Skip to main content
Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2015
I'm so pleased with this simple, not so expensive, solution to car topping my kayak. I got a Perception Conduit 13 and it weighs about 51 pounds. So heavy and a bit unwieldy for one person. This side loader is wonderful and works as advertised. The cross bar that extends outward hooked onto my 2006 Subaru Outback factory rails crossbar is the primary item that holds the weight of the kayak. Nevertheless, it's really good to have the vertical pole as a secondary support. I have had it happen that I was a bit careless about placing and tightening the pole as well as I could have and it fell while I was loading the kayak. Turned out OK as the extension of the crossbar was able to hold the weight. Word of caution: my kayak is very narrow at the ends, the bottom is not flat at those spots so when loading on to the extended crossbar, it rocks and has to be held steady to get it on there and loaded. I have had it happen that it rubs against the side of the car when loading or unloading and I scratched the finish. This is easily solved by just placing a towel on the side of the car, towards the rear when loading and unloading. Lastly, I appreciate some of the quality extras. the bag is handy to have as it keeps the various parts safely tucked away to prevent damage to the inside of the car. The crossbar is padded with a sleeve of some kind of woven nylon do when the kayak rests on it, it has something to grab onto it a bit and prevents needlessly scratching it. The hooks that grab onto the crossbar fit reasonably well given that mine are factory rails and the hooks were not designed specifically to fit those. And, if you didn't catch the detail, the kayak is 13 feet long. Very pleased. So happy I have it worked out that I can load and unload my kayak on my own without help.
