I have a Toyota 4Runner with the luggage rack and two crossbars. Do I need pads or any other equipment to haul a kayak on top?

It depends on the kayak. If it's a plastic kayak and can ride upside down on so that the top is against the crossbars and the hull is facing the sky, you should be go to go. A fiberglass kayak should be padded. Kayaks with bulky seats and mounted fish finders generally require additional equipment.

When I had to haul my diablo on my wife’s old jeep commander I would pad the cross bars with pipe insulation. I secured it with some landscaping non-stick plastic tape. The insulation that is flipped it upside down and strapped it down with ratchet straps. I know, I know, you shouldn’t use ratchet straps on a kayak. I just couldn’t get the cam straps tight enough for comfort for long trips.

Pads are always a good idea. It's a good idea to use 3 straps for each kayak. 1 for the front to keep from sliding backwards and 2 over the top. This method is good to travel as far as you need safely. Provided you check straps regularly

TY ALL!

I used yakima crossbars pads and straps for my 4runner.

Always a good idea to use padding. I had the same set up on an Explorer. I had a yellow kayak at the time and it ended up leaving black scuff marks from the crossbars because of the little movement the kayak did have.

Whatever you do, do not attach all of your straps to the luggage rack. Run at least one strap through the inside of the vehicle. If not, the kayak and luggage rack could end up on the car behind you!

I've used the Yakima crossbars with their Mako kayak saddles on most trips, but they also sell a set of kayak saddles that clamp directly to the factory rack crossbars. These are great, especially if you can get them used at a bargain price. I don't like the wind noise of the rack, so I remove the rack when not hauling a kayak. The direct mount kayak saddles are a lot easier to put on and take off. In my opinion, the saddles are the most secure way to car top a kayak loaded right side up. The saddles also help prevent damage to the kayak when loading and unloading. I recently transitioned to hauling my kayak in the back of a pickup using a bed extender. Car topping a 60lb kayak at the end of a long day of kayakfishing is not as easy as it used to be.

I have 2017 4Runner with Yakima round crossbars and a boat loader extension. I load my Outback upside down. I have used pool noodles on the crossbars for padding (and they help me find my 4Runner in a large parking lot). Pool noodles are cheap. First time I slit the noodles lengthwise and used zip ties to secure them. When they deteriorated, I got some larger diameter noodles and was able to put the round crossbars thru the noodle center. Worked well but they don't last forever. I recently got 30" Yakima pads for the round bars. I haven't loaded my kayak yet since I have had them. They may be just a tad short, we'll see.