Arrives before Christmas 
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This 2-piece, saddle-style carrier holds 1 kayak hull side down on your roof rack crossbars. Space-saving, rubber-padded saddles are easy to load, and the universal mounting hardware attaches to most crossbars. Includes tie-downs and bow/stern ropes.
Features:
Specs:
California residents: click here
I bought this rack to replace a Thule Dock Glide for use on my Malone Microsport kayak/canoe trailer. The Dock Glide worked fine on my rooftop wing bars but wouldn't hold my kayak in position on the trailer. Road vibrations and trailer bouncing would cause the kayak to twist no matter how tight my straps.
The Swagman Exo Aero mount is an absolutely perfect fit on the Microsport crossbars with the cutout of the mount top portion and a depression in the bottom bar exactly fitting the cross bar (1 1/4") and is rock solid with no chance of shifting position. The Swagman mount is heavily constructed and the rubber strips on the wide bars hold the kayak like a vise. The boat doesn't shift at all no matter how bumpy the road. Great product.
These saddle style clamp-ons work great with my Yakima round cross-bars. I used this setup to carry my 17’, 64 lb. sea kayak over long distances with no problem. With the round cross-bars the rear saddle can swivel and allow easy loading and unloading from the rear of my Tundra that had an above-cab topper roof. Due to the rubber inserts on the saddle surface, which helps keep the kayak from sliding, I place a towel over the rear saddle when loading and unloading to reduce friction. So far no complaints, seems to be well made and reasonably priced.
they work well on my kayak trailer. I now have 2 sets and I love them. They ride great and easy to strap down too and easy to put on.
I have (2) Wilderness Systems Pungo 120 kayaks and was looking for something better that the cheap J-Shape kayak holders that I purchased elsewhere. Unless you are tall enough to lift the kayaks and install them from the side, the loading of a kayak on it's side is unwieldy and somewhat frustrating to keep the kayak from flipping to a horizontal position. I am using the factory racks with crossbars on my 2006 Toyota Highlander. I was looking for a solution that would allow me to load 2 kayaks with the keel down. Using a large bath mat to protect the paint I was able to load the kayak by myself and I am 5'6". The one thing that they could improve is that the rubber pads on the wings are very tacky. Once that you set the kayak onto the wings, the kayak will not move back and forth. You will find it very hard to move the kayak front to back once it is set in the cradle. This is a good thing since the kayak could slide off should a strap fail. The Pungo 120 has multiple angles so the contact with the wings are very minimal. The rubber does keep it in place before strapping them down. Once you load the kayak onto the wings, it will stay where it is.. it is a kind of a struggle to move the kayak.. a solution is to throw large beach towel on the wings before loading your kayak and you can position the kayak with ease. Once you have centered your kayak, lift the kayak one end at a time and remove the towel. Bow and stern tie downs are necessary to completely secure your kayak. The wings are 28" across and will rise 6" above your crossbars that you attache them to.
Bought two sets for two boats. Installed on a 2020 Forester and will be able to carry two boats side by side. Sturdy racks and easy to assemble and install and will be easy to remove when not in use. They will also fit on truck racks so the ease of install/removal will be a real plus. Side by side mount on this vehicle required placing the racks a little more outboard than I like but should not cause any problems. I will strap the boats to the crossbars as suggested in the instructions for additional stability.
PS. one set was returned merch. Got a better price and can't tell that it was ever out of the box. Yay me.
I paired the Swagman Exo rooftop kayak carrier with the Darby truck extender and it worked great at solving my problem of clearing my trucks light bar that is mounted on top of the bed sports bar. Got the new kayak strapped down and ready for its maiden voyage this weekend!
Hi Carol, I emailed my feed back. Out here in the sticks your website couldnt load properly. It a great product. Perfect for this light duty purpose.
Richard
9/17/2024
These are very well built carriers. They easily mounted to the wrack we built for our trailer.
Great product, great service!
The Swagmag Kayak Carrier were a Perfect fit for our custom Kayak carrier.
I liked the saddles they will work great. What is your opinion on being out in the weather?
Gwendolyn Y.
4/2/2025
Hey Joseph! These are safe to take out in rain however, extreme weather like high winds or hail is probably not the best. I also don't recommend taking it into a car wash, nasty things would happen if you do that.
Works well for me. As other reviews have mentioned, the rubber pad is quite grippy which makes it hard to slide a boat once it is on the racks. However, that grippiness also means the boat stays put and it doesn't take much strap tension to lock things in place. This rack eliminates any concerns of the boat twisting from wind even without bow or stern lines.
Well made product, shipped quickly. Haven't installed yet but looks like it will do everything I need it to
Use these to carry our kayak on top of our F450 while pulling a fifth wheel trailer. We have had no issues. The boat is securely fastened with a minimal amount of effort. Finding the proper location, front to back, eliminates any air sound from the kayak.
Brad T.
7/1/2020
Holds our 10 ft. kayak well as we travel across the country pulling our 5th wheel trailer. Easy to slide the kayak into the mounts.
Does the job
Holds our 15' long sea kayaks securely, so no issues with the actual functionality. Installing and removing is pretty easy. I have generic 80/20 extruded aluminum cross braces on an old Land Cruiser. Sturdy. After a year, they still look new.
Getting the straps connected is a bit of a hassle, but the biggest problem is loading. There are sticky light-gray rubber pads to hold the kayak securely, which prevent you from sliding the boat in to position when loading/unloading. On top of our tall SUV, it makes loading the boats very difficult. We tried placing temporary towels on the wings but it's always windy and blowing them off during loading/unloading. For a smaller and lighter boat, on a shorter car/SUV or trailer, probably much easier.
Still using them and they seem to be good value. Works OK and they're minimal looking and not too noisy (without the boats on). With the boats on and straps in place, it howls like a pack of wolves. I wouldn't want to go far like this, just due to the noise.
Very happy with this product. Works with all my kayaks. Very happy with customer service. I will order from etrailer.
Robert
1/24/2019
Still loving the carrier.
These cradles are just what I needed.
I was definitely nervous the first time using the Swagman Exo Aero, but I needed a carrier that could handle my new Discovery Solo Canoe. It was easy to load and unload while using my trusty stepladder, and performed well even on the highway with speeds up to 70mph. I travelled about 65 miles on the longest trip so far. The boat didn't shift or slide at all, I believe the anti-slip wings helped (it was also properly tied down).
Very simple to install. Nice durable quality. Impressed by design. Fit my new kayak great.
These kayak carriers fit the bill for what i was looking for.Tried the J style carriers,but loading required a step ladder and picking up the kayak over my head was haphazard for me.With these,i slide the kayak up the back of the vehicle to the carrier.The price of these were substantially less the Malone's "wings" as well. E-trailer offered a competitive price and the shipping was prompt. Good job etrailer....Thanks...
Like the way my kayaks sets and rides on them. Easy to strap down kayak and move brackets around on the racks for defought kayaks. I have all type of kayaks from fishing, touring, crossovers and creek boats. They work great for all of them. Great price compared to other brands. Will be order more, just was not sure how I would like them. I replace the tie down straps with once form e trailer, they was nothing wrong with them, I just liked the etrailer straps better. Thanks etrailer
Great service always a pleasure shopping with etrailer. The kayak saddles were listed for use with car and SUV roof racks I mounted them on the cross bars on a Triton canoe/ kayak trailer the worked great easy to install with supplied hardware.
Works well and is well made.
No a quick on and off the roof.
Screws provided to attach rack to rails were way too long and all had to be cut. They have a unique head which made it impossible to just get shorter screws.
Does not fold flat so garage door opening has to be pretty tall.
Product as described. I am preparing for a trip from Michigan to Florida. I set up the Exo Aero saddle style carrier on my roof rack to test out the system . Everything fit well and my fishing kayak seemed very secure in the carrier. I am confident the kayak will be secure for my future trip.
Do you have a question about this Watersport Carrier?
Condition: Installed
Notes: Item has been installed/test fit. Otherwise still in good condition for its application.
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Alton B.
9/13/2025
I had an unforeseen problem. The rounded hull of my carbon fiber composite kayak rests on a limited area of the mounts. I apparently snugged my straps too tightly and suffered a denting of the hull and cracked gelcoat. Since I store the boat in the summer on the trailer it may have gotten too hot with too much pressure on the hull. I was advised tto late by the boat dealer to use only foam for any direct contact with the hull. Lesson learned...the hard way. I still thing the racks are great, just maybe not appropriate for carbon fiber hulls.