I finally got the old lady too pull the trigger on an outback. I am looking for any advice or ideas on moving two at a time preferably by roof rack. We own a Tacoma shortbed with a leer topper and a Thule bar system installed. The bar system is not wide enough to accommodate two outbacks side by side.
I've been looking into the Thule Hullavator Pro. The Outback exceeds the load capacity by 13lbs, but from looking around on Youtube it seems like plenty of people use them. The only drawback is the price for two i'd be looking at around $1300. I think this would be a nice option for the old lady though and she would be able to handle the kayak by her self if she wanted to go out while i'm at work. I have also looked into the Yakima show down, but the reviews seem to be pretty poor from what I've read. The only other Idea I can think of is get a wider rack or possibly stack them on top of each other which seems like a huge pain in the ass. I would prefer not to trailer them but that may be the best thing too do for the price.
Any ideas or input for transporting would be greatly appreciated. I will try to post a picture of the topper tomorrow.
Thanks,
PP
Widgeonmangh:
I don't have Hobie kayaks so this may not apply. But I needed to transport two kayaks and I am doing it on a Chevy Suburban. I didn't like my options so I went to the welding shop and had them install a wood rack. I am overlanding this vehicle. My goal is offload off grid two weeks minimum capacity. (it will take 5 years) so this is just part of the process. But a wood rack might be a good option. Readily available and built for larger loads. Much more affordable because they are in a different market than recreation. You can install them right over your canopy.
Just a thought if you are looking for a different way to go. .02
Good luck.
Here is what I did.
AKFishOn:
I know kardial_84 hauls two Outbacks on his Tacoma. He doesn't have a topper, but does have some kind of rack. For hauling just one, you could get a hitch extension and put the yak in the back of the truck.
Guppy Tamer:
It isn't pretty, but I hang 2 outbacks out of the back of my tundra. I'm not sure how much narrower the Tacoma is. I have a bed extender listed in the classifieds I don't use anymore.
bb2fish:
I put 2 revolutions on a Prius roof rack side by side. One kayak is on rollers and is sitting right side up, the other is upside down directly on the crossbars. Having one kayak slightly higher than the other allowed them to fit side by side.
I can solo load the Revolution on the rollers.
And yes, 2 kayaks is slightly over the load limit for the Yakima rack (and the Prius.