# 1
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.
Recently 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.
# 2
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!
# 3
Inno Locker Watersport Carrier w/ Crossbar Pads - Locking - Clamp On - 1 Boat or 2 Boards
Heavy duty. Easy enough to install. Instructions aren't great, but you can figure it out. The crane is a good idea in theory, but could use some design refinement as it only lifts just enough to tuck a paddleboard underneath. The rachet system is great and the rubber coverings for the wires are super helpful for preventing scratches.
I love this product. I am using it on a jeep wrangler that I pull into a garage with. They fit perfectly so I don't have to take them on and off if I am paddle boarding a few days in a row,but if I do take them on and off, it's a very quick process as well. I would highly recommend.
# 4
Thule SUP Shuttle Stand-Up Paddleboard Carrier with Tie-Downs - Roof Mount - 2 Boards
This is a very thought out design; hence it works on my GMC Yukon SUV. The carrier extends to match the width of your board to have more of a snug fit. The brackets that attach the carrier to your vehicle work facing down or up. At first I had them facing up and I thought this rack would not work, as the rack was still too loose. Then I learned that the brackets can face down as well, which makes it work for my rack. I'm using the factory racks from GMC, which aren't the greatest, and are a little thin, but the carrier fits snug. I get a much better fit for my boards now and feel safe traveling at higher speeds, as my boards aren't going anywhere, once I use the tie downs. I haven't used the extra hook tie down, as I don't think I need it, but if I ever travel a long distance with the boards, I will definitely use it. There are a couple videos from etrailer showing how to mount them. Once you get the brackets facing the way you need for your vehicle rack, it's a quick install.
Ive now had this carrier for a year. Still working great and holding up very good. Great product. Also I usually use the carrier with two boards.
Greg - 07/30/2020With a little help from youtube, this was one of the easiest things I've ever assembled! LOVE my new SUP rack!!
# 5
Thule Compass Kayak and SUP Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style, Post Style, or Saddle - 2 Kayaks or SUPs
Very adequate but a bit awkward to attach and load kayaks. Using with a low profile Rhino Rack, I was able to attach, load and carry 1-10’ and 1-12’ Eddyline kayak and travel over 1000 miles this past spring without incident.
This is a really well-made, quality product. The top surface feels somewhat squishy like it will provide cushioning to the board(s) held onto it or to the kayaks. It shipped very quickly from e-trailer and arrived in pristine condition. The layout and packaging is gorgeous as well. I do wish there was an option for over-packaging to conceal the contents but to their credit the delivery person did put it out of the line of sight on my porch. I would definitely buy from here again.
# 6
Malone BigFoot Pro Canoe Carrier with Tie-Downs - Gunwale Brackets - Side Loading - Clamp On
I bought these brackets for my Ascend H-12 kayak. The kayak transports face-down on Thule roof racks. These high-quality brackets are easy to install/remove and inhibit any side to side slippage while providing a secure tie-down. I highly recommend these brackets for anyone transporting canoes or kayaks on their rooftops.
Using the Malone Bigfoot for a year now with absolutely no complaints!
Bob M - 05/15/2021Nice kit for canoe tie down. Would have preferred ratchet straps to hold the canoe. I changed them out for ones I already had.
# 7
Lockrack Adjustable XL Watersport Carrier - Canoe, Kayak, or 2 SUPs - Side Loading - Universal Mount
Awesome invention. Greatly reduced the amount of time and frustration usually associated with loading up our 2 SUPs and small sport kayak. It does take some time to install but that is expected. Don't assume the initial installation is a 10-minute job. However, once the system is in place, loading and locking the SUPs and kayak was simple and quick. We did have to experiment a bit with the best combination to make everything fit. I was hoping we could fit three SUPs on one rack, but no chance. My only complaint is that the keys provided are plastic, and strip very easily when unlocking the bars to remove or make adjustments. Without a key, your stuff is stuck. We hope that LockRack with come up with a more sturdy, metal replacement key for this system.
Great substitution for the original lock rack. The only major difference is the arms. They are straight, and not bent like the OG lock racks are. They work great! I ordered the adjustable base (21" minimum) to match the other rack. These are great!
# 8
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.
These racks are so great! The option to fold them down means I can leave them on the car for a few days between kayak trips. They’re very sturdy and we love that they come with the tie down straps, but I wish the hood/trunk anchors were included. Just another order I guess!
# 9
Yakima KeelOver Rooftop Canoe Carrier with Tie-Downs - Universal Mount
Easy to install and very secure.
Very good
Ned - 05/11/2022I've been using the product for two summers now and it is perfect for what I'm using it for. My canoe is an Old Town Discovery 133, it's very wide and I initially had trouble fitting it in the brackets with how relatively narrow my Rav4 is, but the instructions that came with them mentioned I could just flip them around. That worked perfectly. I only use the brackets and the tie down straps from the kit to tie the boat to the crossbars, and then use the painter lines I put on the bow and stern of the boat to tie those to the car. That rides on the highway very easily with no shifting. With two people, the load/unload time is around 10 minutes as long as one person knows what they are doing. This kit had exactly what I was looking for, seems built to last, and if I ever need another kit to help tie a canoe to a car then I know I can trust this product to get the job done safely and reliably.
1 year later and I havent even taken the brackets off of my car. They are still in perfect condition, dont slip, and Ive never had an issue hauling my canoe on the highway. Easiest way to transport a canoe without an actual canoe trailer.
Chad - 07/25/2020# 10
Thule SUP Taxi XT Stand-Up Paddleboard Carrier - Roof Mount - 2 Boards
Great other than having to fix straps so they are stiff enough to feed through locking mechanism. Had to cut, glue and melt so they are rigid enough to feed easily. Otherwise awesome
I love my Rack it came when promised and etrailer was great believe me I will be going back to them for anything else I need I am giving them a well deserved 5 stars
# 11
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# 12
Rhino-Rack Nautic Roof Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - Rear Loading - Clamp On
This carrier is perfect for someone that needs to load and unload a kayak by themselves. Comes with nice straps that won’t scratch your car or your kayak.
I was looking to be able to easily put my sit-in kayak on my SUV roof without lifting the kayak over my head (at 73 I can still do that but who knows what's coming). The Rhino-Rack Nautic Roof Top Kayak Carrier does the job! I did replace the bolts with their anti-theft heads with standard stainless steel bolts to make it easier to mount and remove the rack. I also use a separate roller that attaches to the rear glass to assist in rolling the kayak forward on to the roof rack.
# 13
Thule MultiLift Cargo Lift and Storage System - Ceiling Mount - 220 lbs
Overall I give this Thule Multilift Cargo Lift a five star rating; however installing this device takes some effort and skill. Maybe more effort and skill than the typical DYI'er can provide. The instructions provided do not have any words or dimensions, only pictures. Other than following the routing of the rope through the pullies it didn't provide me any benefit. Also, my system did not come with any screws or bolts. For me that was not a big deal as I have plenty of hardware I can use. There is one center bracket and four pullies to install. The spacing does not line up with typical dimensions so I had to improvise to get the Multilift installed. My garage ceiling has joist spacing that is 16" on center. That is typical, although some may have 24" on center spacing. Either way the spacing for the screws to secure the various components does not match. I guess you could use toggle bolts to hold the components to the ceiling sheetrock but I didn't trust that idea. What I did was to span my ceiling joists with 1"x4" wood and then attach the components to them. The kit comes with a template so getting the actual components set up on the 1"x4" wood strips was simple enough. Once all the components are installed then the rope is routed through the pullies. As you can see in the pictures I had a close clearance between the roof box and my roll-up garage door. I think it is about 2". Since I don't have a tall roll-up garage door I cannot drive my car in or out with the roof box installed. That didn't matter to me since my only goal was to store the roof box out of harms way. My last comment is that it takes two people to lift the roof box up and get the Multilift ropes in place. I tried to do it by myself but that did not work. I do like this Thule Multilift but it took some effort to install it. I really like the way it is raised and lowered by turning a mechanism with a handle. There is a less expensive lift sold on the internet but it did not use as many pullies to raise and lower the roof box and it relied on a rope to lift and lower it.
The product itself I would give 5 stars, but it took considerable effort before I could get it installed and tried out. The first obstacle I ran into is that there were no screws included. After opening the box I discovered this, read through the manual, looked at the product listing on etrailer's website, and on Thule's website. I did not see any notice that screw were not included. Finally I did see on one end of the box such a notice, and etrailer's customer service confirmed this to be the case. The second obstacle was how to install the product in my garage. The instructions were of marginal help. They are mostly devoid of words, but rather use pictures to instruct. Once I had a good idea of how all the parts were to fit together and be mounted I discovered my garage ceiling would not accommodate the parts. The ceiling rafters are installed on end, from one side of the garage to the other, and thus not wide enough for the screw holes in the pulleys or center rod mounting brackets. I improvised by installing in the garage attic two 2x8 boards perpendicular to the rafters, then three 2x4 boards snug under the garage ceiling, attached to the 2x8s by way of two 3/8 x 3.5" hex bolts on either end of the 2x4s. The 2x4s were 10', cut in half to allow room for the TH572 mounting hardware between the bolts. With appropriate structure in place (a 12-hour one man job), I started on installing the product. I used eight 1/4 x 1.5" lag screws to attach the pulleys to the 2x4s, and six #10 1.5" wood screws for the center rod mounting brackets. This part of the job took only about an hour... maybe two... it was late. Some suggestions: - make sure your garage can hand the load of the box (What you see in most attics are designed to hold the roof, not have stuff suspended from them -- I got lucky and had access to reinforced headers in the right places) - make sure your garage door can still open with whatever you are storing in place - make sure you can get your car in position under the load (rooftop box, kayak, etc) where everything is installed - make sure you can get your car out of the garage with the load attached So, my main complaints with this product are two: no screws, and minimal instructions. But with a little determination and some help from etrailer customer support, I was able to get the job done. Now I need to find someone who can make my garage door opening taller.
# 14
Yakima JayLow Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style or Post Style - Folding - 1 or 2 Kayaks
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.
The Yakima products are doing great. Just got home yesterday from a 18 day trip using them in Michigan's upper peninsula. Love them. Great products. Thanks again.
# 15
Malone Deluxe Stand-Up Paddleboard Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - 2 SUPs - Foam Block Style - 24" Long
# 16
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 :).
Rhino-Rack Watersport Carriers Review - 2016 Honda Odyssey
Today we have a 2016 Honda Odyssey and we're gonna be taking a look at the Rhino Rack J Style Kayak Carrier. Our Odyssey today has a naked roof. So if you don't have a roof rack we just installed this track system. There's two different track systems on our website. We went with the Rhino Rack because it's a more economical choice. And I think it looks a little bit better than the Thule option.
etrailer Watersport Carriers Review - 2014 Honda Odyssey
Zach: Hey guys, Zach here at etrailer.com. Today we're going to be taking a look at the etrailer J style folding kayak carrier on our 2014 Honda Odyssey. This is a really good affordable way to get your kayak to the water. I think that my favorite part about it is that it folds down. So I can leave this on my car all the time, I can lower the arms down, or the backside of it down, and I don't have to worry about having the fixed style up all the time. It's also going to come with all the straps that we need to get this tied down.
Excellent