Thule Foldable Twin Kayak Carrier 520-2 > Reviews (1)

One of my hobbies over the past year or so was to buy at auction a battered old kayak and get to work on doing it up to make it water-worthy again. This took best part of ten months to accomplish. The paintwork alone took ages to finish off but the amount of repairs I have had to make to the kayak has been phenomenal. It has meant that most nights after finishing work I have been busy mending and repairing the boat. It’s not actually been a chore as I have found the whole thing very therapeutic and enjoyed the experience of getting the kayak back on the water where it belongs, and not just sitting outside in my garden shed.

I actually own another two canoes but to be honest, if I had the choice, I prefer a kayak over a canoe as it is a more solitary pastime. I do go out in the canoe with the little lad occasionally or even with my other half, but I like the fact that in my kayak I can just sit there paddling alone and being at one with my thoughts, and not having to chat alongside the person sitting next to me. I have finished mending the boat and have had it out on the water twice since completion but wanted to take it further afield to the Lakes and needed an effective and reliable method of transportation. I have other carrier products from Thule so when I was looking to source a carrier specifically for a kayak, I immediately looked at Thule as I know they are reliable and make quality products.

The Lakes are approximately a four hour drive from where I live so I needed to make sure that my precious cargo was going to remain intact en-route. I actually bought my Thule foldable twin kayak carrier from Ebay as it was slightly cheaper than buying directly from the manufacturer. I say slightly, I actually paid £8 less then the RRP of £60 so it wasn’t a massive saving, but better than nothing.

The reason I opted for this carrier, was, as I say, due to the fact that I have other products from Thule, which I have been exceptionally happy with over the years. Plus, this is a twin kayak carrier, so if I decided to do the same thing again (or even buy another from new) I’d easily be able to transport two at once. I like the fact that this carrier is also foldable so when not in use it is easy for me to store away until it’s needed next. Also, although it is strong and sturdy, I was impressed at how light this is at only 2.5kg. It’s constructed from hard wearing and high quality metal and nylon and you can see it’s a quality product and designed to last. The fixings were all included with the carrier and I like the very strong Polypropelene for protection for the buckles.

The carrier went onto the roof very easily and fitted onto the car’s existing roof bars with ease and any real effort or a struggle on my part, and the instruction leaflet isn’t really necessary unless you are a complete novice at putting on roof racks, it was really very self-explanatory. The carrier is designed so that the kayak is transported on the roof in a vertical position. I would have to say that I was also personally very impressed that not only was I able to transport my (rather large) kayak, but it also took the other canoe on the trip and both items fitted on easily together.

I particularly like the foldable hoops because these gave me the height I needed to be able to sufficiently load both boats. I believe I’d probably be able to load a couple of surfboards onto this carrier too, if I wanted to. The hoops act as a stop and a tensioner and supply additional support against the straps, making the boats very secure whilst in place. The straps themselves are strong and sturdy and at 275cm apiece, they are very secure when holding the boats in place and secured to the car’s roof bars.

If I was forced to look for a negative with this product, I might possibly say that another set of straps wouldn’t have gone amiss, but really, this would have just given me additional peace of mind. Overall though, I was completely happy whilst driving my car on the long journey with my family, that the boats were firm and secure and not liable to slip en route.

Good piece of kit and highly recommended.