My kayak is 63 lbs. Since I've had this 4Runner I've only had help loading it once. Since it is a 17' sea kayak, the time it spends on the spoiler is minimal. I throw a towel over the spoiler and then lean the boat on it until I've pushed it far along enough to hook the hull up with the rollers. Sometimes the end of the boat, rudder and all, has to sit on the ground so I can get a good angle to push it up. But if you have a shorter boat than I it will spend more time on the spoiler.

I used to have Hully Rollers which I loved, but had to pull them off when I got a new roof rack. They sat higher than my new roof rack so it was better for the spoiler. It definitely leans on the spoiler. I don't really care...it's not going to hurt it. I think it's tougher than you realize.

In good weather, I can put down the back window and climb up behind the boat to push it further onto the rack. (With the new rack I just use the ladder.) Also, and again before I got the new rack and ladder, I used to just throw my duckie in the back and put the back window down. My 12' boat also fits in that way.

My 4Runner is at least 3" higher than a stock one. I am 5'6" and fit. I can carry this boat on one shoulder. If you think you might have a hard time with loading it, Thule and Yakima I think have options to make loading a lot easier. Don't make this be the thing that makes you not get one! Figure out something that works. The 4Runner is worth it.

I actually bought a vehicle based strictly on a rack. I was trying to carry a 22 foot 25 pound racing canoe utilizing a short based roof rack. That set up did not work very well when traveling through high cross winds. To solve the situation, I went to my local Yakima rack supplier and combed the entire catalog to see what vehicle had the longest recommended distance between crossbar A and B. I bought that vehicle.

Thanks for all the comments, lots of good stuff there.
So with a little care it sounds like the housing should hold up to
some careful leaning/loading/unloading. I use one of those little house rugs with a slightly rubberized back on the roof line currently so not worried about the paint. Also looks like maybe there is a new side loader option than the one I was thinking about. Thank you for making me look into that more.

If I end up kayaking a lot more in retirement, (one of the things I'm hoping) I will def look into that. Def don't want to haul around a ladder, I haul around a bunch of stuff as it is. Know a guy with a Cruiser that has to use a ladder. It also adds an element of accident waiting to happen. I'll be 60 this summer and don't expect to get stronger as a I age. I also know I'm asking a lot of questions but seeing how I'm still driving a 97 Blazer (which I absolutely love, its like my Goldilocks car, longer cargo space, great ground clearance but overall smaller, lower) I expect I'll want to drive whatever I buy a really long time unless I make a big mistake and hate it. This is also a really expensive car relative to my budget.
My kayak is only 12'. I suppose I could get a little trailer though maybe that's a bit ridiculous? Certainly would help with the height issue.

That guys video illustrates my point - I am not alone. Should people really have to go through all this to use the roof rack on a utility vehicle? And I wasn't aware that the antenna stuck up higher than the roof rack. Why put on a roof rack if you are going to put in so many obstacles to use it? I know the 4Runner is great but if people don't complain nothing ever changes. I love this guys ingenuity but he's working pretty hard and I'm not tall enough for all that. The Yakima one looks good.

M'am,
The "Utility" in Sport Utility Vehicle is purposely vague. This means it can do many different things but to do any one thing well would mean no more "Utility." On my rack I have hauled lumber, bikes, bags, mattress, coolers, a door and a raft. For each and every one of these items I could design a better rack that would be specific to that task. For utility and simplicity though, nothing beats two rails.

The entire 4Runner is designed that way. It does not ride especially well off road nor does it ride especially well on road. It does not get really good gas mileage but not really bad either. The interior is average at best. All the cool little gizmos and tech that is offered in other vehicles is almost non existent in a 4Runner. The drivetrain and suspension design has been around for a LONG time with a few little electronic tweaks that help out. The powertrain is not the best nor does it offer a lot of HP like others do. Understand?

Now what the 4Runner excels at are two things: Reliability and durability. Also it holds it's residual value really really well. Sure, it is a "jack of all trades master of none" kind of vehicle but it is a member of a very exclusive club, meaning it can go a long way off road and then turn around and go a long way on road with no ill effects. Very few vehicles anymore can claim that. Sure a Jeep unlimited Rubicon can go off road better but on road it suffers mightily. Any CUV's or soft roaders will have better tech features and handle the road better but it won't go very far up the trail before you get it stuck or damage it.

The vehicle that truly beats the 4Runner in every way is the Land Cruiser. Unfortunately if you are pushing your budget with a $35K 4Runner then the $85K Land Cruiser is not an option.

Good luck and again, there are many more racks out there that would work for you. Very few vehicles in the 4Runner class though.

A trailer isn't crazy, I use a Yakima Rack and Roll trailer and love it, I solo canoe often and ride bikes too and I'm height challenged (5' 6") and my canoe and bike are really lightweight (it's all about the height for me). Yeah they are a few dollars but not much more than a good ass rack system and it stores easy in the garage and there is craigslist - it's worth it, I canoe and bike more since as it's so easy...

My Yakima bars sit higher than the antenna, I'm sure other aftermarket bars do as well. I agree, I don't think the trouble for that contraption is worth it, but some prefer the DIY route, also since he runs the oem cross bars, he probably can't use the Yakima load assist. I could probably get a lighter Kayak on without using any devices, his is a big heavy kayak though. I would invest in the Yakima load assist if I couldn't clear the spoiler. Just a much more simple design and better suited for use at the launch as well. I think you would also use what is called a "bed extender". They attach to hitch receiver, and some can be oriented vertically rather than horizontally giving you a higher leverage point to keep your Kayak above the spoiler when loading and adds an extra support/mount point.

Also, pretty much every SUV/CUV built today has a big plastic spoiler on the rear and some even have a bigger antenna, ie JGC. In case you haven't read too many threads here though, people complain until they are blue in the face, it doesn't change anything.

OK Now that I have gone through and read most of the posts.... My head is spinning.
I am in the market...Have been looking at 2013 thru 2015 4Runners. Sooo... WTH do I get?
I am looking making it my daily driver...maybe down the road add a couple inches lift..nothing major. Wont see much off road...mostly playing in the snow and muddy roads...drifts on our dirt road..maybe pull the lil ATV trailer. The occasional trail run but nothing hard core. Drive it into the Rockies for hunting season and on fire roads.
I have been noticing though that the 2012 & 2013 models are the same if not more expensive than the 2014 & 2015s with lower miles...Why? What was changed?
Ihere are some things that I definitely want on mine...
Auto tranny, Nav, backup cam, heated seats, Bluetooth... The comfort goodies.
I may not be getting off road hard core but I will play a lot in the snow and mud roads as I live in the sticks....

Thoughts? Recommendations? Experiences?

Thanks all!

Cannot comment on the pricing variations/comparison, as I am not shopping right now and never really did back when I bought mine (since I already had a 4Runner and got another new one)... But, I can give you feedback on the models from my perspective.

I'd give the Trail Premium a long hard look. It will accomplish everything you just listed, and still give you majority of the creature comforts that most of us enjoy these days. I swapped a Limited for a TEP last year and haven't thought twice about it. Of course, mine has KDSS, so that might come into play a little as well. I've now modded mine ever so slightly and killed some of the comfy ride, but that was the plan all along this time. Even tho the Limited fits my lifestyle perfectly, the little voice inside my head always wanted the Runner I have now... Black Beauty!

Edited: truth be told, I do miss the push button start on the Limited...

I just don't want to break it. I can get rough sometimes...but usually only when doing something stupid like getting it high centered in deep snow... or going uphill in a muddy rut coming back up from the barn. I currently have an 02 ZR2 Blazer for my daily driving and playing duties...I haven't managed to break that... yet. But it does have 175K so I think I may be on the clock. ;) I am looking for the performance of the V6...hopefully like my wife's Highlander, but the bit higher clearance with the creature comforts.
Still cant see why the 12 & 13s are worth more than the 14 & 15s.

They aren't worth more if you don't pay it lol. The only real change was the front end a few cosmetic things like instrument cluster and wheels. Look back to my first post in this thread for the differences between models to get what you want.

I have been a member of forums for...man....20+ years but never joined a forum where I needed to reply to a certain number of posts before I could start a thread of my own. Weird. Anyhoo...Hi ya'll! This is my first post.

Peace

Then you have never belonged to a forum that gets spammed or has people joining to make a lot of worthless posts that have nothing to do with a 4Runner. Glad you are here and I would recommend reading the sticky above on the new or prospective owner. Lots of links and good info there. We don't want noobs to start a thread when most questions they have have already been asked or answered countless times. After you read and search and comment THEN start a thread if you need to.

1E beat me to it. I assume the reason you wanted to post was to ask a question. There is a ton of information and the chance that you have a new question that's never been answered is rare.

Are You a New or Prospective 5th Gen 4Runner Owner? Need Help Searching? Start Here!

If you wanted to post just to say hello and that you're new, there's a section for that.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/new-me...r-threads.html