# 1
Darby Extend-A-Truck Kayak Carrier w/ Hitch Mounted Load Extender and Single-Bar Roof Rack
This thing works great. Well built and easy to use. I use it in conjunction with my back rack.
The foam towers on the single bar roof rack worked beautifully. My only complaint was the whole thing depended on the S hooks the strap that runs through the cab is attached to. Under enough load, S hooks are subject to straightening out. So I took a spare Rhino Rack strap and looped it over both ends of the bar and back through the cab for a backup and to keep some load off the S hooks. You can also see in the picture that the bar has rotated slightly so that end of the strap could possibly slip off the S hook. A closed shackle would inspire more confidence than an S hook.
# 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.
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.
Andrew - 06/15/2021My 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
Thule Hull-A-Port Kayak Carrier w/Tie-Downs - J-Style - Fixed - Side Loading
These are good racks, only its not really easy or friendly to install on the wingbar evo, although it was indicated that it was compatible. I think the screws provided with the adapter kit are a little too short and because of that, the j rack doesn't fit well in the T slot. Too much of a chore for the average person.
This product is excellent. I have transported my kayak on these J Hooks several times going 70+ mph down the highway. It never moves. The bolts that come with it are short. If you have a thick roof rack, you will need longer stainless steel bolts. Make sure you you orient the blue straps with the buckle on top so you can pull down to tighten it up.
# 4
Rhino-Rack J-Style Kayak Carrier - Folding - Universal Mount
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!
I liked it very easy to install. I appreciate the attention and I will definitely recommend my friends. Thank you very much
# 5
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!!
# 6
Thule Hull-A-Port XT Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style or Post Style - Folding - 1 or 2 Kayaks
Fits perfectly and easy to install. etrailer, as always, was the exact right place to order it. Always satisfied with them. My only complaint is the way Thule designed how the straps are held while I’m putting my kayaks up on racks mounted atop my camper shell. The straps won’t stay in the cheesy guides very well. I’ll probably modify them so the straps won’t fall out. I’d suggest wider straps or ditching the little slot where the strap falls out. Very satisfied with the transaction and I do like kayak racks, especially the ease of installation, quality and the very innovative way they fold down.
Ease of locking these on to the crossbar was the main reason I wanted to try these. No more bolts and turning little knobs. Will not be using one pair for 2 kayaks as it looks like it would be too difficult for me (70 yrs) to secure the second kayak to it so I bought two sets for Volvo XC40, year 2020. If younger I would feel comfortable using one pair. Used it with the Easy Rack Ramp to push it up to seat the kayak. Worked well. Used Malone Telos system before which is also a good product but J-hook is the bolt/knob system.
# 7
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.
These make it easier for one person to load a kayak up on the roof by themselves. We have used them for a whole year and they are holding up well so far.
# 8
Swagman Tajo Wall Mounted Kayak Storage System
We love the kayak racks. They are just what I was looking for at a reasonable price.We did have to make minor adjustments on the hanging brackets so the screws are closer together and fit security on our side boards. A pleased customer
Mounted the kayak rack yesterday and wanted to offer some feedback. In general, a pretty easy process. The screws do seem to be pretty soft; easy to strip a bit, even with 1/8" holes drilled. No disaster, but could be improved. What is wrong is that the straps seem backward. The clamp is mounted so that you must pull up to tighten the strap. Would be better/simpler to pull down on the strap. I see why the longer strap is at the top, but still bad mechanics. I mounted my rack pretty high on the wall, and not being tall, will have a problem using the strap as oriented. In addition, the clamp strap has no means to adjust its length. My kayak (a Poke boat) is pretty slim in cross-section, which makes tightening the strap very difficult unless I get on a ladder. I realize that some of this issue is due to the height that I mounted the rack, but I had to make sure that it put my boat completely out of the way of the car, bikes, etc., with which it shares the space. Would give the rack a good rating, but the odd engineering design and lack of a way to adjust the strap length are disappointing. Overall, does what I need though, just could be a killer rack with some slight changes.
# 9
Rhino-Rack Nautic 581 Rear Loading Kayak Carrier - Saddle Style - Rear Loading - Channel Mount
Works great on my Ram truck. I pull a 5th wheel RV so I can’t use the truck bed for my kayaks. I bought the Rhino Rack roof rack from etrailer, as well. It is very easy to slide the kayak onto the roof with this carrier. Then I slide my second kayak on top of the first one. It is easy to do by myself, which is what I was looking for. I’d also like to give a shout-out to etrailer for their great customer service! They had both of these items in stock, and actually beat the price on Amazon.
Perfect. We RV full time and we’ve driven thousands of miles with 2 kayaks on the racks. We have had zero issues with the racks and they still look like new. I can install or remove the racks in less than 10 minutes.
Enrica - 07/13/2021Sturdy, hasn’t been removed from my car, I use it for a paddle board and a canoe, no issues. Looks very sleek. Easy install as well.
# 10
Thule SUP Taxi XT Stand-Up Paddleboard Carrier - Roof Mount - 2 Boards
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
Today I shared received Thule rack parts from etrailer.com. This is my first experience buying from Etrailer.com. The rack arrived as expected and installation was very easy. I will buy again from etrailer.com. Over all happy with service and pricing for the part.
# 11
Rhino-Rack Nautic Roof Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - Side Loading - Clamp On
I have a pretty big kayak to begin with, it holds it perfectly. Recently , i strapped a smaller kayak on top of mine. I was expecting the worst on this trip. But did not have a problem at all. Quality product.
After 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.
# 12
Yakima SweetRoll Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Rear Loading
Sweet Roll was easy to install. Lock sets matched my Yakima bike rack therefore I only need 1 key! Only thing about Sweet Roll is that given angle of roof (Jaguar F-pace), kayak has to be lifted onto back Sweet Roll ( cannot simply be pushed from the ground).
Very good product; works well as intended. I had to stop using them because they would indent my tandem kayak at the point of contact. This may just be an issue with the kayak length and weight and how I strapped it down.
# 13
Rhino-Rack SUP and Surfboard Pads w/ Tie-Downs for Crossbars - Universal - 33-1/2" Long - Qty 2
Combo review - the trailer is PERFECT (MMalone MicroSportXT Trailer - 78" Crossbars - Retractable Tongue). I put it together over several evenings after work. Directions and online videos were helpful - pretty easy build. Have used the trailer several times and am so happy with it. Lightweight, easy to load the boat. I added the kickstand, which is handy for keeping the trailer level and for pushing the trailer around. So happy with this trailer and etrailer.com - very responsive.
The Rhino Rack pads are very well made and fit securely. Item was in stock and delivery was very quick with excellent customer notifications during transit.
# 14
Thule Portage Canoe Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - Gunwale Brackets - Side Loading
Very 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 - 07/19/2021As all Thule products the Thule universally mounted canoe carrier is great. It came with all required items for safe and easy canoe transportation. There are two straps with pull to fasten for the canoe down, two tie down ropes for each end with nice pull tight and release mechanisms for the cord as well, along with two straps to fasten to the canoe ends used with the pull to tighten cords. The Chevy traverse cross bar had to have the plastic end caps removed for use with Thule canoe carrier. This was because my canoe took up the entire cross bar width to allow for Thule mounts. It is not a big deal to remove the plastic end caps. They only provide a finished stream lined look. Happy and Safe Canoeing
# 15
Yakima Kayak Carrier with Tie-Downs - Saddle Style with Rollers - Clamp On
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
# 16
Thule DockGlide Kayak Carrier with Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Rear Loading - Universal Mount
The Thule DockGlide Kayak Carrier and the Tie-Downs that came with it are a very functional High Quality Product. Once the DockGlide Carrier was properly positioned on the Cross bars it attached easily and solidly with the associated hardware. The Kayak slides on and off the Carrier very easily and is quite secure once properly tied down. I enjoy Kayaking and the DockGlide Kayak Carrier enables me to get where I want to go.
Have not used or installed yet. Easy to order, very descriptive with excellent supportive photos and videos. This company is well run. The shipping is quick and the communication is excellent. I will update once we actually install and use the DockGlide Kayak Carrier
# 17
SportRack Foam Block Roof Kayak Carrier - Adjustable
It's doing the job of securing my kayak to my rackless prius, at a fraction of the cost. However, the instructions included along with the straps did not work for me. I spent a considerable amount of time adjusting things: the red straps that are supposed to go over the boat and secure on the bars were not long enough. The blue straps are much longer, so I am using the red straps to secure the bars to the car, through the open doors and cinched inside the car. I am using the blue straps to reach over the boat, and I decided to feed those into the car too- feels more secure than to attach them to the bars on top. The black straps for front and back strapping don't work for my car in the way shown, I had to jerry-rig. Overall I have figured out how to make it work, and I'm glad I didn't spend $xxx.xx on a serious rack system.
Works very well. I will only use on short trips. I'm not a fan of the straps rubbing on the car. I need to invest in roof rails for longer trips.
# 18
Rhino-Rack Nautic 580 Side Loading Kayak Carrier - Saddle Style - Side Loading - Channel Mount
Looks great got em on today, rock solid. I put them on an adarac ladder rack system. With light modification, they slide into the track. Very nice they include sooo many straps too. etrailer fast shipping and always great information. Thanks!
Love these. Much more stable and easier to use than big box J racks. I use two of these to carry kayaks, and it comes with high quality straps including bow and stern tie downs. A little vibe due to wind, but nothing you can really do about that.
# 19
Thule Hullavator Pro Kayak Carrier and Lift Assist with Tie-Downs - Side Loading
I have used Rhino Fokding J Racks, Malone Seawings...added a Rhino Rack Universal Side loader. Still can be a workout. Finally decided to invest in a rack that will make loading and unloading easier and less likely to cause injury. THULE Hullavators!! Now I only have to lift the kayak about chest high...and can attach all the steps while standing flat on the ground. Nor more climbing, reaching g and twisting. I am excited to have a rack that will save us time and energy that we could out to better use kayaking.
Weather is nice again and I finally installed my (somewhat) newly purchased Yakima 60" Jetstream rack system with RidgeLine Towers along with Thule Hullavator TH898 to my 2016 X5. I hope to start some finishing real soon here in NJ.
# 20
Yakima JayHook Kayak Carrier with Tie-Downs - J-Style - Fixed - Side Loading
Have only taken it out once so far but it was easy to put on and use. Could be easy for someone to steal, I put bike locks on mine to prevent that.
I have used these before, so this is a slightly different version, but equally functional. Directions are easily understood and it works on a variety of roof racks.
As I said before its just a good product.