Looking for a pickup truck roof rack

Looking for a pickup truck roof rack that will fit a Chevy 1500 xcab.  If you have one for sale or know a good place to look I'd be interested.  Thanks - amb

REI or Rack Attack are the best places to go, but pricey.

Does it need to be a roof rack?  Getting my heavy yaks up on top of my Jeep is a pain in the butt.  If I had a pickup without a canopy, I'd be looking to a bed extender like this:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=39168

Hey ThreeWeight,

Thanks for them info on the truck bed extender.  I checked it out and that's a cool deal.  I'll check Rack Attack too but I really like the extender.  Nice idea.  Thanks again - Alan

I saw a set of thule racks this morning that looked slick. Might check into them also.

those racks i believe are very expensive but u can check...my parents use the bed extender which if you get a different model i believe u can also make it level with the roof and just use foam blocks between ur yak and the roof and then tie the back to the extender or watever u wanna call it...they use it for there canoe which is 16 foot

hey, blue, is that side load rack even legal in wash.state??

It's only in that position to strap in. The entire unit then slides up on top, just like the other in the picture.

Jay

Definitely not if you leave them down.....

I'm not sure about Or or Wa but they must be in Ca.

AMB, try searching;
http://www.truckaddons.com/Catalog/roofracks.htm

i've seen systems on there for under $500. like a rack and tonneau set designed for yakkers

Jay, thanx, i didnt see that as one of the high speed thule lift systems.. but i have seen a plain side mount that looked like that...just went down the side of the vehicle and blocked the doors on that side.. always thot it was kind of a dumbshit idea but hey, what do i know?

I made a rack for the truck bed a few years ago, bought 1.5inch square steel tubing from Pacific Iron and bolted it together, total cost less than 100 rupees. bolted my old Yakima raks to it, the whole works slides in /out of the bed. Much easier to lift yak 3 feet to the tailgate, than overhead to a canopy or roof.
   See this site for examples of truck bed carriers:

www.oakorchardcanoe.com
 

Here's a link to a Yakima and Thule rack on Craigslist---there's LOTS of rack there today!

http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/for/769783490.html

I used to use the truck bed extender from harbor freight.  It's a steal at $40, sometimes on sale for less.  I was even able to use it for two kayaks at once, but I wouldn't suggest it.  I'll probably still use the little guy when I go out by myself, as it's just far easier to load at truck bed height by myself.  Picture of loaded kayak is at the bottom of this post.

The Thule rack is the Hull-a-vator I believe.  That's a $500 system, just for one rack, so $1000 for both kayaks.  Yakima also has a similar one.

For a truck rack, the best option for an actual rack is the Thule Xsporter, which clamps on, lowers when not in use, and supports all thule (and yakima) rack options.  It's a pretty snazzy system, and I was going to get one.  They go for $450 or so new, but I was able to find a couple on craigslist for about half that.  There are two models, one for full size and one for compact trucks.  Yakima also has a similar model, the Outdoorsman.  It's not as snazzy, and is just about as expensive as the Thule.

Rack Outfitters has some excellent informative videos about both models, and they have videos on other kayak models as well.

http://www.rackoutfitters.com/

Here's the video on the Xsporter.



I ended up deciding to build a trailer or something, but before I got around to it, I found a really good deal on a nice black canopy with a custom rack, that was mismatched on a white truck at my local car dealership.  I paid them $200 for it, and it looks excellent on my black Dakota.  Unfortunatly the rack is too small for two XFactors side by side.  But what rack isn't when they're 34" wide each.  So I broke down last week and picked up a single Yakima Hullraiser which I'll be installing in 25 minutes, before I put the canopy back on the truck.  That should give me enough room to lay one yak flat with the other in the Hullraiser.

Also, if you end up going with a commercial rack, check prices.  The Hullraiser from Yakima is $50 cheaper then the same J Cradle that Thule sells.  Even if you have a Thule rack, it'll probably still fit.  You might need a fit kit for $15 bucks.

Bed Extender:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Phynix13/KayakStuff/photo#5221916248201330226



PS - Wasn't able to easily add the picture from Picasa, maybe some admin can add some capability for that.

I believe that Scott, Green Butt Skunked, uses this Thule rack on his p/u

Jay

Actually, it's the Chevy OEM rack they have available for their newer trucks as part of their "Cargo Management System".  It's still a PITA to lift that Big Game up there, but with a little technique it's gotten easier. 

The Thule looks like a good alternative for other trucks.

-= Scott

Me with egg on face...