: Foam pads on top of our Saab wagon seem iffy for long-term
: transport of my wife's Caspian Sea. We are looking at J-racks as
: the easiest to load and secure. Is there any real difference
: between the various brands? They all seem to attach to whatever
: crossbars you have. (We have Thule crossbars already.) The name
: brand fold-down units are priced at about 5x the cost of these
: http://compare.ebay.com/like/320801929651 . Besides Malone's
: "slip on" guides, which might make loading easier, is
: there a reason to spend the larger amount? Not having any
: experience with any racks at all, do they generally all fit any
: kayak, or is it best to try out the different makes & models
: to make sure they work with your specific boat before spending
: anything? Thanks for advice & suggestions. (P.S.: Is there a
: classified section for used equipment on this site I haven't
: seen yet?)

J racks work ok if the car's low and the boats are light and short. Otherwise the kayaks ride better on their bottoms and are far easier to get onto and off of the car that way too.

All the brands work just fine, but better to stick with Thule if you've already got their stuff.

Bill H.