Recommended Roof Rack and Canoe Carrier for a 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with Soft Top

Updated 04/11/2025 | Published 04/02/2019

Products Featured in This Question

Evo Raised Rail Feet for Thule Crossbars - Factory Raised Rails - Qty 4

(224)

$264.95

LockRack Adjustable XL Watersport Carrier - Canoe, Kayak, or 2 SUPs - Side Loading - Universal Mount

(48)

$362.99

Thule WingBar Evo Crossbars - Aluminum - Silver - 53" Long - Qty 2

(1274)

$279.95

Thule WingBar Evo Crossbars - Aluminum - Black - 53" Long - Qty 2

(1274)

$279.95

Thule SquareBar Evo Crossbars - Steel - 60" Long - Qty 2

(269)

$179.95

Question:

Is there any roof racks that are easy on and off . Getting older I have a 2014 Jeep wrangler unlimited soft top . I want to carry a canoe .Any recommendations?

asked by: Donald L

Expert Reply:

We do have a roof rack that you can use to carry your canoe with your 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited but you will need to remove the soft top to do so.

The Thule Evo Raised Rail Feet # TH710401 will easily clamp around the roll bars on your Jeep once the soft top is removed and give you the ability to either use the 53" WingBar Evo Rails # TH711420 Black or # TH711400 Silver OR the 60" SquareBar Crossbars # TH712500. Simply put the feet on the crossbars at the correct locations and then use the included tool to clamp the feet on your roll bars. The Thule roof rack has a 165 lb weight capacity which should be more than enough for your canoe.

Then for an easy-to-use canoe carrier I recommend the Lockrack Watersport Carrier # LR54FR. This carrier is a lightweight 17 lbs and can be mounted directly into the channels of the WingBar Evo crossbars or around the SquareBar using the included clamps. The best feature about this carrier is that it holds the canoe in place without any tie-downs or straps. Once you have the bars secured in place you are good to go!

Attached are a few videos of this carrier that you can reference.

expert reply by: Jon G

David H.

4/10/2025

in response to this can you elaborate on exactly how the feet you mention will mount directly to my existing factory roll bars? the videos show either a hard to mount where they atatch to the lip of the top, or a full roof SUV I have a 2015 2 door Wrangler with a soft top im hoping to find something that would mount directly onto those to mount 2 kayak holders... Thank you for your time!

Jon G.

4/10/2025

@DavidH This roof rack setup unfortunately only fits with the Unlimited (4-door) versions of your Wrangler. I checked with all of our roof rack manufacturers, and they only have roof racks that fit a 2-door hard top. Nobody has a fit for a 2-door soft top. Are you opposed to using a trailer like the Malone EcoLight Sport # MAL93FR that comes with carriers?

David H.

4/10/2025

@JonG no opposed...my issue is I have nowhere to store it... Ive been looking for a cross rail situation like i described for a while...seems like some manufacturer is missing the boat on this... but thanks for checking!!

Jon G.

4/10/2025

@DavidH Oh I definitely agree. The only other thing that might work is the 66" Yakima Rack and Roll Trailer # Y08107 because it can be stored upright for situations where storage is the main enemy. I'm not sure if you mean you have literally zero storage (which I totally get) or if you have a little room to get something like this in a spot, but just wanted to try at least one last thing to make your travels with kayaks a reality.