Review on 🚣 Thule DockGrip Kayak Carrier: Secure and Easy-to-Use Kayak Transportation Solution by Ryan Moran

A few years ago we first moved our 84lb 14ft tandem kayak; it was on two blocks of foam on the roof, tied together with straps. Needless to say he didn't handle the boat very well and almost got into an accident when we had to pull over quickly on the road. Safe and durable transportation is clearly key to getting the most out of your boat. enter Tula. Our car is a Toyota Highlander with factory wing shaped trunk bars. I had a lot of trouble finding a kayak roof system that didn't require a branded rack or additional extra adapter brackets to use our factory roof rack. The Thule Dockgrip is a highly flexible and secure mounting system that fits almost any luggage rack, including Thule's own Airfoil crossbars. At first I was a bit nervous about the instructions. I went through the included booklet three times, looking for written text instructions, but finally found that the sequence of images provided describes three different mounting styles in great detail, depending on which rack the system is going to be attached to. Determining the correct bracket alignment required trial and error; But unlike the system I put together from parts, this rack mounting system ends up being very strong and reliable and very easy to remove and reinstall. After determining the correct mounting points on the roof, I marked the factory rails with white vinyl tape. On the road it's quiet and safe, I didn't feel any vibrations even at speeds close to the highway. We don't normally go faster than 60 miles per hour when transporting a kayak, and unlike last year, this year when we go on a trip without a boat I simply remove the kayak attachment system until needed. In addition to the beautiful design, soft-shell articulated cradle, the armrests are very strong yet accommodate a variety of kayak shapes and fold in at the touch of a button to carry surfboards. Thule offers a really good pair of straps and a set of front and rear ratchet anchors. All in all this is a great, really easy to install system that we will be very happy to use for many years to come.