Racks

Although roof racks are great for carrying boats, bikes or other gear, they needlessly create wind drag when not in use. The Knotix rack was designed with that in mind, as it can be mounted or dismounted in a claimed 20 seconds.

It can be a hassle, lifting your bike, kayak or whatnot onto the top of your car, then reaching up there to secure it to the roof rack. The Dropracks system offers an easier alternative, as it temporarily brings the rack down to your level.

If you don't just leave your bike rack on the back of your car full-time, it would certainly help if that rack were light. That's where the LightBull comes in, as it's said to be the world's lightest and most compact-folding rear bike rack.

Yakima gets more out of the vehicle hitch with the EXO system. Adventurers can mix and match bike racks, cargo boxes, ski racks and other components into a two-story stack behind the tailgate. It's the most versatile cargo solution the hitch has seen.

It can be difficult, lifting a kayak up onto a vehicle's roof rack by yourself, and then reaching up and over the boat to strap it to that rack. These challenges prompted Indiana-based inventor Ira Mercurio to create the easier-loading EZ Rec Rack.

Surfer Joseph Abrantes didn't like his roof rack's straps messing up the wax on his board, nor did he enjoy hearing them flap and buzz in the breeze while on the highway. His solution was to create his own product, the strapless WaveRaxx system. It's presently on Kickstarter.

​​Attaching regular roof racks to your car is an investment. Lately we're seeing cheaper and more flexible solutions emerge, the latest of which uses bicycle inner tubes to support sports gear en-route and keep your paintwork scratch-free.​

​If you've ever tried securing items to a car's rooftop carrier, then you'll know how difficult reaching around up there can be. Rightline Gear's Moki Door Step is designed to address that problem, providing users with – well, a door step – that hooks onto their vehicle's door latch.

​There's a problem with carrying your bicycle on a car-top rack – you may forget that the bike is up there when you pull into your garage, so you end up smashing it. Well, that's why Raacked was created. It warns you when you're approaching overhead obstacles that your car-topped bike won't clear.​

A lot of cyclists like to take their bike with them when traveling, or they'll rent one upon reaching their destination. That said, they may still need a way of transporting it once they get there. That's why Allen Sports has introduced the AL01, the world's smallest folding bike rack.

After a day spent hiking, biking, climbing or otherwise exerting yourself outdoors, a shower sure feels nice. That's why Colorado native Joel Cotton created the Road Shower. It's a pressurized water tank that mounts on your roof rack, allowing you to grab a quick shower beside your car.

The 2X2 Cycles Motorcycle Bicycle Rack lets you carry a bike on the back of your motorcycle.