Kayak Transport solutions...

[berlinguyinca]

So we recently (Sunday) bought a 2024 Big Horn 2500, Hemi and now looking for an affordable solution to accommodate our 16ft and 13ft long kayaks, while towing a popup camper (3500lbs or so) in combination with Thule Hullavator pros (meaning bars need to clear side or paint gets messed up)

The rack will only be used for the kayaks, maybe down the line for a rooftop tent, when the trailer gets retired in 4-5 years

https://www.etrailer.com/Watersport-Carriers/Thule/TH898.html?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI17L4svaMigMVDs7CBB01fwImEAAYASAAEgKG0fD_BwE

Does anyone have any ideas?

So far we discovered:

• Diamond Back + T-Track mounted rack like Yakima (dislike the look) and iffy with folding it up, with the rack on it
  • cost about $4500, 72" bars
• Retrax + Leitner rack (but it's bars are not wide enough and there are no longer bars available. Do love the customization with boxes, prepacked for trips)
  • 1650 for rack, 2200 for cover, about $4000 total, 60" bars, most likely not wide enough
• Leave 16ft at home and toss the 13ft in the bed with a hitch extender. Feels kinda yucky and I know we loose towing capacity, but not too concerned with the tiny trailer. More concerning is increase turning radius
• Diamond Back/Something like Billie bars, only bring the 13ft and have it hang over, which would clear the trailer. The trailer is about the same height as the close tailgate, so might get dicey on an incline
• peragon + rails in the stake holes + compatible rack
  • major plus, works with the 5th wheel prep we have (don't plan to ever buy one, but still compatibility is nice to have)
  • works with lots of different rails
    • adarac is an option with 72" load bars
    • billie bars
  • about 1600$ for the limited + cost of different racks.
• Some other cover + Voodoo Racks

I'm not crazy about spending 2k for the cover and 2k for a rack.

We want to have the cover to provide some security for stuff, but if there is a soft-roll/fold cover with t-track available. I can find other solutions to secure stuff in the back.

It's mostly going to be

• fishing gear and poles
• crab pots
• backpacks
• groceries

thanks

 

[Lonestar]

I can’t speak for the racking to support the kayaks but I absolutely love my Diamondback cover. It is expensive but comes with a lifetime warranty. The below images are from when I first got it installed last year.

 

[berlinguyinca]

Thanks this does look very usable. My only hesitation is to always having to remove it, when (rarely I admit) I need the whole bed and it rules out nearly all racks of this style:

Kayak Rack for RAM 2500 and 3500 Truck Beds - KB Voodoo Fabrications

Truck bed racks focused on strength and rigidity for loads above cab height. Perfect for carrying kayaks, roof top tents, bikes and more. Compatible with the Ram 2500, 3500 and many other makes and models.

www.kbvoodoo.com

I do love the height adjust ability of this combination:

DiamondBack × Yakima OverHaul HD Rack System

The ultimate adjustable truck rack. The DiamondBack × Yakima OverHaul HD Rack System is built for weekend adventures and hardworking weekdays. Developed exclusively for DiamondBack, it's an over-engineered, adjustable truck rack for the DiamondBack HD or SE. It brings a best-in-class payload and...

diamondbackcovers.com

But 300lbs dynamic load rating is quite a bit to low. (One kayak is 150 lbs, one is 65lbs, ~50 lbs for the Thule mounts on top of it). Especially if we would ever add a rooftop tent in between. I really want to buy once/cry once and not having to replace a rack in ~3 years or so.