car-top: v. to transport a muscle-powered water craft from point A to point B on the roof of an automobile. The trick is to do it safely, more or less conveniently, and in a way that causes no damage to the kayak or the car.

In the old days, buying a roof rack was easy. All cars had rain gutters, so all rack systems fit any car. The quality manufacturers were (and still are) Thule and Yakima. Each had one rack system with different accessories to carry skis, bikes, canoes or whitewater kayaks. Fast forward to the present, and the choices are more complicated. With the great variety of vehicles available today, rack manufacturers can't accommodate every model. Paddlers who prefer a particular brand of rack have been known to limit their choice of new cars to those that can accept their favored racks.

The modern rack system is made up of three or four parts. These are the Load Bars, Foot Pack, Fit Kit and Cradles. You can find which components are right for your car on the manufacturer's website, but before you go there we have some additional thoughts on getting the perfect system for your needs.