# 1
Rhino-Rack J-Style Kayak Carrier - Fixed - Universal Mount
Kayak carrier has performed exactly as expected. Has been a solid mount point for my kayaks.
Love the quality of the rack and the kayak mounts that I ordered. Five stars! Removed a star for the instructions and for the key for the security locks that broke the second use. The instructions ...work... but take a fair bit of patience to understand. Once deciphered, the mounting goes pretty quickly. Major room for improvement. The key - simple broke in half on the second use. No major stress put on it, just broke lol. Good thing kit comes with two keys so kudo's for that. Have a 2011 RDX. Car handles great with a 14.5 foot 55 lb kayak mounted. Driven up to 50 mph with the kayaks. No noise on the turnpike with just the roof crossbars at 80/90 mph. Overall, I love the rack system and the above two issues aren't show stoppers for me and I'd recommend them to a friend (tho I would help them with installation :).
# 2
Thule The Stacker - Rooftop Multi-Kayak Carrier
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.
No issues after a year would definitely purchase again.
Sgkramar - 07/16/2020# 3
Rhino-Rack J-Style Kayak Carrier - Folding - Universal Mount
We purchased two sets of the Rhino Rack J Style Kayak Carrier since we have two kayaks. They work great and were easy to install. We were particularly impressed with the quality of the tie down straps. We bought them a year ago and used them quite a bit since then with no problems.
# 4
SportRack Kayak Carrier with Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - Roof Mount
These work great! They fit well with my Brightlines Aero Rack where others did not. Super Good quality and super easy to install, I was surprised on the quality. I gave it 4 Stars because they sort of shift to the side if I put alot of pressure, however once the weight of the kayaks get on it, I don’t think it will be any problem.
These are perfect with a basket on as well just which it had locks
# 5
SportRack Kayak Carrier with Tie-Downs - J-Style - Fixed Arms - Roof Mount
Excellent quality carrier, easy loading and unloading, very happy with the purchase. Thanks a lot Patrick!!!
I have found the roof rack/kayak rack equipment that i purchased last year to be quite satisfactory and worth the purchase price. The problem was when we tried to tie on a paddle board. I realize the rack was not designed specifically for a SUP so it was not necessarily the fault of the rack. Otherwise i am happy with my purchase.
# 6
Thule Hull-A-Port Kayak Carrier w/Tie-Downs - J-Style - Fixed - Side Loading
I recently made a 4 hour trip home after picking up a new kayak while using the following equipment for the first time: Thule Xsporter Pro Truck Bed Ladder Rack, Thule Hull-A-Port Kayak Carrier w/Tie-Downs - J-Style, Thule Watersports Adapter for Aeroblade/Aeroblade Edge Bars and Thule Bow/Stern Tie-Downs. I'm impressed with the performance of all of those components.
these kayak racks work great and comes with all the needs and just bought my first kayak
# 7
Thule Portage Canoe Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - Gunwale Brackets - Side Loading
I ordered the Thule Portage from etrailer after some availability issues with another seller. Great service, I even asked to have my 2 item free shipping in 2 shipments to avoid a wait and it was at my door within a week. etrailer is my goto supplier, they always seem to have items not in stock elsewhere. The Portage works great on the Rhino Rack I bought from etrailer also.
My Thule Portage has worked great with my Rhino Roof Rack for my Old Town 133 Canoe on top of my Pickup Truck Camper Shell. I have taken it on some rough mountain roads and windy stretches of freeway doing 70 mph with no problems. Very Quiet and stable. I always check the torque of the attachment Bolts as suggested by Thule, but since the second outing they have been a rock. I like the way the Thule Portage can be mounted slightly skewed to match the contour of the Canoe Gunnels. Makes it lock in even better to keep it from sliding back and forth. Very clean attachment with the adapter kit for Rhino Racks.
Ken Keeler - 12/13/2021Very versatile and easy to install. We fit the brackets so that they seat the inside of the gunnels. Works well! Ordered these from Etrailer at the same time we placed an order for crossbars from Thule. This arrived and we are still waiting on the new crossbars.
Great! We have Thule blade-style crossbars and canoe carrier parts installed on both of our Jeep Cherokees. That way we can put one vehicle at the end of the river and one brings the canoe to the beginning. Lovely that the parts fit well and make an easy unloading and loading of our canoe.
Mary Deitchler - 07/19/2021# 8
etrailer J-Style Kayak Carrier - Folding - Universal Mount
I've had 2 sets of these carriers for a year now. I've carried my 2 kayaks on several occasions with them. They are secure, steady and well made. They come with all the straps and hardware needed to carry your boat. A nice feature is that they have these little pockets made on to the straps to secure the extra length when you are using them which eliminates the loose ends from being blown around while driving. The folding feature is also great. I mount the carriers on my roof rack and make all the adjustments needed just one time. I can keep them up there for the entire season without having to fuss with them every time I want to take a boat out. I can use one or both of the carriers at any time. The price looks like its more than other sets but it really isn't because, as I said, they come with everything you need AND they fold down when not in use. I realy do like these carriers.
Excellent
Jonathan Luis - 05/11/2022Recently got this and far they have been great for holding down the kayaks. The straps work great but the elastic band which is built in with the straps suck. Other than that great product.
# 9
Rhino-Rack Nautic Roof SUP or Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - Side Loading - Clamp On
All Rhino-Rack products were excellent. But I was afraid to tighten them up too much and risk breaking them on the tubular Darby single bar roof rack. They kept sliding outboard due to the downward pressure of the kayak. So I put a towel between the bottom of my lightly built kevlar kayak and the bar. The kayak wasn't held up by the Rhino brackets but was safely held from moving side to side, and the towel protected the bottom of the boat...10 hour road trip with some potholes, no damage.
Have only used it once for carrying my kayak. See my previous comment. Now my kayak sits comfortably in the Rhino-Rack cradles fastened to my floating dock. All is covered by a fitted tarp, so theres no water in the boat or sun damage to the boat or cradles. So easy and safe to launch and retrieve a lightly constructed kevlar boat!
David S - 10/04/2021After 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.
# 10
Thule Hullavator Pro Kayak Carrier and Lift Assist with Tie-Downs - Side Loading
2018 Ram 2500, wanted a way to travel with 2 sit on top kayaks, With my wife and i in our late 60's it was taking a LONG tome to get the kayaks on the roof of the bed cover. With these i can do it with a short stool. Also carrying the kayaks upside down keeps the top cleaner and stops the water from getting trapped in the kayak (and raining down on me when I unload them).
The hullavator makes it possible for us to continue kayaking. We only need to be able to lift the kayaks halfway and the hullavator does most of the work from halfway to roof by lightening the load. An awesome product!
# 11
Rhino-Rack 2 Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - Side Loading
The Rhino-Rack 2 Kayak Carrier I ordered from etrailer was easily reviewed and ordered from their website and ALL communication relative to order confirmation and extreme detail included in their tracking was nothing short of phenomenal! The items were packaged with care and arrived intact. These fit our basic Lexus crossbars and is the perfect product for carrying our two (2) kayaks. My hat goes off to the great folks at etrailer -- It doesn't get any better than this!!!
I searched a lot of websites before finding what I needed on etrailer.com for my 2012 Suzuki GV. I was looking for the proper mounts to install a Kayak rack system. Because my vehicle has a built in rail system it was very confusing what was needed. Thank you etrailer for hooking me up with the appropriate parts for the Rhino system, it worked great!
# 12
Yakima JayLow Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style or Post Style - Folding - 1 or 2 Kayaks
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.
The Yakima JayLows are ready to go out the box and very easy to set up. They attached to our vehicle’s factory crossbars with ease and seemed secure on the road with little to no movement with kayaks attached. We haven’t tested them on the highway yet, but I’m confident that they’ll be fine as long as you strap the kayaks correctly and use tie downs. I’m extremely happy with the JayLows and I’m considering purchasing another set if we get a third kayak. I HIGHLY recommend that you watch the videos on setting up and securing kayaks on the racks prior to first use.
# 13
Malone DownLoader Kayak Carrier with Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - Side Loading
The Malone DownLoader is very good value for the money. The J-style cradle is nice when you have to muscle a kayak on top of a tall crossover or SUV. You can hook the edge of the cockpit onto the base of the cradle and flip the kayak up onto the metal hoop support. Carrier installation and removal is easy and doesn't require any tools. Materials are good, but not great and that's what prevents this product from getting 5 stars IMO. The foam padding is nice enough and has been durable, but the metal plate that attaches the carrier to the roof rails is plastic coated steel and the plastic cracks over time, and leads to rust on the steel plate beneath. Not a big deal, but it might compromise the plate over time. I also wish that the provided nylon straps were longer, and that the ratchet buckles were covered in rubber to protect the roof of the vehicle and the windshield when you're trying to get them around the hull of the boat. We quickly replaced these with longer aftermarket straps that have rubber covers over the buckles. Those minor points aside, the Malone DownLoader kayak carrier gets the job done easily and safely, and does so at a very affordable price point.
These racks are easy to install and loading our 40 and 50 pound kayaks is easy as well. We hauled over 1500 miles this year, many at max highway speeds, with no issues. All was snug, quiet, and safe. But, always a but, right away, the plastic strap guides popped right off (1 or 2 disappeared). Some black electrical tape fixed that. And the black plastic/vinyl coating on the mounting brackets cracked and peeled off right away too. More tape. However, both Etrailer and Malone were exceptionally responsive to my complaint and suggestions.
# 14
Swagman Exo Aero Rooftop Kayak Carrier System with Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Universal Mount
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.
Thule SUP Taxi Stand-Up Paddleboard Carrier Review - 2014 Chevrolet Malibu
Today on our 2014 Chevrolet Malibu were going to be test fitting the Thule SUP Taxi, a standup paddle board carrier with a two board capacity. Its part number is TH810. With our Thule Rapid Traverse Roof Rack System already installed on the Malibu, well begin our test fit by placing the front half of our carrier onto our front load bar. Well bring the black, rubber-coated metal straps around the underside of our load bar, fit them back into the foot of the carrier, and secure it in place by tightening the grey knob. Well move to the drivers side and repeat that same process. With the front half of our carrier secure, well grab the rear half, place it onto our rear load bar. Well take a quick look to be sure we have both halves of the rack in line with each other. Then well repeat the tightening process that we used for the front. With both halves of our carrier secure, its now time to load up our paddle board.
Thule SUP Taxi Stand-Up Paddleboard Carrier Review - 2011 Chevrolet Malibu
Today on our 2011 Chevrolet Malibu, we'll be test fitting the Thule SUP Taxi Stand-Up Paddleboard Carrier, part number TH810. To mount our carrier to the vehicle, we'll take the first half and set it up on top of our front load bar. We'll feed the speed link straps around our load bar and fit them back into the heads. We'll then use the gray hand knobs to tighten down the straps. We'll take our second half of the carrier and place it up on top of our rear bar. We do want to make sure that it lines up nicely with the front half so we can properly carry the paddleboard.
Its been a year and were still enjoying the Stacker setup. We have been hauling around our kayaks to local lakes every other weekend or so, and have had no issues. I have been double checking the hardware and occasionally do have to tighten a mounting knob or two. Im happy that we made this purchase and hope to continue using them for years to come.