The Yakima and Thule racks are indeed expensive. It really depends on how often you intend to go canoeing, how serious you are about transportation safety.

I just arrived in Boise, Idaho after a 1,400 mile Interstate trip half of which was through an early spring blizzard that hit western Kansas, eastern Colorado and eastern Wyoming.

I have Yakima racks on my Toyota Tacoma pickup. Pricey, but let me tell you something:

Three days ago I drove through a blizzard that hit me with 70 and 80-mph quartering crosswinds. My two Wenonah Rendezvous solo canoes were strapped to the rack crossbars with 12-ft. Northwest River Supply (NRS) cam-lock straps. The fiberglass hulls of my boats literally flexed sideways under the wind pressure of that blizzard. But neither the rack system nor the NRS straps failed.

If I'd attempted this trip using a canoe trailer, today I would have no longer own any canoes; they'd both been shattered into little pieces of fiberglass lying along the highway. As light as canoes are they simply wouldn't have stood a chance in that powerful storm, had they been getting pulled behind my pickup by means of canoe trailer.

On the Interstate that day, crosswinds blew a semi-trailer and a large pull-behind trailer off the highway onto their sides, wrecking both tow vehicles in the bargain. Whereas I made it through that blizzard with my boats intact. If there was ever a torture test of the Yakima rack system, this trip to Boise was it.

Point being, if you intend to cartop your canoe to nearby lakes at low road speeds in light wind, then low-end systems such as those foam pads and tie-down ropes are gonna work fine for you. But if you envision yourself going long distances, or going canoeing often (which eventually exposes you to powerful storm winds) then I suggest you give priority to buying and installing a serious canoe rack system FIRST. Bite the bullet and buy a good rack system before you buy the canoe. You'll never regret it.


Joe
"Better small than not at all."