Reddit reviews TMS J-Bar Rack HD Kayak Carrier Canoe Boat Surf Ski Roof Top Mounted on Car SUV Crossbar

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003V57NUQ/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GA2HKAU/

I've had these kayak racks for about 4 years, so no, they are not manufacturer (which I think is Thule). I had them on a '14 Outback until last month.

I looked up the big-name brands at the time and was blown away by the price for a basic rack - not any of those with an elevator system or anything - $100+ was insane, I thought. The way I looked at it was a kayak rack is actually very simple construction. Bent steel with some foam and a mounting bracket system. So I looked on Amazon and found a pair for something like $25 shipped.

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The shape that the camps are molded to doesn't fit the exact shape of the crossbar, but this does not hinder them from being safely tightened. When cranked tight, it has no slippage whatsoever. And I test with a few tugs every time I use them. Great price, great purchase, would recommend 100%.

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This is the exact same product I purchased. Note the price was about $25 at the time, and has gone up. You might be able to find cheaper, or even a double set for around this same price. All the top Amazon products in the category all look to be the exact same thing.

https://www.amazon.com/TMS-J-Bar-Carrier-Mounted-Crossbar/dp/B003V57NUQ

I don't use a folding J-style rack but I do use J-style racks for my kayaks (2 of them) and they barely fit on the X cross bars. They attach nice and snug.

As for securing the kayaks down, I use the quick straps that came with my racks and make sure to tie them off to prevent slippage.

The farthest I've traveled with this setup is about an hour of highway driving (75 mph).

Edit: The racks I have: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003V57NUQ/ref=sxl1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467757196&sr=1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65

I found a used set of the Thule crossbars at a dealership for 240$ that were like new. Then I bought this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003V57NUQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_0oi8AbKDRG2FS

Its a TMS J-Bar Rack HD Kayak Carrier... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003V57NUQ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

It was my first time driving with the kayaks loaded and strapped down so I took it easy. About 30 miles at 60mph. When I got off the freeway I checked how secure the straps were and everything held nicely.

I bought these kayak racks.

Thanks for the bit of kayak info, I really don't know much about them at this point. I'm hoping you notice my future thread I'll post about buying a kayak, if I need to post after doing my research.

I consider the $200 for the trailer to be paid for already, because I'll use this trailer for other things. So adding in two pair of these racks and setting them up similar to this trailer won't cost me much at all (thanks /u/chancrescolex).

There are plenty of other options out there too. Those were just a few I found with a quick google search. The downside to that last one is that those kayak racks can run around $100-$200 per set if you get a name brand. I have these though and they work just fine. You'd also need some welding experience and the right equipment.

If it were me, I think I would prefer not having the kayaks out towards the sides, just in case I got side-swiped or something. I like the variations that have the kayaks raised above the platform and then you have the whole bed for gear.

If you have a $500 budget, you might want to go ahead and get a roof rack. Then you can get a couple of J racks. The bars might come in hand for other stuff (car top carrier, skis, etc) as well.

I have used the universal kayak racks for 30 bucks on Amazon and I have also just laid it across the bar. Both work fine. The OB has flat bars though and the bought racks have a round bracket but just tightening them down really made it secure. I have not used them since they got replaced (a tree ripped them off during the hurricanes) but even when they were used, they held up to some pretty rigorous kayak hauling.


Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003V57NUQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_6UcKAb1JFHDBC

thanks! these are the cheapest J Racks on Amazon and they work pretty good!

Still a little confused. How do they work? Can I buy a universal kayak mount and attach them somehow? Recently bought the oem racks and with those clamps I can attach them to this ?
this

Thanks for the help.

In the industry, you have what is referred to as a "naked roof". This makes installing a conventional roofrack tricky, but fear not there are alternatives.

One option is to get "towers" that strap under the door and are cinched tight. These work well and my brother has one for his Mazda Protege.

Once you have the towers on, you can get bars that well exceed the width of the vehicle, making transporting two yaks pretty easy.

Although you have short yaks which means they are fat. One way to make stacking boats easier on a roofrack is get a jbar, so the boat can be positioned vertically. I love my Yakima j-bars myself, but you can get cheaper knockoffs from Amazon.

When shopping for bars, there are three types. Flat (factor bars), square (thule), and round (Yakima/generic). I prefer round myself and they fit a number of common saddles and j-bars.

If you really want to save on money, here is dirt cheap tower and round bar set that I used to use on my Corolla:

http://www.prolineracks.com/proline-cb602-universal-car-roof-rack.html

40 dollars...much cheaper than a name-brand like Yakima and easy to install yourself...but the Yakima versions are much better quality.

For j-bars, you can get a dirt cheap set like this for $25...but honestly these don't fit fat kayaks well (doable though, but not ideal):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003V57NUQ/ref=oh_o00_s00_i01_details

My vote would be for a name-brand j-bar like Yakima:

For even more room you could get folding cradles.

If you call Yakima's sales support, they can give you a ton of useful information.

The Mopar roof rack. I have a cheap kayak rack I screw onto it from my pathfinder. And then I plan on putting 2nd yak on the Mopar rack itself. If it isn't sturdy I'll buy another cheapo kayak attachment on Amazon.

Said cheapo attachments.... Lifetime Warranty TMS J-Bar Rack HD Kayak Carrier Canoe Boat Surf Ski Roof Top Mounted on Car SUV Crossbar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003V57NUQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_b7nbBb1JE5QD4

Thats also a little bit of my concern.These were the ones I bought because I was being a little cheap after buying the kayaks and they had decent reviews. They seem pretty sturdy on the local roads that I've been on. I may have to be less cheap and go out and buy some more "premium" ones. I think I spent like 60 bucks for the two sets that I have so they probably aren't the best quality.

My housemate went through this two years ago.

Thule and Yakima are kind of expensive. We ended up getting a cheap, "universal" generic strap-on roof rack. It's ugly and it's not something to leave on the car all the time, but it works and it fits my car as well as hers.

We also got some J-bars to hold the kayak, which are helpful.

The problem we ran into that was insurmountable was the human factor - my housemate couldn't lift a kayak up over her head to get it on the rack when she wanted to go out by herself. (She does not even lift, bro.)

So we exchanged the kayak for an inflatable, which fits in the trunk.

I got these on my crossbars and had zero issues last summer.

https://smile.amazon.com/Lifetime-Warranty-TMS-Carrier-Crossbar/dp/B003V57NUQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1493324975&sr=8-2&keywords=kayak+j+rack

Lifetime Warranty TMS J-Bar Rack HD Kayak Carrier Canoe Boat Surf Ski Roof Top Mounted on Car SUV Crossbar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003V57NUQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ldgyzbKTDDMVG

Got these ones. Definitely nothing fancy, but they are getting the job done. Had to put some rubber spacers in to make it fit the rack, but that was really simple. Super secure front to back and came with some nice tie-downs. Wobbles a tiny bit side-to-side with the flex of the rack when you hit bumps, but no problems so far.

All in all, two thumbs up.

http://www.amazon.com/TMS-KAYAK-RK-J-1BOX-Universal-Carrier/dp/B003V57NUQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405359817&sr=8-1&keywords=kayak+mount#productDetails

I just bought these the other day. because my kayak is too wide to also carry my wifes on top of the car. Here's is a pelican boost? 100. It's the 10ft sit on top at dicks.

http://www.amazon.com/TMS-J-Bar-Carrier-Mounted-Crossbar/dp/B003V57NUQ


Here's a video just after I installed it on my yakima bars. I wobble the back and it moves a lot but I just had a loose ratchet strap in the video. It holds it down just fine on my 45min drive on I-80 in New Jersey going 60-75mph

Shaking it shakes the whole car quit a bit. It's solid, and they're $30.

Only Downside is they don't collapse, so I either leave them on and they point straight up, or I take my whole rack off, because the little quick release wing nut things don't get it tight enough. I actually tightened them on with a wrench. So they're not quick to take off.

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlzLC2-qe5g

Going on five years now with no problems. Granted my kayak (Swifty 9.5 by Perception) is made out of hard plastic, I load my yak with the underside up and also I cinch it down till there's no movement. I'd reconsider if I had a fiberglass kayak. You can also get these I believe they can be attached to the bars I mentioned above. Would be great if you have two yaks to move.

I bought a Thule and couldn't be happier with it. Buy [these] (https://www.amazon.com/TMS-J-Bar-Carrier-Mounted-Crossbar/dp/B003V57NUQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468343275&sr=8-2&keywords=kayak+rack&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011) attachments to mount your kayak to the rack as the Thule ones are pricy. Check craigslist often for attachments. I picked up two bike attachments for about the price of one.

Edit: Yakima's are on prime day.