Best Minivan Watersport Carriers

Hauled up 2 Day touring Kayaks over 2000 miles without any issues.

I purchased this for my son and friend, and told me it works great. It is easy to attach, fold down when not in use, and takes up very little space when storing. It made a great gift, as well as making loading and unloading simple and easy.

Arrived in god shape. Bars went on great. Haven't placed the J bars yet

Service was excellent ... Couldn't have asked for a more courteous and helpful staff

The Thule Hull-A-Port is a great quality j-style kayak carrier. I feel like my kayak sits very secure in the arms of this carrier. The carrier mounted easily around the Thule AreoBlade Crossbars on my 2015 Jeep Patriot. The padding on the back of the carrier slides up and down for you to position the padding at the best spot for your kayak. I was also happy to find that I could fully open my hatch with my 9-1/2 foot kayak in the carrier. I did find that the bow and stern straps wanted to make contact with my vehicle. I decided to put the Thule Quick Loops under the hood closer to my windshield instead of at the front of my vehicle. I also put a protective piece of cloth (I used a canvas bag) at the Quick Loop at the back of my vehicle to protect my hatch from the stern tie-down.

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.

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Installation instructions need improvement. They have black and white photographs. It would help if they were in color. Also, it would help if there were multiple views for each step, not just a single view. Some of the written instructions were vague and unclear. Two different length mounting bolts were provided but instructions did not specify which to use. I installed my DownLoader with the AirFlow 2 cross bars. Even the longer 70 mm bolts provided I feel are too short. I would prefer more thread engagement. While these do fit the AirFlow 2, it seems a little bit of an awkward match. The carrier brackets have a square notched cutout which appear designed for square bars instead. These worked for me, but I’m not in love with this system.

I'm very pleased with the Malone DownLoader Kayak Carrier. Installation was a breeze, much quicker than I anticipated. Our tandem kayak (13.5' long), easily slid into place, fit well and secure in the carrier, and the tie-downs made securing the bow & stern a cinch - and there was plenty of room for our paddleboard! The best feature is the ability to fold the carriers down when not in use - so much better than having to take the rack off after each use. The only disappointment I have with the product is the "universal fit mounting blocks". They are designed to fit a Malone roof rack with the rectangular cut out for the roof rack but my factory roof rack has oval shaped bars. The carriers do mount but they lean to one side. Overall, I'm very pleased and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a kayak carrier!

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As usual...etrailer shipped out order immediately...we received it in mint condition...and it is mounted to the roof rack on our Jeep. My wife and I recently purchased some sea kayaks...and the Rhino Rack is an awesome carrier. The ability to drop the rack flat when not hauling boats...and the ability to add on additional components to carry more boats is a winning design. The kit comes with a very well made set of straps to secure your craft securely. The rack even secures your paddles if you have one piece...or just don't want to take up room inside the vehicle to store them. Well thought out design...it appears to be very well built. Additional kits are available to adapt to specialty crossbars if that is what you need.

Love the roof rack! Works great for kayaks! They fold down when not in use..perfect!

Great product and Sales Support from etrailer. I bought this for my Son as a Grad/BDay gift for a Honda HR-V which has slightly odd roof/door shape He installed it himself said the install was straightforward but the instructions could use a little improvement. etrailer Sales Support was great, I was a little concerned about getting the right parts and the return policy. Olivia was great to work with, she offered recommendations and matched the parts to the type and vehicle it was to be installed on along with a kayak mount. All the parts arrived in mint condition with no missing pieces. I'll for sure return to etrailer on future purchases.

These work great. Easy to install and the hold the kayak nicely. Very happy with eTrailer service!

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I thought I ordered the RR580 which locks into the channel. I am pleased with the RR570, seems very sturdy and holds my kayak very well. Also they make ZERO noise even at highway speeds!

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Love the product. Can't wait to take our new tandem kayak out. etrailer is fast, efficient and has great prices. I'm also a fan of their efforts to provide good customer service by seeking customer feedback.

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Just can't say enough about etrailer! When you need a hard to find part or a great deal this is the place to go 1st!

Bowdown is great with square or factory aero bars. Not so much with round bars.

Good stuff, super quick and easy to put on and off since I didn't want to keep anything perminant on my roof racks this worked perfect

These are still securely on my racks and cushioning my surf boards well. However, they did faded significantly from the sun which is a bummer. I had been parking in a garage. Moved, and had to park outside for 4-6 months until another garage became available. In those winter months where the sun was less strong, the pads faded. All that said, the sun is strong in Southern California.

On Monday, I ordered the Thule Portage Canoe Gunwale Brackets from etrailer. My order was filled the same day, shipped on Tuesday, and arrived Thursday morning. These design of these brackets is elegant; the brackets appear durable and and they are easy to use. Thus, they are a step up from the ones I have been using for years.

All the products which I purchased at etrailer are high quality. IMO, Thule makes the best equipment carriers on the market and etrailer sells them at the best price. Fast delivery, quality service.

The Rhino Rack products are well designed and easy to install I look forward to many years of service from this product.

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Just tried out the system on my 2018 Subaru Crosstrek yesterday. It worked great. A Stacking system maybe a little harder to load than a "j" system, but if you're using crossbars instead of a thule or yakama systems chances are that you won't be able to fit more than one kayak on your roof. But the "post" or stacking design will allow it. So its worth the extra effort. Plus, you don't have to buy more holders, like you would if you went "j" style. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture.

Ordered and received three products; a Yakima DoubleDown 4 bike rack, a Yakima hitchlock, and a Malone Stax Pro kayak carrier. The website contained a ton of information which allowed me to make an informed decision re which type/model and manufacturer of each item to choose. Ordering was simple and I received the items on the estimated date of delivery. I detected a manufacturing flaw in one of he items, however when I contacted the manufacturer the customer rep immediately shipped me the necessary parts and tools to repair the item. The installation of the rack and carrier was simple, especially having observed the videos on the etrailer website. Thus far we have transported two adult bicycles on the Yakima DoubleDown and the ride was very smooth as if there was no rack or bikes. We have also transported one kayak using the Malone carrier system and like the bike rack, the ride was very smooth and quiet as if there was no 10' kayak on the roof. The bike rack is on our 2015 Subaru Forester and the kayak carrier on our 2010 Chrysler Town and Country. Overall a very good experience and I would highly recommend etrailer and the Yakima DoubleDown and the Malone Staxx kayak carrier system (as well as purchasing the HitchLock to prevent the theft of the rack and bikes!).

We needed a carrier solution that folded down easily because of our garage door height. The Malone Pro2 Kayak Carrier has performed flawlessly over the past year. The kayaks remain stable and never shift even at freeway speeds. The foam blocks fit our crossbar well and offered a rattle free ride, which is nice. The one drawback to this system is how difficult it can be to actually route the straps. Without a ladder, it can be nearly impossible to get the strap over the kayak and hooked into the carrier properly. After you find a system that works for you, it becomes easier but I still think that the stationary carriers are more user friendly in that regard.

With a little help from youtube, this was one of the easiest things I've ever assembled! LOVE my new SUP rack!!

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Works flawlessly.

PRO: These are easy to install on the car racks. We can put 4 on the car in about 20 minutes. CON: It is very difficult to keep straps in the top strap holders when putting the kayaks on the car. The strap often falls down making it hard to get the kayak tied down properly. Unfortunately, rust is dripping out from the hinge area despite taking them off after the summer and storing them in the garage. We are worried it will stain the car.

Another fabulous experience with etrailer.com! The product arrived on time and despite the box being beat up, the racks were in excellent condition. Thanks to the videos demonstrating how to install and use the racks, my husband had them on the car in about 10 minutes. I love that I can fold them over when I'm not transporting my kayak. Now all I need is the great weather to come back so I can play!

Excellent quality product. Very easy to install. Would highly recommend!!

Received all items ordered in one box, in excellent condition and in a timely manner. I just completed installation of the rack, the extension rack for an additional kayak and anchor strap locations on my 2009 RAV4, with Aero crossbars. No road test yet, but the rhino rack looks solid and fits well! Thanks again!

i love the racks, they worked extremely well for what we wanted. we actually mounted them on a trailer. the straps work really well. the only problem we had is one of the screws that holds the strap on fell out. but other than that, they work well.

Easy to install on garage wall. Kayak is safely held and easily accessible. Mounting instructions were clear and easy to follow.

These fit great on the roof bars...holds my kayak perfectly...together they are a great set...like the easy load and disassembly....money well spent!!!

Excellent quality carrier, easy loading and unloading, very happy with the purchase. Thanks a lot Patrick!!!

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Awesome, for the price, sure beat making my own straps

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Works as described. Large 3 seat Yamaha are easily lifted.

This worked GREAT on my 2015 Outback with factory installed roof racks. Right out of the box I installed the SKS lock cores (purchased separately) clamped them on, locked them down, added my kayak and I was off for a day on the river. Just a matter of minutes to install everything. Highly recommend.

Just got these in the mail. They fit the stock rack on my 02 Subaru outback great and feel extremely durable. I have a very wide and heavy Jackson kayak Big Rig and I feel these will hold it great. Prior to these I trailered it or struggled to get it on the roof. Just roll it up there and secure it. This was the best product for me as all the other racks are so dang light and flimsy. Furthermore this was the best price I could find and I'm lazy and don't want to order the products separate. One and done and you save $ Great buy!

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.

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Great company to work with. Excellent support and advice is given. I have purchased more items form etrailer because they are so good. I highly recommend them.