Is this right for you? Product Expert Matthew E says:
This J-style kayak carrier allows you to transport 1 kayak safely and securely on your roof rack. The space-saving cradle system mounts to most crossbar styles and folds down for storage. Includes padded anchors and tie-down straps.
Features:
Specs:
The arms on this J-style kayak carrier are adjustable to fit a variety of boats. There are 2 levers, 1 on the outside of each arm, that are used to adjust the carrier. Depending on the size of your kayak's hull, simply rotate both of the side levers forward and pivot the arm to the appropriate angle to ensure that your boat sits properly in the cradle. Then rotate the levers back to lock the arm into place.
When the carrier is not in use, the upright arms fold down flat and out of the way. Again, simply rotate both side levers forward, pull the arm down so it's parallel with your roof racks crossbars, and then rotate the levers back to lock the arm into place. When in the folded position, the carrier extends just 4-5/8" from the top of your roof rack's crossbars.
The 2 included load straps secure your kayak to your vehicle's roof rack. Run each strap underneath the carrier arm, around the hull of your boat, down through the cradle and underneath the roof rack crossbar. Then pull the strap back up and through the integrated cam buckle. Use the buckle to tighten the strap and secure your boat. Each strap includes a padded sleeve that slides over the cam buckle to ensure that it won't scratch or damage your kayak or your vehicle.
Unlike many other kayak carriers on the market, which typically use metal S-hooks as anchors, this unit includes padded hood and trunk anchor points to secure the bow and stern of your kayak. Not only does this make for a quick and easy setup because you don't need to search for a safe place to secure a hook, but it also ensures that your vehicle's paint job remains intact. Tying down your boat's bow and stern helps to prevent the boat from shifting forward or backward during transport.
Simply open the hood of your vehicle, insert the padded anchor point, and close the hood. Then attach the strap to the bow of your kayak. Use the ratchet pulley to easily adjust the tension of the strap. Repeat this process at the rear of your vehicle by anchoring the strap in your trunk and attaching the other end to the stern of your boat.
Installation is quick and easy and doesn't require any tools. The included mounting clamps fit round, square, aero/elliptical, and most factory crossbars. First, position the cradles so that they are lined up correctly and are sitting at least 24" apart. Then slide the mounting clamps underneath your roof rack's crossbars and attach them to the cradles with the included screws. Use the included hand knobs to easily tighten and secure the clamps around your crossbars.
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (58 Customer Reviews)
This J-style kayak carrier allows you to transport 1 kayak safely and securely on your roof rack. The space-saving cradle system mounts to most crossbar styles and folds down for storage. Includes padded anchors and tie-down straps.Arrived as advertised, and the quality looks great. Can wait to get these kayak carriers mounted. Had a little administrative problem on our end, and Christy handled it at etrailer's end. Great customer service! 700072
These J-racks and the straps that are included are of some of the best I've seen. Very high quality and value for the money. Etrailer has been very helpful and and a GREAT company to deal with. I had an issue with another order that the part wasn't compatible with the other parts and they took care of it quickly. Appreciate the great staff at Etrailer. 652235
These kayak carriers work very well, plus the manufacturer includes the straps. The racks fold down, so my Tacoma fits in garage. They were in the sun for 3 months and thick foam padding is holding up very well. I traveled them 5,000 miles with no problems. They are attached to a round crossbar on my Yakima rack. 782543
Victoria B - 04/21/2020Good product,very easy to install. 604490
Myles D - 02/13/2020I've used this kayak carrier for almost a year and I really like it! The etrailer J-Style Kayak Carrier is easy to install, holds my kayak really well, and offers so many features at a low price tag. The folding feature is great for those moments I need extra overhead clearance without much warning - sometimes a parking garage is the only option. I really appreciate that this carrier comes with all of the straps I need to secure my kayak, plus the anchor straps to make securing the bow and stern so much easier! The padded covers for the buckles are a really great bonus to protect my roof and my kayak from the metal cam buckles while securing my boat. I've had this carrier on my car for almost a year and the aluminum construction means they look just as great as when I put them on the first time. 613115
Ok... It's the middle of winter in Colorado, but I'm getting ready to put the kayaks in the water. Shipping time... Great! Three days. Packaged perfectly. Mounted easily. Mounted the kayaks. The only hard thing was putting the strap around the back of the bracket. A stepladder will need to go with me to the water! I drove around to make sure all was secure. Perfect! 60 plus mph.... All is fine. Nice to have the front and rear tiedowns included. All hardware is heavy duty, and well supported by my stock Outback racks. Need to take them for a trip to the mountains! (After the snow clears out...) . 751510
Victoria B - 02/26/2020I purchased two etrailer J-Style Kayak Carriers. I have used them on and off through out the year. Easy to setup on to the stock Kia elliptical crossbars. What is extremely nice about this carrier is all the straps are included. They are easy to use and if your not sure how to attach youtube has many videos about strapping your kayak. The only problem with the straps is the excess length. I tried to wrap, roll, and tie but the wind manages to uncoil. So I wrap up then use a little duct tape to secure. My first trip using the carrier was a 3 hour trip with some heavy crosswinds. Nerve-racking but the kayaks remained secured. Solid rack and convenient with everyhting included. 749824
Victoria B - 02/26/2020Great 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! 662039
Pierre D - 06/24/2020Bought two of these kayak saddles for my Toyota Highlander and installed them onto the factory racks. I don't have the name-brand equivalent products from Yakima or Thule to compare against but I have a hard time imagining that they are better quality or better thought-out than these etrailer saddles. They are very high quality gear. They are adjustable from vertical to horizontal so you could carry anything from canoes to surf boards horizontally to kayaks vertically. The accompanying webbing straps are nicer than any others I have ever seen and come with hood and window anchor points and eveything you need to tie just about any boat shaped object on top of your car. Great job etrailer. You won't find a better product at a better price than this. 651797
Ordered etrailer folding kayak j-rack to transport kayak on 2010 Toyota Rav4 with factory racks. After a lot of research, I opted for these to give them a shot, and glad I did. Aluminum frame, stainless steel bolts and nuts, rubber coated bracket, all straps for 1 kayak, easy to install. Took longer to unbox than place on rack. Folds down nicely. This rack makes it very easy to transport a kayak ( or 2 if you order extra straps). Very satisfied with this purchase and etrailer’s service. 643253
Fits great on my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. Great quality product and the straps are a bonus! This is the third car we’ve outfitted from this company and I can’t say enough good things. The car looks awesome with my 2 vapor 10 kayaks on top! 672626
Regina - 07/20/2020Easy to install and remove. I ordered 2 and works well for both our 14-foot. and 10-foot kayaks. Padding is good on the bars and folding option a must. Having the straps to include both hood and trunk/rear hatch mounts is a nice addition as it keeps you from having to order these separately. There is some noise from wind as should be expected. 927907
This is the second set of this carrier that I've bought. Having a need to transport 2 kayaks now, buying this again was a no-brainer. The original set have stayed on tight and held up well through this year (11.5 ft / 65lb kayak) and the price point is fantastic. Installation was super easy. Took about 20 minutes after work in fading light. I believe the newer set has longer bolts than the earlier set so that upgrade was very much appreciated. Looking forward to see how they both do at the same time on a much longer transport this weekend. 908545
896752
Rack very nice, installed in minutes. Came on time . Pleasurable experience all around. 896390
I don’t typically do reviews. But I really love these racks, and I also have a disappointment. The straps really do not match the super quality of the racks. The racks are wonderful and these straps (albeit with the awesome neoprene buckle covers) aren’t reliable. The bow and stern straps worked great. But if your slack isn’t either cut shorter or not tied off correctly you’re gonna have issues. Bottom line definitely get them, and just know you might have to use a regular ratchet strap or invest in better friction style straps, which is what they provide and usually do work. Thanks for listening lol 880406
Initial rating. Two of the four carriage bolts won't fit through the bar holes when attaching the units to my crossbars. I will need to drill them wider myself. Not sure what will happen when I put the boat on, but assume it should be okay. 880321
Fantastic carrier. Very sturdy and easy to set up. 875327
Great value for the money, only wish I could lock them. Tanith was very helpful in helping me find kayak rack in time for our vacation and I really appreciate it! 872456
Easy to install and use 872182
I have a Mazda CX-5 with the factory aero-crossbars and they are too thin for the bracket. I was able to make it work by moving it all the way to the outside and have it clamp-onto the plastic bracket that holds the crossbar on the rail. I may try straightening the supplied bracket that goes under the crossbar. But, to their credit, it does list a minimum crossbar thickness. Other than this, I really like the mounts. 871662
The order arrived very quickly and it was easy to install. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars was the tie downs that were sent with the kit didn’t function correctly. The teeth on the buckle didn’t grab the actual cord so they were useless. It’s not big deal and not the company’s fault just a manufacturer defect. I ordered new ones off amazon but it still was a great deal - I was also considering a Thule rack which was about 1k when all was said and done. And for only $300 for this kit - to have to order a set of tie downs for $30 off amazon and wait a couple day’s was worth it to me. 866240
These worked well; held my kayaks very stable on a somewhat windy 3.5 hour trip to the mountains. My only complaint is that one of the straps got caught in a buckle and it was hard to loosen and did fray the strap a bit, and that was on my first and only trip using them so far. Still usable but still should not have happened. Overall seems to be a good reliable system. 863675
Very fast. I appreciate the help in choosing a kayak rack that would work for both our Jeep and our RAV4. 863207
861715
Condition: Missing Parts
Notes: Item is missing all of the straps. Otherwise new and unused.
Condition: Missing Parts
Notes: Item is missing the four knobs. Otherwise new and unused.
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