Rack Pad Set for Front Runner Slimline II Platform Racks

Video Transcript for Front Runner Slimline II Platform Racks Rack Pad Set Review

Hi, everyone. Aiden here with etrailer. Today we're gonna be taking a look at these rack pads from Front Runner. Now these are meant to attach to the Front Runner Slim Line Platform Racks or their crossbar systems or some other Aero bars from other brands, but although that fit may vary. Really it's designed for those wider Front Runner bars and it's going to wrap around with some hook and loop and just give you a basic pad to set your water sports devices on, whether it's a kayak, a canoe, or a paddleboard. Let's check it out.

The pad is pretty thick underneath and gives a lot of cushion and protection for whatever we have loaded up here. And on the side, you can maybe see it here it's kind of hidden under our kayak right now but there's going to be some metal O-rings and that's gonna be on all four sides. You can pair this up really nicely with some of Front Runners tie down loops, so you can add that in and just pop the bolt through that eye loop there and give a more solid anchor point or just hook directly to this if you maybe get the Stratchits from Front Runner, those hooks will go in there really well. We've opted to actually just use our etrailer kayak strap kit because it gives us everything we need for our hole and our bow stern tie-downs plus hood and hatch anchors if we need 'em, which we are utilizing at the hood on our 4Runner today. It's important because this doesn't come with the straps.

You will need to pick those up separately. And if you're carrying something like kayak here I definitely recommend bow and stern straps just because it's going to be a lot safer going down the road. Now with a carrier or pads like this, when you're considering the loading and unloading process I would strongly recommend a roller bar and Front Runner does make one that works really well with their platform racks. It's gonna make it a lot easier to load this by yourself by rolling up your kayak or your paddleboard from the back. But for me, the thing that makes this, I think such a good add is the fact that those pads slide pretty freely.

So if you we're trying to load it from the side very likely what would be happening is you'd just be pushing the pads side to side when you're trying to load up your stuff, but loading it from the back, they're not gonna move around on you, and that roller sits about the same height, just a little bit higher than the pads. So whatever you're loading up is gonna glide right over into position where you can strap it down safely. So with the kayak unloaded, here's what I kind of mean by that side to side movement. It makes it really easy to get this up here where you can actually reach it and then slide it into whatever position you need if you're putting it in the middle of the roof. But again, for side loading, that's gonna be just something that makes it a little bit tougher.

It's not fixed. Underneath, it's just hook and loop that actually holds this in so I'll undo that so you can kind of see that. But once the weight of whatever you're carrying is down on there, that's gonna hold it down in place but that's gonna be what wraps around the bar and you can see the width right there. That's why it's designed to work with these wider bars and why it won't work with something like the Slim Sport Platform that has the more narrow bars. The outer material is a polyester and it's gonna be UV resistant although it does pick up dirt pretty easily. With that being said, I think it'll wash off just as easily as it got on there so it should be able to stay looking pretty new for a long time. Although with this being not as permanent in addition to your platform you're probably gonna take it off between uses because it's easy to set up and easy to tear down. Most of the other Front Runner accessories that we have on here today and that I've worked with already, they're all bolt-in so it's gonna be a much more permanent thing whereas this is good for if you're going out every once in a while and you don't need it there all the time. With that being said, it does come with a carrying case so when you're looking to store it you can keep 'em together in this mesh bag. I like that it's mesh because then if you put these away when they're slightly wet it's gonna allow them to breathe a bit and you can just keep this in your vehicle under a seat maybe or just in your garage on a shelf, so it's ready to go for next time. Didn't put it back super well but at the very least, this keeps them together so you don't have to worry about losing them and since no straps come with it this is all that you need to keep track of. When you pick up an extra strap kit for yourself then you will need to find someplace to put that and I don't know if it'll fit in the bag because this is a pretty tight fit. But that's all there is to it. This is the easier, more temporary solution for carrying a kayak or a paddleboard from Front Runner. If you're looking for something to live on the top of your platform more permanently and be bolted in and just be a little bit more well built up than just a foam pad like this, then you can check out their kayak carrier or the surfboard carrier which we have on the other side of the platform there. Both are gonna be, again, those more permanent options which just aren't gonna be for everyone. If you only need something for every once in a while, then I think this is a perfectly fine solution and one that I would personally consider using anytime I wanted to go out kayaking. Thanks for watching.