Kayaks, Bikes etc....

[JamuJoe]

Thought I’d share my solution to carrying two heavy kayaks.

We just returned to Durango from Key Largo, carrying our pair of Hobie Compass kayaks (about 80 lbs ea.)

I added one more Rhino Rack aero bar to my Undercover Ridgelander hinged hard tonneau system, with kayak mounts. With one bar on the cab roof, the kayaks were easier to load and handle than putting both on the roof. Wind noise was minimal and mpg dropped by less than 1 mpg (13.4 for the trip). Absolutely stable and secure in high winds. No movement issues between cab and bed on the RAM 1500.

My system takes only minutes to reconfigure for carrying bikes (mine a 60 lb. RAD ROVER e-bike, or the hardshell rooftop tent (Bigfoot) that the grandkids sleep in.

The only inconvenience lies in not being able to lift the tonneau with the load on top. I organize gear into Action Packers and push/pull them to the tailgate with a boathook.

The Art of Travel continues to evolve.

Safe Travels,
Joe

[TouringDan]

Looks like a great solution. My congratulations for thinking outside the box.

I am glad I only carry one kayak and it only weighs 44 lbs. It may not look that high up but it is.

Dan

[Overstreet]

Sea Kayaks on the Hullivators. Bikes on the Fiamama. I wouldn't know what to do without both sets of gear.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by JamuJoe

. . .
The Art of Travel continues to evolve.
. . .

Great phrase and thread!

Thanks,

Peter

[AtomicNo13]

Using the factory rack...

[Coaster]

This our setup we can put the bikes in the bed

[WhereStream]

So, kayak folk — Don't have a kayak yet, but will some day, and want to take that into consideration when I replace my Suburban with another SUV or a truck.

If I go the truck route, I will definitely get a shell on the back. Should I get one that has roof racks built it?

I don't know how much of a load a truck shell can handle.

[Hibby]

Yes to the built-in roof racks! I have a 2017 Ford F350 with an A.R.E. Cap and it has the built-in slides/mounts. Makes it very easy to attach crossbars, etc. I do still need a crossbar over the cab since my canoe is 15’.

[TouringDan]

Just another opinion. I have a Thule rack mounted on the truck. It works great. I have been from Michigan to Florida and the rack and kayak stay tight. Now it is high up. I open both windows and and stand on the window opening (with the doors closed) to install and tighten the straps.

Dan

[mefly2]

If / when the two foot syndrome hits ... two words... Eddie Bauer ... if you can find one.

[Rich W]

I use 4 Malone supports on my 4Runner's built in roof rack. We have a Jackson Big Tuna, 13' long, 93 lbs., tandem seating. I carry a small 2-step ladder to help me get it off the roof. I use padding across the back of the roof so the kayak will slide. Bike(s) ride inside.

[Hibby]

I bought this Xtend & Climb ladder last year and use it for my canoe and I also occasionally use a Thule cargo box on top. It’s not cheap, but worth it’s weight in gold... I keep a beach towel handy to put between the ladder and my truck cap to protect it.

https://www.amazon.com/Xtend-Climb-C...92&s=hi&sr=1-1

[uraljohn]

My good friend, who is a Kayak nut and has some fairly expensive kayaks, recently bought a "Sea Eagle" inflatable kayak. I do not know which model he bought, they have several different kayaks and boats, but he LOVES it. These are not inexpensive. His was north of $1k. Weighs less than 50 lbs, inflates in just a few minutes, and he says it performs very well. Big plus is that it deflates easily and has a real decent carry bag.

I am not a Kayaker, I prefer boats with lots of HP! However, this may work for someone out there that can not take a hard Kayak with them. Check out "Sea Eagle". Happy Kayaking!

[gypsydad]

That looks very interesting...aren't you way over the payload on your RAM with those kayaks and gear? I know my kayaks only weighed 40lbs each when I purchased and had my F150, but I found out I was also overloaded on several trips and didn't even know it. I now have a 3/4T so not an issue anymore. What does your payload say on your RAM door sticker, if you will share?

Love to kayak by the way...the picture on the bottom of this post was taken on the Clark Fork just North of Missoula MT...we went on a ladies 3 day kayaking excursion....17 miles one day. Lots of fun on the water with the AS along for sleep!

[JamuJoe]

Lots of good solutions shared here. As I ‘mature’, I look for easier and safer ways to singlehandedly handle cargo. Lower is generally better. I also use a load spreadsheet for our different trip configurations. This trip, returning from our sailing season, was about 15% over the 1190# spec payload for my RAM 1500 Limited. Not ideal, but the rig handled beautifully for the 2400 mile journey.

Interestingly, the ‘plainer’ trims of this truck have a 1540# payload. Apparently, leather is heavy, in addition to the air suspension system, which I love.

I bought that Hobie Compass w/ Mirage drive for the First Mate while aboard our sailboat in FL. Borrowed it a few times and had to have one for myself. So hard to limit the toys we carry!

Safe Travels,
JamuJoe

[GSansoucie]

I need to take photos of our setup, we have two 12’ folding Oru kayaks that fit in the back seat of our Ram 2500 (packed up now). We have two Dahon folding bikes on the back of our Airstream on the Fiamma racks, they allow for the rear window to open when the bikes are on the rack.

Update: turns out I had photos already.

[GSansoucie]

Should add a photo of the kayaks opened up, takes about 5-8 mins per kayak to assemble. They each weigh 25lbs, super light. Performance is way better than I expected.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Lowe on the roof...👍

Bob
🇺🇸

[Mr. Merk]

Subscribed. Looking for an aluminum canoe and cross bars to mount to the roof of our Cayenne. I'll be attaching the bikes to the back of the Airstream with a Kuat rack that I can use on Cayenne when unhooked.

[Ephraim]

We struggled when it came time to carrying our canoe. I have an ARE topper that rises 4 1/2 inches above the cab of the truck. I've had a Thule rack on it for nearly 6 years that I've used to haul many varied things (usually just tied to the rack cross beams. Lumber is usually the culprit, but I've had Rohn tower sections and just about anything that was too long to fit in the bed of the truck. We bought our 30' Classic in april and then a 17' canoe last month. I couldn't fit the canoe on the rack per the instructions because it would set it too far back and hit the trailer.

The original rack is the Thule Pillar system with track mount feet. The tracks came on the ARE topper. To manage the canoe, I purchased the Thule Traverse for the cab of the truck. I figured I would have to remove one of the Pillar cross beams to make it work, but I couldn't have planned it better if I had tried to. I mounted the Traverse in the middle of the cab, then put the canoe on the truck and it made contact with all three crossbeams (due to the curvature of the canoe.

REI had a fit when I told them I had three contact points because they fear you will deform the canoe that way. Nope. It just worked out perfectly (by accident).

The plan is to use the Fiamma bike rack on the rear of the trailer for two bikes and then a Thule folding hitch for the back of the truck. When towing, the bikes go on the trailer and when at a camp, the Thule comes out of the bed and mounts on the truck hitch.