I was looking around for a quick and simple solution in order to allow me to carry multiple kayaks on top of the car. I used to have kayaks which would stack one on top of each other, but now I needed a solution which would allow me to carry kayaks of different sizes which didn’t stack vertically.
The Palm Upright bars seemed like the ideal solution. I already had roof bars which attached to the roof rails on my car. The Palm uprights looked like they would simply fit on to my existing roof bars.
The packaging of the product was clear and concise…
The box contained the two 50cm uprights and some fitting instructions…
The most important bit, was the warning that the thickness of your existing roof bars must not exceed 28mm. Mine were well within this size, so everything was good.
Adding the uprights to my existing bars was a doddle, and only took me a few minutes with a 17mm spanner. The uprights come with some nuts, washers and bolts which allow the bars to clamp tightly to a plate which goes around the bottom of your rood bars (see pictures)…
The uprights have a padded foam covering which protects your precious kayaks from being damaged. At the top of the upright bar, is a double fitting which allows your webbing straps to be passed through.
The fittings were strong, and looked well made. Palm sell some optional straps and pads to go over your existing roof bars. I have may own, but if you are stuck, then the Palm ones are a good option…
Everything was set, and soon I would try the upright bars out. Actually, it happened sooner than I thought, when myself and Hobie Kayak fishing team mate David Morris got invited to the World Predator Classic fishing competition in Holland. We would be travelling across on the ferry from Dover, with both the SOT kayaks (Hobie Revolution 11 and Hobie Revolution 13) on my roof. The only problem was that I had no time to check the bars fitted with the kayaks. So the first time we tried them out was when I arrived at David’s house on-route for the 400+ mile journey to Holland.
As it turned out, we needn’t have worried. The upright bars worked like a dream, and the kayaks were easy to load and unload. Just make sure that the hulls of the kayaks face the upright bars, and everything will be fine. If you are loading the kayaks single handed, then my advice would be to put the straps through the fittings before you put the kayaks on to the car – it makes things much easier.
Fishing kayaks all ready to go…
On the ferry…
If you are looking at carrying multiple kayaks on the roof of the car, then I would highly recommend the Palm upright bars: they are reasonably priced, well made, simple to fit, and loading and unloading the kayaks is easy.
For more information please visit Palm’s website…