Roof Rack to Carry 4 Kayaks on a 2019 Toyota Highlander

Question:

Hello, I have a Toyota Highlander 2019 with the factory rack, and recently purchased a Thule stacker part # TH830 with the intent of transporting our 4 kayaks: simple purchased-at-Costco kayaks, one of which is a narrower sit-on-top. I have a similar setup on our Mazda MPV van - Yakima bars and Yakima stacker - and thought I was ready to go. However, this has proven to be a challenge. The Highlanders factory rack is not as long as the one I have installed on the van. More importantly, it is not flat and as a result, I need three people to rack the kayaks: two to carry the kayaks and one to hold them in place while we tie them down. In the van, I can rack/unrack the kayaks by myself. Also, I did not feel safe racking all the 4 kayaks because it was a very tight fit. I can only fit three of them. I checked the local rack shops in the area, which recommended replacing the factory bars with after-market Thule or Yakima bars. While I understand this would resolve the issue, I did not like the price tag quoted - close to $600 for towers and crossbars fitting the factory footings. Also, I would be stuck with the factory racks because they cannot be traded in. So, I was wondering if you would have any other suggestion where I could use the factory rack. I noticed that there are some rack extensions or adapters that fit over existing crossbars but mostly to install bike-racks. I thought that there may be some adapter I can purchase that can give me 4-6 inch of additional room on the racks. If there is no such an option, what would be the setup you would recommend? Kind regards

asked by: CD

Expert Reply:

The best option for being able to carry 4 kayaks on the roof of your 2019 Toyota Highlander is to use an aftermarket roof rack with the Thule Stacker # TH830 like you've been told. The adapters that you have seen are for different roof rack setups and wouldn't really do you any good (plus they'd add height to your current setup).

A most cost-effective alternative to the Thule and Yakima options comes from Rhino-Rack. I think you were hinting that you have the naked roof with fixed mounting points but I'll give parts for if you have a naked roof or the flush mounted rails.

For a naked roof you need the 49" Vortex Aero Crossbars # RRVA126B-2, the RCH Legs # RRRCH4, and RCP Fit Kit # RRRCP37-BK.

For flush mount rails that run front to back you need the 54" Vortex Aero Crossbars # RRVA137B-2, RCL Legs # RRRCL4, and RCP Fit Kit # RRRCP31-BK.

The Vortex Aero Crossbars come with plastic lock cores but you can trade those out for metal cores with part # RRVA-LEC4.

According to page 204 of the online owner's manual for your Highlander you have a weight capacity of 165 lbs for a roof rack. The Rhino-Rack options allow you to use this capacity in full.

The only other thing that would be better/easier is to use a watersport carrier like the Yakima EasyRider Double Decker Trailer # Y08129 because you can essentially use it with any vehicle that you end up purchasing in the future and you are loading it from the ground. This is definitely not the most cost-effective option though.