Kilroy Takes a Ride on a Yakima Rack and Roll Ultralight Kayak Trailer

Let’s face it, big fishing kayaks aren’t as easy to throw on your roof as tiny whitewater kayaks. Bigger and heavier, it’s usually a two person operation, or a one man balancing act. So, kayak anglers are looking more and more at kayak trailers, and the benefits they offer. We’ll go through some of those kayak angling benefits in this article, specifically on the ultralight Rack and Roll Trailer from Yakima, and look at some pics and a video of building one and loading it with my favorite fishing kayak, a Jackson Kayak Kilroy.

1) They are low to the ground, so you don’t have to lift the kayak as high, or risk dropping it and damaging your car, or your back. Lower to the ground also means less reaching and awkwardly trying to get your cam straps around your kayaks.

2) They have a higher weight rating than most roof racks. Most factory or aftermarket racks are rated around at around 150 lb weight limit. +/- 50 lbs. The 78″ Rack and Roll is rated to 250 lbs, or 350 lbs with the Heavy Duty Shocks.

3) You can keep your trailer rigged with your fishing kayak, ready to go, instead of driving it around town all the time, or constantly loading and unloading. I can wheel it under the porch, creating not only a place to store the trailer, but also kayaks.

4) You can keep your fishing kayak rigged while stored on the trailer, so you don’t have to unload all your equipment every time, saving you time at the put-in and take-out, or time searching through your garage for all of your stuff, and minimizing the chance of forgetting something.

5) Ultralight trailers like the Yakima Rack and Roll can fold up, saving space, and making for easy storage in the garage. The aluminum frame is light and naturally corrosion resistant.

6) They are light enough so they can double as kayak carts at the water. You can unhitch from your car, and wheel your kayak right to the waters edge, just like a kayak cart. Or easily push around your yard by hand and under your porch.

7) They are light enough so any car or truck with a trailer hitch can easily tow them. My Jeep Wrangler has a super sturdy cage rack system from Gobi. It can carry anything on top of it, if you can lift it up there. My wife Ashley’s Jeep Cherokee has a lighter duty rack system, and a ‘don’t you dare use my Jeep for your messy and stinky kayak stuff ‘ rule. They both have trailer hitches though, so the trailer can easily be swapped between the two, while maintaining marital bliss 🙂

8) They provide versatile, tailorable storage. Using the universal Yakima bar system, not only can you store kayaks, but also bikes, roof top carriers, or anything else you’d typically put on your roof rack. When bringing multiple kayaks, you can gain rack space for them or other items by using cradles like the Yakima JayLows shown in these pics.