Are you a Roundhead or Squarehead??

[Rick]

Having revently bought a pickup truck, I discovered that Yakima doesn't have a matching fit kit (unless permanent mount), so I have given up the ghost and switched Thule.

My Yak Kayak stackers fit the square bars, but my Yak steelheads don't so I am back to tossing my bike in the back of the truck like I did 25 years ago. (Also, Kudos to Yakima for Fedexing a new set of Stacker Attachment clips to fit the square bars - Absolutely Free!!!!)

As I was ordering my new rack, the order taker said, Ah, you've become a squarehead now (as opposed to roundheads). and that most folks swear by their rack preference...

I am wondering what most folks prefer and why?

Cheers
Rick

 

[Jay H]

I have used both and really, I find both to be perfectly fine, down to personal preference.

Round bars might have a slight edge for roofs that aren't so straight but the square bars offer more sturdiness in the attachments because of the squareness.

Both will cause you to drive into your garage with your bike on the roof too.

Currently, I'm a squarehead though.

Jay

 

[spencer]

Frustrated with both Thule and Yakimas lack of attachment options for pickups (circa 2000), I decided to attach my Tracker II feet (I had them for the factory rails on my old Jeep) to the rails of my pickup. I bought the xlong bars and now I have an easy setup that spans the width of my bed and works well for bikes and skis. I did have to drill my bed rails, but that's not the worst thing in the world.

Now both companies have other options for trucks I think (like the big ugly frames that sit in the bed and cost more than the toys you are trying to carry), but I like my setup best. If I got a new truck, I would do the same thing again.

note that this setup does not work for my canoe. That I rest on the tailgate and the cab of the truck, redneck style, until I figure out something better that I can afford.

spencer

 

[SherpaKroto]

Square, just 'cause it would be too costly to switch now.

 

[bobmak]

I've had both, and there really isn't much difference unless you are into making your own attachments. If you are making your own attachments go with Yakima; it's far easier to make a round hole than a square one.

 

[Mad Townie]

Round, cause they were cheaper at the moment.

I also think a round cross section is inherently stronger than a rectangular one, but that's probably just faux science.

 

[jbrown]

Round was super cheap for me. Got some used Yakima Q-towers from a friend, bought some schedule 40 black iron pipe, shimmed it with some heat shrink tubing, got the mounting specs from the Yakima 1-800 number, got some round insulation for padding and voila...kayak rack. I can put 3 touring kayaks side by side on top of my wife's Honda CRV. My whole rack cost less than 50 bucks.

Mad Townie is right, in a manner of speaking. The round cross-section is inherently stronger at larger dimensions, but at the size we're talking about, doesn't make that much of a difference. Unless of course you're talking the pipe I used, it's stronger than almost everything else...

 

[jbreen]

Both

I bought Thule back in 1996 because that was the brand carried near me and I thought I may need spare parts over time. When I bought my pickup in 2001, only Yakima had a fit kit for it. Didn't really see an issue with having different brands.

Now having both, I can say Yakima is easier to get on/off because the feet lock to the bars with a cam (compared to my vintage 1996 Thule where the feet slide until locked down). A plus to Thule is the bars/feet I bought in 96 for our minivan are the same model fit-kit fit for her new Honda (had to cut 8 inches off the bars though).

For hauling kayaks, my frugal set-up using pipe insulation as the bar pad fits the round Yakima bars better than on the Thules. A Thule ski box fits either with no problems.

Jim

 

[rondak46]

Square.....

.... because I own a "Top Five" rack for my wrangler, which comes with square bars.

Mike

 

[Peakster]

Use square bars if using Yakima rollers

I'm currently a roundhead, but wish I was a squarehead. I have a pair of Yakima rollers for my heavy double kayak, and discovered that the entire bar rotates instead of the rollers when trying to roll the kayak onto the rack. The rollers would work great on square bars.

 

[jbreen]

Fix for rotating round bars

Look for a hole near the top of the foot that takes a hex wrench. This is where I found a cam that locks the bar and keeps the foot in place for easy re-attchment and stops it from rotating. -- Jim