Most Popular Load Assist for Subaru Impreza

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.

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.

Just installed it. So far so good. Ran 2 bike cables side to side with 4 pad locks to secure it for the summer,

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.

Great kayak carrier! Highly recommend!

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.

Incredibly easy to install and adjust for a perfect fit. If you’re at least 5’9” you will have no issue hoisting your kayak up onto the rack. The rotation makes this very easy. Absolutely no noise while driving. Secure, tough — I’m very pleased and would recommend this product to anyone!

They fit well and I feel my Kayak is safe tied down correctly.

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.

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.

Great canoe rack! Fast service!!

As all Thule products the Thule universally mounted canoe carrier is great. It came with all required items for safe and easy canoe transportation. There are two straps with pull to fasten for the canoe down, two tie down ropes for each end with nice pull tight and release mechanisms for the cord as well, along with two straps to fasten to the canoe ends used with the pull to tighten cords. The Chevy traverse cross bar had to have the plastic end caps removed for use with Thule canoe carrier. This was because my canoe took up the entire cross bar width to allow for Thule mounts. It is not a big deal to remove the plastic end caps. They only provide a finished stream lined look. Happy and Safe Canoeing

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!

We purchased the carrier for our 2011 Sienna to add to our factory installed roof rack. My 15 year old and I manage using it all the time with no issues. We’ve put both our double and our single kayaks up top with no issues. We leave our rack on all the time and have noticed some sun damage to the foam and plastic, so will it last forever in the TX heat? Probably not, but for the price and ease of use, I’d gladly buy another in a few years. Thank you. I reference the YouTube video whenever I forget exactly how the toe downs go, it’s so helpful. Happy customer.

After doing some research decided to go with the Yakima roof rack setup for our VW Atlas. Love the look and functionality of it all. Got the SUPDawg paddle board carrier to go with it. Love the locking capability for piece of mind when leaving boards unattended. We are VERY happy with our choice. Drove on highway with two paddle boards and it all went smoothly with zero wind noise whatsoever. Definitely worth every penny. Will recommend.

Received the the Thule accessories and Yakima Supdog from etrailer.com. It was all nicely packed into one box. As the box said, "the bottom of this box should not be the end of the relationship" I can tell you it won't be! The items were shipped quickly, and they followed up with an email to make sure all was received well. Love the customer service! Also, the Yakima Supdog product is great. Took no time at all to get it on my truck and load up the 2 paddleboards. It was exactly what I was looking to get! Thanks!

Timely order processing and quick shipments

My kayak holder works exactly as it should. All parts were included and it was an extremely easy set up. etrailer’s customer service department was on top of everything and extremely helpful in placing my order.

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.

Not the products fault. They were supposed to fit the pre-Thule TracOne rack. Directly asked etrailers support.They don’t fit it. Returned them and grumbled

I acquired a second kayak and needed a system to fit the factory racks on my 2011 Toyota RAV4. Etrailer.com has always had information on what fits and has always had the item needed for the job. I attached the Yakima BigStack to the top with ease, and, with one other person to hold the kayaks while I secured, tied two of them down for a long road trip to Northern Minnesota. The system worked just fine. The only caveat was in the configuration of multiple boats in the instructions. The diagram has two boats on the same side of the posts, however, I found it more secure to put one on either side ( other reviews of this product on different Internet sites have found similar results.) The boats made it through the trip with no shifting.

Where do I start? I've been whitewater kayaking for 22 or so years now. I've always used used either Yakima or Thule products... Until I bought a 2015 Nissan Rogue with a naked roof. The curvature of the roof and large door jams mean that Yakima and Thule can't make racks for them. I went to a place that does custom installs and again because of the curvature of the roof, they couldn't give me a rack. This meant no kayaking which is really bad news. Enter the Rhino rack system. I purchased the feet, the fit kit, the cross bars and a Yakima "big stack" stacker. The first issue I had is the reccomended size for the Nissan Rogue is only 48 inches. Way too small too haul 4-5 (very light) whitewater kayaks. I called etrailer and they were SUPER helpful, told me I can buy the 65 in cross bars and they'll work fine. I held my breath and placed my order. I was nervous leaving my trusted name brands. The order arrived super fast (they told me it would arrive by Friday but it actually arrived on Thursday) and everything was packaged rock solid. I was impressed. I read the instructions and put the rack system on my car. It took about a hour (it was hot and I worked slowly) but the rack system is SUPER SOLID. I love it. Rhino might have a "forever" customer out of me. -The rack system is very stable. I can't move it with my hands by pushing or pulling. -The rubber stripping you put on the top and bottom of the bar is an awesome added feature AND it reduces wind noise. -Adding the fairing reduced wind noise even further. With four boats on the roof you couldn't hear any extra noise. The ONE thing I dislike is that you need to use the supplied Allen wrench to take the rack on and off the car. It's a small complaint, but other systems I've used in the past don't have them. I paid much less for this system than I would have if I purchased one of the aforementioned systems, but I'm really really satisfied with the product. We will see how well it holds up over long-term use, but it looks awesome!

Holds Kayaks nice and secure

After putting up with foam blocks for too long I met a fellow sea kayaker who had these. They look great, not bulky and would fit in my TracRac channels. My boats are sea kayaks, 18' long, 22" wide. These saddles adapt great to the hull shapes and are very secure. There is enough slip that pushing the boats up onto them is not a problem. The locking mechanism works, I've never had to reset them (except when I goofed up once and whacked one really hard). Also, the straps are very high quality. The one issue I had was with the pegs in the channels. They were supposed to fit but not quite. A little work with the grinder and all is well. This may not be an issue for newer racks, I don't know. Oh, and no wind singing on the road. In any case I love these things.

The Rhino Rack cradles, straps and hardware are all good quality and I have no complaints. The only issue I have, and the reason for only a 4 star rating, is the supplied M6 x 40mm Security Head screws are too long for the factory cross bars on my roof rack. When I first installed the cradles if I had tightened the screws all the way, the ends would have dug into the roof and paint, even before I added the weight of the kayak. In checking, I can purchase some M6 x 25mm Security Head screws from Amazon, but frankly part of me feels that for what I’ve already paid for this kit I shouldn’t have to spend another $15 for the correct length screws, plus the package has 20 screws and I only need 8. However, it appears that is exactly what I will have to do. At least they will be stainless steel, rather than the cheaper material the current screws are. Plus I will have extras for when/if the head strips out. I would suggest Rhino Rack consider included in their kit two sets of screws to meet this need. Keep the length they have, Judy add a set of 25mm. I’m still happy with the purchase but not 100%. I do like how the kayak slides easily on the rear felt lined cradles. Plus Rhino Rack includes every tie down strap that you will need, e.g. one each for the bow and stern in addition to two straps intended to secure the kayak directly to the roof rack cross bars. I would highly suggest you get in the habit of using all four straps, you really don’t need to have a gust of wind lifting the nose and tearing the roof rack off your vehicle. Can happen! My brother-in-law lost his roof rack exactly in this manner. So happy yakking and safe travels down the road. By the way I have paired these cradles with the Rhino Rack RTL002 T-Load Hitch Mounted Load Assist and Support Bar for 2” Hitches also purchased from eTrailer. I’ve attached some photos showing my first and second attempts to solve my dilemma. I need to order the replacement screws. First attempt after dark was a large flat washer, then the next day I added some nuts under the large washer. NOTE: Photos may post in reverse order.

This product was very easy to install. I had it installed in about 15 minutes and my kayak on the roof a few minutes later. The only issue I had was one of the tie-down straps was broken (stitching was not complete or something). Other than that, this product was great! The customer service (Carol and Neil) were great also, helping with the strap problem. Thank you again!

This kayak carrier works great with my factory Rav4 roof rack and 10' Tamarack Angler kayak. I did break one tightener knob but probably over-tightened it. And it was replaced for free. I can load and unload the kayak easily and it doesn't budge going down the freeway. I can even drive in and out of the garage with the kayak on the rack for easy storage hanging from the rafters.

Installed this Thule Top Deck Rooftop Kayak Carrier System with tie onto our Thule Roof rack system. Easy to install and this will carry our handmade 17' Wooden Sea Kayak. Very well made.

These are amazing for loading a kayak high up on a truck rack. You drop the front of the kayak on the wheels and then roll it on up. Dont forget to lock the wheels when securing the kayak.

I put the rollers on a strong arm loader it Works great, the loader fits a 2in receiver it pulls backwards at a 45 degree angle and it is springs loaded you put the kayak onto it then go to the back of the kayak push forward and the kayak is at a 45 degree angle in the air then you push it's on the rollers and stop when you get where you want it let it down gently a d that's it ,take it off in reverse thanks to the wheels it makes it very easy

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.

In the meantime, that boy is not to be in this house ever again These kayak carriers are fantastic! They combine with downloaders to make it possible for my wife and I in our advancing years to get our kayaks on top of our car.

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.

Unfortunately I did not have the best of luck with this product . I spoke with the company multiple times to ensure this would work with my rack. It did not. This system is made to work ONLY on a roof rack . I have a truck with a rack and a slot in the middle . We had to make different bolts and holders to install this. For using 2 Paddleboards we also had to modify the back of the racks holders to actually touch the boards to hold them in place . After the modifications and many many adjustments we have it working and it does hold great.

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.

This carrier has worked out really well! I paired it with the SportRack Semi-Custom Roof Rack for Naked Roofs - Square Crossbars, and the carrier attached to it perfectly. I drive a 2014 Honda Civic and this carrier has been able to transport two kayaks with no problems. Highly recommend, especially considering the price.