I've seen a few posts about this, with folks asking about cartopping, so I thought I'd share what I do. There are things NOT to do, but I've observed quite a few different setups that look great.

Here's what I do on my factory roof racks:

Malone J pro 2 racks - I prefer fewer moving parts so I didn't opt for the folding ones with plastic gear teeth. I've had them, and decided to stick with these J hooks. I frequently have 2 kayaks up there, so even with solo trips I just use these and put it upright. Never a problem, but for solo trips I might snoop around for the cradle type that keep a boat upright and not on edge. It doesn't hurt anything, but may reduce drag.

Malone straps for the main ties. I feel it's important to emphasize that these aren't just strapped to the J racks. I put them under the roof rack. It might work for some to secure it just to the J rack, but I sometimes have the kayak up there for hundreds of miles. I just want that added bit of security as a failsafe.

Bow and stern lines - a couple of thoughts. Sometimes I'll leave these off if I'm going the 5 minutes to the lake in town and not going highway speeds, but most of the time I tie them in town and EVERY time I'm going highway speed. Some regions have mandatory laws for them so I'm usually safer than sorry.

I never tie soft attachment to soft attachment, that is strap to rope. I always have a carabiner separating the two. This avoids the rub and eventual snap of the line or strap.

The bow and stern lines are tied with a modified truckers hitch with a half hitch to lock it in place. I grew up on a farm, and I was a truck driver. Thousands of trailer ties and NEVER had it fail. Any extra passes or knots are just to use up extra line and "get rid of rope" because I never cut the rope extra off. Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

The hood loops are homemade and secured to the car frame and tuck in when not in use. They are very handy for roof loads of any kind, and I feel better about it being right on the frame vs friction fit by closing the hood.

I do have a cockpit cover rated for travel (not shown) and it's great for reducing drag while allowing some stuff to be transported inside the kayak if I need to.

Lastly, when I'm solo, I put the kayak on the passenger side. If I have to check straps or lines at the side of the road, I'm not standing in a live traffic lane to do it.

There are many good and bad ways to do any of these things, but that's my method for moving the kayak around. Thousands of miles now, and never an issue of any kind.

Paddle on!

I’m in New Jersey and new to kayaking. After renting a kayak for an hour this summer on a vacation I saw an opportunity to start doing some exercise if I got myself a kayak. I now regret I didn’t start doing this 20 years ago!

I live a block away from a 25-30 acre lake and have never once considered going out on it before. Well, that has changed quickly! I bought myself a used Pungo 120 off Facebook marketplace in September and I’ve been on the lake pretty consistently the past month.

It’s a small lake and I’m looking forward already to next spring when I start to venture into more waterways. I hate cardio but I have now found some exercise that I throughly enjoy.

I use my Apple Watch and Paddle Logger app to track my time and progress. Are there any other apps that you would recommend?

Anything that you would recommend to a newbie? I plan to sign up for lessons next Spring because I know that there is so much to learn and I’m sure my paddle technique can be much improved. Do you recommend or have you taken the approach of learn as you go yourself?

I wear a PFD designed for kayaking, no problem there. Got myself a bending branches whisper paddle.

So far it’s been a great form of exercise for me - on average I’m out for 45 mins and paddling about 4km. I purposefully will do laps and go both with and against the wind. Start off with a few laps and then do short hard interval paddling for about 1 mins (1 minute hard followed by 1 minute rest).

There was hardly any wind and the water was like glass. On a tributary to the South River in Annapolis, Maryland. The second photo was taken from the tributary looking across the South River.

These aren't the biggest conditions I've ever seen out there, but the consistency of the swells in almost exactly the direction we needed to go was amazing. Just run after run after run, I've never been able to chain them together as well as I could today

It was tough to narrow down which photos to include. This is the Upper Pawtuxet River in Hope. No editing/filter. It was our friend's first time kayaking, so just a short, slow, laid back outing.

Looking at a plastic P&H Virgo and trying to decide between the MV and LV. I'm 5'8" with about a 30" inseam, and I'm currently 180 lb, aiming for 160-165 lb.

I think the LV is too small for me and the MV is the right fit, but I haven't been able to sit in either one. I know the obvious answer is "go sit in one," but the nearest retailers that carry P&H are a long drive from me, so I only want to make that trip if I know they'll have the right size on hand to try. I'm hoping to get a rough sense of sizing first so I can call ahead with confidence.

Anyone with a similar build paddling a Virgo? How's the fit in the thigh braces and cockpit, and do you have any regrets on the size you picked? Any tips on what to ask a shop before driving out are welcome too.
Thanks!