# 1
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.
# 2
Malone FoldAway-5 Kayak, SUP, and Canoe Carrier with Tie Downs - J-Style - Folding - Side Loading
I've had these kayak racks on my 2017 dodge journey for 1 year now and they work great. They're super easy to adjust and stable. When I'm not using the rack I just lay them flat. They don't whistle at all when driving at high speeds. The furthest trip I've done with two kayaks was about 10 hours and the racks had no issue, and a good portion of the trip had a lot of sharp turns. I would recommend these to anyone looking for a 2 kayak system.
I really like the Malone Foldaway Kayak and Canoe carrier. It looks to be a real good product and can’t wait to try it this weekend. Super fast shipping was a plus !
# 3
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!
# 4
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 system for transporting kayaks safely. First time user mounting/transporting two kayaks on the freeway. Everything was self explanatory, secure and easy to use.
# 5
Malone Aero18 Surfboard Pads for Crossbars - Universal - 18" Long - Qty 2
This item, along with RRRTD35P Rhino Rack cinch straps . Fit my Y06-560 Aero bars perfectly. Heavy duty quality. Thick padding, and rugged. Kayak does not bottom out padding. Perfect strength yet cushions well. The RR cinch straps very good quality also. I tested the rigs on the highway at 70 mph, faster than I normally drive. Stopped & checked straps 2 times. Everything held up perfectly. The raised hump backrest in my kayak is up against the rear cross bar, so it would have to jump the hump to slip out of the straps, but I will also run a stern line back to the rear cross bar to help resist forward wind push, just for extra peace of mind. Test day was cold and very windy so it was a good test. I read common sense practice tips on paddling forums to stop & check often, and slow down some. No 80 mph on Interstate. I am impressed with everything I bought so far from etrailer.
The Malone Aero 30 pads I bought recently do not fit the cross bars on my Thule Trac One rack. Do you have a recommendation for some similar (ie velcro) pads that will fit it?
# 6
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.
# 7
Yakima Kayak Carrier with Tie-Downs - Saddle Style with Rollers - Clamp On
Appearance is as described on the website, fits the 2007 Gmc envoy factory cross bars. Planning to load Hoodoo 120p kayak this weekend to test for fit and function.
This roller and pad setup allowed me to get a 68 lb kayak on and off my car by myself. Could not do that with the Jlow racksI
# 8
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# 9
Yakima ShowDown Kayak or SUP Carrier and Lift Assist w/ Tie-Downs - Side Loading - Clamp On
Very disappointed with Yakima on this lift, it is difficult to use and not well made like the other Yakima kayak racks I have.
The ShowDown was easy to install and is easy to use. I am sorry I didn't get this Lift Assist sooner.
GREAT!! Im currently using it on top of a Jeep Gladiator.
Kathleen - 12/06/2021# 10
Curt J-Style Kayak Carrier - Folding - Universal Mount
Good quality materials and easy to install - and uninstall. Two changes would give this product 5 stars: Some type of strap holder at the top of the back rack would make it easier to strap down the kayaks and some type of security lock so someone doesn't borrow your new racks while you are out kayaking. One unique thing to remember for the 2017 Toyota RAV4: the back OEM cross bar is about 3" shorter than the front cross bar - this takes some adjustments for the placement of the racks to fit 2 kayaks and still open the rear hatch.
Quick service! Box was not damaged at all. Just what I wanted.
Still works wonderfully
Denis - 04/25/2022# 11
Lockrack Adjustable XL Watersport Carrier - Canoe, Kayak, or 2 SUPs - Side Loading - Universal Mount
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!
I picked excellent because it will eliminate climbing on a ladder to put on straps. When I first looked at it mounted on my car I never thought it would be secure. I recruited my neighbor to see if I could side load using a small stepstool. (I am 5'3"). With my old Thule rack I could cover the back of my car with a rug and slide my kayaks on up to the roof. Fortunately, I have a very light Eddyline kayak that I use most of the time, so for this kayak it is manageable. When I secured the kayak with the arms, I was surprised how tight it was with absolutely no movement. Haven't driven with it yet but I am sure that it will work well. The only problem I had was it took all afternoon to put it together. I think you need to improve the photos and have more detailed instructions. A current installation video with this newer designed kayak rack. The videos I found had several different arms.
Just fine...very secure. Only disadvantage for me as a short woman I cannot get it on on the roof of my car by myself. I cannot slide it up from the rear of the car either because of the rubber the arms which is necessary
Cheryl - 03/28/2022# 12
Malone DownLoader Kayak Carrier and TelosXL Load Assist w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Side Loading
I'm happy with the Malone Downloader with TelosXL Load Assist. I wanted help loading my kayak onto my Toyota Rav4 since I go kayaking alone (and I am a small but strong 60 year old woman). The TelosXL definitely helps getting the kayak up to the J cradles. I still need a sturdy step stool to push it from the loader to the cradles. The things that I think could use some adjusting: on the TelosXL I found that the foot pedals can slip on asphalt. I cut some non-stick pads out that I take with me if I'm loading/unloading on asphalt (see picture that I am including). Also with the TelosXL the assembly guides are too far apart. When the assembly is extended to touch the ground, only one of the guides still has the extender in it. This makes it less stable. Malone might consider putting one more guide between the 2. As far as the Downloader goes, the tie down straps need to have the buckle completed covered to avoid dings on the car. Also, the bow/stern lines should include a ratcheting system. I ended up paying extra to get the Thule tie down straps and bow/stern lines because they are better.
Arrived on time. Packing very good. Setting up easy, used on Volvo XC60, 70mm bolts OK, however 80mm would be better. Looks sturdy enough for my 45 lbs. kayak. Loading and unloading quite easy. Straps could be longer, I tried to secure them inside the car but one of them slipped out through a door gasket. Rubber plugs at the foots of stays tend to fall out and I finally gave up. Those are minor items not decreasing any usability.
# 13
Malone SUP30 Surfboard and SUP Pads w/ Tie-Downs for Crossbars - Universal - 30" Long - Qty 2
We got this on our Acura in 30 minutes. It is sturdy on highways fully loaded (within weight limit). Minor wind noise along windows since seal is affected, but we aren’t bothered by it. The rack is used daily. Great product for the cost! So glad we didn’t buy the expensive models when this meets all our needs! I hope to report back in a year that we are still just as happy with it. We also bought the Malone pads and strap system to hold our boards and sails, and it’s working well.
# 14
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!
# 15
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.
# 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 :).
etrailer Watersport Carriers Review - 2019 Toyota Sienna
Hi, everyone, Adam, with etrailer.com today, we're going to be taking a look at the etrailer J style roof, mounted kayak carrier on our 2019 Toyota Sienna. So there's a bunch of pros to this system. One is all these straps that you see that tied down my kayak. They come with it. So you don't have to go back to the store or order another part. It comes with it.
Inno Watersport Carriers Review - 2015 Toyota Sienna
Today on our 2015 Toyota Sienna, we're going to take a look at the Inno Boardlocker Board Carrier. That part number is INA744. Now I have one half of it on. I'm going to show you how easy it is to install the other one. All righty. We want to just pretty much try to line it up with the first one.
Thule Watersport Carriers Review - 2015 Toyota Sienna
Today on our 2015 Toyota Sienna, we're going to take a look at the THULE Hull-a-Port Pro Kayak Carrier with tie downs, J style. That part number is TH834. I have the kayak on our vehicle, and I have it already strapped down and everything, so we're just going to show you a few features of it. Like I said, we have our straps for the bow and the stern, the one thing I had to do, I had to go ahead and do this one first, I couldn't find anything under the front metal-wise to hook it up, so I have to use one of the tie downs for THULE. This is sold separately, that part number is TH530. All right, now we're just going to show you how we have it all strapped down. Like I said, I had this strapped down in the front.
etrailer Watersport Carriers Review - 2014 Toyota Sienna
Jake: Hey guys, it's Jake here with eTrailer. Today we're going to be taking a look at and I'm going to show you how to install the eTrailer kayak carrier. This is going to be a roof mounted kayak carrier. It's going to mount to the roof of your 2014 Toyota Sienna. It's going to be a J style carrier, so it's going to be able to fit a wide variety of kayaks to get them to and from your water source. The carrier is going to have an aluminum construction.
Thule SUP Taxi Stand-Up Paddleboard Carrier Review - 2014 Toyota Sienna
Today, on our 2014 Toyota Siena, we're going to be test fitting the Thule SUP Taxi, stand up paddle board carrier with a two-board capacity, part number TH810. With our Thule Rapid Crossroads roof rack system already installed on the Siena, we'll begin our test fit by placing the front hamper of our carrier under our front load bar. We'll bring both of the black rubber coated metal straps on the under side of the load bar and clip the one closest to the front of the carrier. We'll then turn the gray knob locate on the front to secure our strap around our bar. Now, make our way around to the driver side to repeat that same tightening process. With the front half of our carrier secure, we'll now grab the rear half, place it under our rear load bar. Again, we're going to bring those straps around the under side of the load bar then we'll fit the one closest to us under the foot of the carrier.
Thule SUP Taxi Stand-Up Paddleboard Carrier Review - 2013 Toyota Sienna
Today on our 2013 Toyota Sienna, we'll be test fitting the Thule SUP Taxi standup paddleboard carrier with a 2-board capacity, part number TH810. With the Thule AeroBlade roof rack system assembled onto our vehicle, we'll begin by placing half of our carrier onto our front bar. Once we have it situated the way we like, we can bring the rubber-coated steel straps around the load bar, fitting them back into the foot of the carrier. Then we can use the attached hand knobs to tighten it in place. We'll grab the second half of our carrier and place it onto our rear bar. Then we can repeat the same tightening process that we did at the front.
Excellent