Most Popular J-Style for 2020 Subaru Crosstrek

I was about to spend over $500 on Thule roof carriers for two kayaks, and I wasn't even going to have all the necessary straps or a way to attach them to our Subaru Crosstrek. Then I saw this etrailer alternative, and I'm so happy I did. Each set comes with everything you need to secure a kayak to existing roof rack bars, and installation is super easy. I bought two and saved at least $300 and a lot of hassle. We were able to transport the two kayaks from Seattle to our cabin no problem, driving upwards of 60-70 mph through a bit of rain and wind.

On my second attempt to find a carrying rack for a Pelican Mustang 100x recreational/fishing kayak, I took great care seeking out a rack that would provide at least six contact points for the boat. The kicker is trying to get good contact points to securely cradle the shape of the Mustang 100x "twin arched multi chine hull" while also cradling the edge of the deck. Delta kayaks calls a similarly shaped hull a "fusion hull". After doing a ton of google advanced searches for images for a racked up Mustang kayak model, I concluded a J-Style carrier seemed to be a secure solution. The etrailer J-Style - Folding carrier has solved the equation, and for a very reasonable price. Paired with a Sherpa Boat Roller, my 5' 4" wife can load and un-load her Mustang 100x kayak on her own for her afternoon paddles on nearby waterways. Now she needs a cockpit cover to keep out the rain, and her carrying system is complete. And etrailer made it an easy return of the first rack system I tried. Thanks etrailer!

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.

Arrived quickly and was very easy to assemble and attach to the roof of my Jeep. Now that I have the initial setup complete with the proper placement of the entire system, attaching and removing the kayaks will be a breeze. Will definitely make hauling our kayaks much easier and safer.

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.

Worked great on my new Track rac...

Thanks etrailer, your YouTube videos are very helpful. I have a 2013 Ford F-150 and was looking for kayak transportation solutions. I already had that Thule Evo Wing Bars and needed to find something to go with that. I first tried the Thule Hullavator but that proved to not work. 1: The combined weight of the bars, kayaks and 2 Hullavators exceeded my roof weight limit. 2: The 60” bars are not long enough to allow the Hullavator to swing down over the side of the cab. So, I switched to the Hullaport Aero which I ordered from etrailer. The website ordering was simple and shipping was super fast! The package was well boxed and the installation of the Hullaport Aero was super simple on the Thule Wing Bar Evo. Thanks! I would highly recommend you and would do business with you again in the future.

I'm very pleased with the Malone DownLoader Kayak Carrier. Installation was a breeze, much quicker than I anticipated. Our tandem kayak (13.5' long), easily slid into place, fit well and secure in the carrier, and the tie-downs made securing the bow & stern a cinch - and there was plenty of room for our paddleboard! The best feature is the ability to fold the carriers down when not in use - so much better than having to take the rack off after each use. The only disappointment I have with the product is the "universal fit mounting blocks". They are designed to fit a Malone roof rack with the rectangular cut out for the roof rack but my factory roof rack has oval shaped bars. The carriers do mount but they lean to one side. Overall, I'm very pleased and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a kayak carrier!

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.

4 on canoe rack only because of supplied lower bracket for cross member attachment.

The product is of good construction but probably due to how it fits on my crossbars it needs additional support. The crossbars for my Honda Pilot are wide blade type and these racks seem more appropriate for narrower square type crossbars. Even with the rack fastened very tightly, the rack can twist back and forth. Last year on a trip across Montana the wind was pretty gusty and it caused the front one to pivot quite a bit and we had to pull off and apply a ratcheting strap over the kayak and under the factory rails to ensure it was held tight and wouldn't move again. This year on the same trip we had bad winds but had a roof rack mounted behind these racks giving it support on the tall side. We had to strap it real good to make sure it didn't move. If we hadn't had that additional support behind it and add'l straps we probably would have had more problems. I think if the top metal bracket had a wider channel to fit our crossbars it would be much more stable. The way it is now it just sandwiches 2 metal plates between my crossbar which allows it to pivot under stress.

Good quality materials and easy to install - and uninstall. Two changes would give this product 5 stars: Some type of strap holder at the top of the back rack would make it easier to strap down the kayaks and some type of security lock so someone doesn't borrow your new racks while you are out kayaking. One unique thing to remember for the 2017 Toyota RAV4: the back OEM cross bar is about 3" shorter than the front cross bar - this takes some adjustments for the placement of the racks to fit 2 kayaks and still open the rear hatch.

Used them a couple times and they are performing as expected. I have to mount the kayaks a little forward to clear the 5-er, but they road well at 65 mph into a head wind. Yes, bow straps are used.

I really like the Malone Foldaway Kayak and Canoe carrier. It looks to be a real good product and can’t wait to try it this weekend. Super fast shipping was a plus !

Very good quality materials for the price point. No tool Assembly and installation is a bonus. I’ve used them for two weeks now, hailing in both two kayak and single kayak configurations. The lever that you pull Up/down on is going to break. Period. If you have the rotating level too tight you can’t switch it up or down and if you have it too loose, it will come unscrewed and then you have a hard time longing up that no internal thread to get it back on. Also, it’s a pain to have to move the entire system to reconfigure needs. Would be nice if it had a slide and lock back in option once on the cross bars. Pulling off 16 wing nuts isn’t ideal. The video was great, appreciated that. Do wish they had shown how to tie down when using two kayaks because once you have one on the system when you place the second on the opposite side, you no longer have access to that center rack. Shipping speed was excellent. The quality of the cam straps is impressive. I have a hand injury and so getting the bolts secured was difficult. The fact that they come with two different lengths to accommodate different rack heights was really nice. Make sure you have your cross bars 24” apart as the instructions say.

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.

They feel sturdy enough,easy to install om Malone kayak trailer. We'll see how they hold you to Gulf of Mexico salt air.

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.

High quality materials, great design and the directions to install were excellent. The design of the product is great, I can now carry both of my kayaks on my car. And I have the advantage of carrying them two different ways. I love this pro

Jeep wangler 2024 4xe with skyone touch top .Amazing the setup for my fishing kayak 12 feet. Everyone was looking at my setup on the road , and it was secure. Big thx to Kurt w & Paul B to recomand this kayak setup 10/10 www.Etrailer.com

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.