My wife and I just got fishing kayaks. We want to take them with us when we go camping. Since the back of my truck will be full of camping equipment I am in need of a rack for my truck that fits 2 kayaks. Any recommendations?

They are not cheap but this was top of the line at one time. Haven't looked at one for pickups in years.
https://www.thule.com/en-us/us/roof-rack/truck-and-van-racks

Upright bed extender and foam blocks on the roof, available online from $65-$300. Or a kayak trailer, no lifting that way.

I use large pool noodles instead of foam blocks.
The cross bars keep from rolling off.
Much cheaper but do need to keep from rolling in wind.

I have this universal rack without the kayak holders as i only use one at a time. I can tell you they are very strong, i have had up to 16 pieces of decking on them no problems. Paid $100 for mine.

https://www.amazon.com/AA-Racks-Capacity...;ref=mp_s_a_1_6

If you need with the kayak holders here ya go.

https://www.amazon.com/AA-Racks-Non-Dril...;ref=mp_s_a_1_7

What the make and model of your truck?

2014 dodge ram 1500 crew cab

If you need something in a pinch i have used 4x4 posts. The legal limit is like 109" and an 8ft 4x4 is 96" its cheap and easy. I have carried 3 kayaks on those at a time and had the bed open...well...full of other camping and fishing junk.

The legal width on the road is what i ment to say....anyway your way under the limit

You have several options that won't break the bank. Ladder racks work good but some are more permanent mounting than others. The one that ggoytia mentioned might work if wide enough when mounted and Harbor Freight has a ladder rack thats not too expensive. There are several other brands of ladder racks that can work. Find the width of your kayaks and look for that in ladder racks. As Christian mentioned you can do a DIY rack. I know several guys that have done them out of wood and they worked great. I made one out of steel that I use my bed tie downs to strap and chain it down. I like the DIY better because I'm not drilling holes in my bed rails or scratching them up. When I'm done I break it down and stack it in the back of my garage.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200649173_200649173

These are the ones I have on my truck. It seems they have gone up in price since my purchase but they'll hold my two yaks.

Do y�all tie down both ends of the kayaks as well? To the front and back of the truck?or just the front or just back?

I tie down to the front and back as well.
This relieves the stress of the wind pulling up on the rack so it does not come off the truck and acts could help briefly if a strap were to loosen up.

I use essentially a rubber tube with webbing attached to a loop, https://www.rei.com/product/818227/seattle-sports-quick-loops-pair, stuck under the hood for tying down to the front bumper

I had my kayak fall sideways while lifting it up on my truck, landing on my mirror and breaking it.
Fortunately no damage to kayak, but do not want to happen again.
To prevent this I put a strap in a loose loop from the front cross member to back cross member before leaning kayak against the truck.
When I lift the front of the kayak up and walk it along the truck to get it straight with stern, I put the loop over the bow of the kayak and narrow the loop. If kayak starts to slide to the side while lifting up the stern the loop catches it and prevents it from falling.
Once kayak is up on roof remove this strap, position the kayak along truck and tie down with straps as normal.
I had the kayak slide shortly after starting to do this and it did stop it.

I do not.

coachmatt, what is the bed length on your truck?

I have the AA racks as mentioned above minus the j racks. They are What u need with the c clamps. I believe they are sturdy enough for me to ride on!

This is what I rigged up. The materials cost way less than anything I considered purchasing at the time. Just had to spend an afternoon in the shop. Leaves the truck bed empty for whatever else you need to haul. Can still reach between bed and kayak, and can still lower the tailgate with kayaks loaded up.


Oh, and you aren�t pushing a lot of air going down the highway since there isn�t anything sticking up over the cab of the truck. I have driven all over the place with two 36� wide kayaks side by side and have never had any problems.

This is what I have, Xsporter, and I love it.