HandiRack Universal Inflatable Vehicle Roof Rack

Product Description

A vehicle roof rack that deflates and stuffs into a sack small enough to get lost under my car seat? That sounds Handi. The HandiRack is an inflatable and expandable set of rooftop "bars" that secures to most cars, trucks... [Read more]

Features

• YOUR HAUL MADE EASIER: A smart roof rack to transport your gear. Ideal kayak rack for cars and SUVs. Transport canoes, paddle boards, surfboards, snowboards, skis safely and securely on this car roof rack. 175lbs load capacity. Great alternative to foam blocks for surfing trips.
• QUICK AND EASY TO INSTALL: This neat kayak roof rack carrier mounts in just minutes with no tools required. The video demonstrates how the soft roof rack is installed and secured. Includes 5 metal 'D' ring anchor points.
• FITS CARS AND SUVS: Practical universal roof rack cross bars that fit popular models from Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, VW. Please contact our team for any advice. Unsuitable for vehicles with soft tops or side curtain air bags.
• THOUGHTFUL DESIGN: A handy inflatable roof rack for cars without rails, with rails and panoramic roofs. Aero design pads reduce vibrations and wind noise. Portable and easily removable. Do not leave on vehicle when not in use.
• READY TO USE OUT OF THE BOX: Everything that you need is included; 2 x HandiRack twin tubes, 1 x HandiPump, 2 x 10ft tie-down straps, 2 x 11ft Bow and Stern Lines, drawstring storage bag and User Manual. Backed by a 1 year guarantee against manufacturing defect.

Top Reviews

GREAT fabric rack, but ditch the air chambers! READ ME > MODS INSTRUCTIONS
by fdigiov (4 out of 5 stars)
July 28, 2016

*** PROS ***

GREAT quality fabric rack, and the included load straps are extremely well-made/strong too. Air chambers do provide a nice cushion between your load and your rooftop (it'll work on glass tops as well - big plus!). Rack is solid at highway speeds, 60-75mph.
*** CONS ***

Air chambers can't take much heat, nor pressure/load, and it's just a matter of time until they break down (solution/mod below).
*** OVERALL ***

The rack worked great on my Scion tC (100% glass moon roof) for 3-4 trips before 2 out of the 4 air chambers popped at the same time. Did I put too much air or strapped my 80lb yak down too much? Perhaps. Also, leaving the rack on my car while kayaking wasn't a good idea either - it was just too hot (SoCal weather) and it deflated rather quickly. Instead of returning/exchanging it, I modified it and it's now the perfect roof rack I hoped for.
*** MOD ***
1) You'll need 4, 3" diameter pool noodles. Cut them 36" long. You can find them at your local store for less than $3 each.
2) Cut the valve off, insert a piece of wood (I used chopsticks still glued together) through that hole and move it until it hits the edge of the fabric chamber. Cut the fabric in a straight line. The wood ensures you're not cutting through each end of the fabric, but just one.
3) Deflate the entire air chamber and remove it - just pull it. If the chamber got too hot and stuck to the fabric, just make sure it's all the way deflated and pull as hard as you can - it'll eventually come off. Don't worry, the fabric is really strong and the seams won't come undone.
4) Insert the pool noodles.
5) With a lighter, flame up the edge of the fabric really fast, making sure it doesn't get on fire.

You're done. No more air chambers, and no more pump needed.

Why not just return it and use straight pool noodles/foam bricks instead? With just noodles/foam bricks, you're putting the ENTIRE pressure/load on top of your roof, which isn't good, especially if you have a glass rooftop. With this fabric rack, you're putting MOST of the pressure/load ON THE RACK first, and then you simply tie it down to your car's roof. Big difference right there!

TIP: If you're carrying a kayak, do yourself a favor and tie the bow and stern with ratchet straps as well. This will ensure your kayak stays centered the entire time, so sudden breaks on the road won't give you a hearth attack. ;)
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Skeptical about blow-up racks..... Having no other option.... 2 Door Car!
by BostonBean (5 out of 5 stars)
July 9, 2013

My auto is a fiat abarth. There are no racks for this car which has been available only since Jan of this year 2013. Even Thule does not make a rack, not that I wanted to pay many hundreds of dollars since my 2nd hand kayak cost just $300! After searching endlessly I came upon Malone Handi-Rack. Highly skeptical, I turned to user reviews, and purchased this product based on the user reviews (and the fact that I had no other alternative!) These rack were easy to put on the car. I was concerned with having to attach both racks through a single door. My car has two doors and the rear windows are stationery so both racks had to use front door only. The pump has two nozzles (attached so you can't lose or misplace - actually pretty ingenious especially since I would definitely lose them). One nozzle inflates; the other releases the air. The small pump is very lightweight and works great. I attached the roof 'racks', inflate them, loaded the kayak, and strapped it down tightly with the provided straps that are supplied with the product. Drove from Boston to Mid-coast Maine. The first hour I was apprehensive, even pulling off to make sure everything was remaining in place and not giving way. After kayaking, with the kayak reloaded, it did slide while driving - but not to any fault with the rack system. The tie down straps were not threaded through the same set of rings in the front, and allowed the kayak to slide a bit. As with any roof system, you need to be focused and careful in securing the racks, and the cargo. My trip was a steady 50-80 mph and I had total confidence in the system by the middle of my journey. I experienced zero problems with inflation, and the kayak is still loaded now. After five days the racks have not lost any air at all, and the kayak remains pillowed and well off the top of the vehicle. I also used this over my glass sunroof w/o any issues. I found the rack to be quiet, without the annoying noise I used to have when carrying on my manufacturer installed racks on my Frontier. I have a great photo but don't see that Amazon provides an upload. Happy trails!
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Not just for carrying my kayak on my car roof!
by g.donofrio (5 out of 5 stars)
August 23, 2016

This rack was exactly what I needed to transport my 14' kayak. I have a car without a roof rack and no gutters, so most roof racks would not work for me. I inflated these quickly and easily with the provided pump (which buy the way works great for our inflatable swimming toys such as floats and tubes). Once inflated, these go on the car and get strapped down in just a few minutes, especially after you have done it a couple of times. I did leave them a little deflated because I new my car would be sitting in 95 degree sun and the air inside would expand. They work like a charm and my kayak easily gets strapped down to the inflated supports with the provided straps. I couldn't be happier with this purchase.

I recently needed to get some lumber for a home project and found these roof racks to be perfect.....I simply placed the lumber on top of the inflated tubes and cinched it down the same way I cinch the kayak, with the provided straps. I did run tape around the lumber to be sure pieces wouldn't slip out at the ends. Who says I need a truck?
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Works well. But some knowledge of tying stuff down needed.
by Ken (5 out of 5 stars)
December 3, 2018

Works great. I would recommend buying extra strap locks. It only provides 2. I used it for 3 snowboards and one ski. Make sure to go into as many loops of the binders as you can, and keep everything tight. It does not move or shake/ vibrate once done right.

In the middle of a long trip. Definitely find a rest stop to have a check making sure things are tight.

Not many instructions on how to tie things down. But absolutely works well if you know how to do it, and buy extra straps.

Does not take long to untie stuff because of the simple tightening buckle mechanism of the straps.
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Solid design, well reviewed.
by David G Carter (5 out of 5 stars)
July 3, 2016

This looks identical to the Winterial version which at the time was reduced to $10 cheaper. But that one had 10 invited reviews, whereas the Malone had over 150 a the same star rating. That is worth $10 to me, to have that many spontaneous reviews. The port lids are white instead of clear on the Malone so they might not be exact re-brands.

As for the product, it looks great and works nicely on my old-style xB. I wasn't worried about the interior straps getting in the way of the occupants as the xB has cavernous headroom. But it may be a consideration for your vehicle. The strap on the inside seem a bit floppy as there is no ratchet to the tie-down; just a pull-and-lock clasp. But it works really well and I am SO happy to have the option of hauling on the roof anytime, without having to have bars fitted. I can keep my gas mileage up and not make my box any less aerodynamic than it isn't already.
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Scratched the roof of my car
by kelly auck (1 out of 5 stars)
May 20, 2016

It was easy to install and seamed to work great. I followed the directions and washed and dried the roof of my car before I installed the rack. I put two snowboards on it and strapped it down. All was great. We drove out to Montana, skied the weekend, and drove back. Every 100 miles I would retighten the straps. When I took it off at home I noticed it scratched the heck out of my cars roof. I was not impressed. I did drive 70-80mph there and back. It was also windy on the way back. When I took it off I noticed that it was dirty under the rack. So in the travels to and from, dirt got under the rack. I should have taken it off when I got to Montana and rewashed the roof and handirack. It might work great on short trips and drive slower, but if it is windy I bet even short trips would scratch the roof. Maybe if you put a felt blanket under the rack it could prevent scratches. You would need to take it off and clean area again before you came back.
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Great product for the price! Highly recommend!
by Chad Brantley (5 out of 5 stars)
August 8, 2017

I was a little bit skeptical of these inflatable racks, but after doing a lot of research I decided to give it a try. I used the foam blocks to carry my kayak on my old car, but I wound up with a lot of scratches on the top of my car and I didn't want to do that to my new one. I wanted something better, but didn't want to spend $300-400 on some of the more expensive metal racks from the big name suppliers. I came across these and was very intrigued. Let me just say, I think they are worth every penny.

The first thing I noticed when taking these racks out of the package was that they are of a high quality material and don't feel cheap at all. They are easy to strap onto the car, and you can have them attached and inflated within a matter of minutes. The included air pump isn't really high quality and feels kind of cheap, but it gets the job done. I've had these racks on and off of both mine and my wife's cars several times and they couldn't be easier to use. Also, my car has a moon roof and I've had absolutely no problems with putting these on over it so far. The farthest I've driven at any one time was about three and a half hours and I had no problems.

I read on some of the reviews that people had a lot of noise when using the racks. This is not from the rack itself, but from using the straps to tie down a load to the rack. If you put a couple of twists in the straps it will deflect the air away and you will have a nice quiet ride.The cam buckle straps that come with the racks are mediocre, and you have to take care to make sure they snap back into the correct position when you tighten them down. As long as you know that going in and remember to check them, it is no big deal. I also throw a little heavier cam buckle strap around the kayak and run it through the inside of the car for added peace of mind, and I highly recommend everyone do so.

Overall, I have been completely satisfied with this product and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a convenient way to transport a kayak or other large object.
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Surprisingly pleased!
by Brian Khousakoun (4 out of 5 stars)
March 5, 2019

Okay so I was very skeptical about this but figured we give it a shot as we only go on a snowboarding trip a few times a year. It took me a minute to set it up because I kept triple checking everything as it does seem cheap but don't let the looks fool you. This baby was very secure! We strapped this on and took our car from LA up to Big Bear with no issues on the way up. We had two snowboards on there that stayed on strong the entire way up. There was some residual wind noise once you get past 70 mph which was expected. I wouldn't deduct a star based on this as it is common knowledge that you are looping this within your vehicle and its more your door seals fault not this product. So here are my pros and cons:

Pros:

Very easy to set up

Sturdy and does the job - no damage to the vehicle

Aesthetically pleasing - got a lot of looks and curious and potentially future buyers

SPACE! - We saved so much space with this product

Cost Efficient - Way cheaper than a traditional rack and can be used on any vehicle. We have lease so this is perfect!

Cons:

Theft - Can be an issue so be smart when parking! Your items can easily stolen... duh haha

Air Pressure- Expect a loss of pressure going up and down mountains. We didn't think this through on the trip back and realized that the tubes loss pressure once we descended below 4000 feet. We had to pull over and give each tube a few pumps. This was the only downside and although its common knowledge that this happens in altitude change I wish they had a disclosure about it. The product worked great until we heard the items above us whistling in the wind. If it wasn't for a direct view through our sunroof, we would've lost our boards. Also, pulling over on a mountain side sucked! This is the only reason I didn't give it a 5 star review.
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Works great, exceeded expectations.
by Andy T. Knote (5 out of 5 stars)
June 1, 2019

I wasn't expecting to be impressed. I'd rather thought I'd check it out and likely return it. BUt no- this thing was easy to use and worked under a 100+ pound kayak.

Okay, it comes with straps and ropes, but I hadn't expected them, and I'd ordered Yakima straps and Seamander ropes, and I don't regret that. The Yakima buckles are rubber armored where the HandiRack's are not. TheSeamander ropes have cam cinches and the HandiRack's do not. But don't let that influence your decision against the HandiRack- just get yourself quality straps and ropes to go with this awesome carrying system.
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Good system! short straps.
by Kelly (5 out of 5 stars)
October 13, 2016

These inflatable racks are great! the straps are definitely meant for smaller cars. We are using them to carry our kayaks. The inflatable part is only wide enough to fit one kayak at a time (at least ours). My husbands has a jeep commander and we can slide one kayak into the car, and the other on top. However, the straps attached to the racks are too short for his jeep. We just used a ratchet strap for each one and strung it through the loops and we are good to go. I have a smaller HR-V and the straps are perfect for that. the tie down straps are also too short for his jeep and my car, so we use ratchet straps again. However, even considering all of that, the inflatable rack part seems very very sturdy and way cheaper than getting a permanent rack system + J hooks to do the same thing. We've used it about half a dozen times so far and it's been great. If this lasts at least a solid year or two, and then breaks, I would buy it again, but it seems like it'll last much longer.

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