pic that the load assist pushes in on the skin, and would not slide all the way into the storage position without lots of pressure on the kayak. Etrailer would not take retuttome inern since I installed the rack, but there was no way to know without trying. So bottom line - don't try to use this on a skin on frame kayak. And don't count on etrailer for returns when they sell a product that doesn't work as advertised.
# 18
Thule MultiLift Cargo Lift and Storage System - Ceiling Mount - 220 lbs
The product itself I would give 5 stars, but it took considerable effort before I could get it installed and tried out. The first obstacle I ran into is that there were no screws included. After opening the box I discovered this, read through the manual, looked at the product listing on etrailer's website, and on Thule's website. I did not see any notice that screw were not included. Finally I did see on one end of the box such a notice, and etrailer's customer service confirmed this to be the case. The second obstacle was how to install the product in my garage. The instructions were of marginal help. They are mostly devoid of words, but rather use pictures to instruct. Once I had a good idea of how all the parts were to fit together and be mounted I discovered my garage ceiling would not accommodate the parts. The ceiling rafters are installed on end, from one side of the garage to the other, and thus not wide enough for the screw holes in the pulleys or center rod mounting brackets. I improvised by installing in the garage attic two 2x8 boards perpendicular to the rafters, then three 2x4 boards snug under the garage ceiling, attached to the 2x8s by way of two 3/8 x 3.5" hex bolts on either end of the 2x4s. The 2x4s were 10', cut in half to allow room for the TH572 mounting hardware between the bolts. With appropriate structure in place (a 12-hour one man job), I started on installing the product. I used eight 1/4 x 1.5" lag screws to attach the pulleys to the 2x4s, and six #10 1.5" wood screws for the center rod mounting brackets. This part of the job took only about an hour... maybe two... it was late. Some suggestions: - make sure your garage can hand the load of the box (What you see in most attics are designed to hold the roof, not have stuff suspended from them -- I got lucky and had access to reinforced headers in the right places) - make sure your garage door can still open with whatever you are storing in place - make sure you can get your car in position under the load (rooftop box, kayak, etc) where everything is installed - make sure you can get your car out of the garage with the load attached So, my main complaints with this product are two: no screws, and minimal instructions. But with a little determination and some help from etrailer customer support, I was able to get the job done. Now I need to find someone who can make my garage door opening taller.
Overall I give this Thule Multilift Cargo Lift a five star rating; however installing this device takes some effort and skill. Maybe more effort and skill than the typical DYI'er can provide. The instructions provided do not have any words or dimensions, only pictures. Other than following the routing of the rope through the pullies it didn't provide me any benefit. Also, my system did not come with any screws or bolts. For me that was not a big deal as I have plenty of hardware I can use. There is one center bracket and four pullies to install. The spacing does not line up with typical dimensions so I had to improvise to get the Multilift installed. My garage ceiling has joist spacing that is 16" on center. That is typical, although some may have 24" on center spacing. Either way the spacing for the screws to secure the various components does not match. I guess you could use toggle bolts to hold the components to the ceiling sheetrock but I didn't trust that idea. What I did was to span my ceiling joists with 1"x4" wood and then attach the components to them. The kit comes with a template so getting the actual components set up on the 1"x4" wood strips was simple enough. Once all the components are installed then the rope is routed through the pullies. As you can see in the pictures I had a close clearance between the roof box and my roll-up garage door. I think it is about 2". Since I don't have a tall roll-up garage door I cannot drive my car in or out with the roof box installed. That didn't matter to me since my only goal was to store the roof box out of harms way. My last comment is that it takes two people to lift the roof box up and get the Multilift ropes in place. I tried to do it by myself but that did not work. I do like this Thule Multilift but it took some effort to install it. I really like the way it is raised and lowered by turning a mechanism with a handle. There is a less expensive lift sold on the internet but it did not use as many pullies to raise and lower the roof box and it relied on a rope to lift and lower it.
# 19
etrailer Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - Clamp On
Brought home a new kayak yesterday using this J cradle for the first time. Easy to set up and load. Two complaints: not impressed with the strap buckles - had to tie knots to secure. And the 3-inch bolts weren’t long enough to easily attach the cradle to my Rhino Rack crossbars, so I had to replace them. Also got my finger pinched pretty good adjusting the cradle knobs - my fault for not being more careful, but just saying …
Great product for the price - The cradles were very easy to mount (and lay flat once folded). The videos were helpful in showing how to set the straps in the most efficient way. I test-drove my car today with my fishing kayak on top on a 80-mile round trip (a mix of freeway, country road and dirt tracks). The kayak was perfectly still, no particular wind noise and I was able to muscle to kayak up the roof and take it down on my own (it's a 52 lbs boat). I really recommend that product and I'm glad I went for J-Style cradles!
# 20
Rhino-Rack Nautic 581 Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Channel Mount
This is a perfect fit for my needs I found this easy to load by myself. I wasn’t sure about the height of the racks but it turned out to be perfect. I had a full size pickup that was way to tall for this 79 yr old to load, but on the Maverick a with the elevated rack system and the Rhino kayak it works great.
My OldTown Sportsman PDL120 was shifting around to much in very windy conditions. I bought the large Yakima kayak saddles/supports from etrailer.
What our customers are saying:
"I received this order yesterday. Thanks for the outstanding service. I appreciate it! Thanks, Alex"