for my next trick

[CricketSail]

Wow, what a year. Last year this time I thought I would be coasting through the rest of my life with my then 20 year partner. Well, that suddenly wasn't going well. I've been coming back learning how to managed on a much reduced income, wrestled through endless court nonsense, had back surgery, sold the house, have been running a BnB nonstop through this, bought an RV, and am about to take off on a very different path than I would have predicted a year ago.
Serious downsizing is now a huge part of it. Today it's about the kayak. I used to be a frequent ocean kayaker, but that was awhile ago. It's not a recommended thing to do alone. Also, since my back surgery, I'm much more limited in what I can manage to haul around. No way am I going to load and unload my kayak off the top of my RV. I have taken notice of other boats on top, and notice that many that go up...don't come down. Should I just let the whole thing go and find a way if kayaking is an opportunity? Let the kayak go but keep my paddles, PFD, etc, which I took years to select? Is there some other option with a kayak other than on top? Yeah, there are inflatables...I could consider that down the road..

[BarbaraRose]

Several of the women on here have the inflatable kayaks and love them! Lake kayaks are usually smaller and lighter than ocean kayaks. Also, Liz just had a "kayoo" custom made for her and it is super light weight! She loves it! Hopefully, she will chime in on here, and tell you about it. You can do a search on here also for "kayoo" to read about it.

[BirdbyBird]

What Barbie mentioned. The inflatables may not be all you are used to, coming from the hard shell experience, but I went with them because of they are lighter weight and I am able to maneuver them by myself and haul them in an RV. Liz's Kazoo is also a neat way to get on the water, but I don't think she has figured out a safe way to haul it on the RV yet. She can load it to the top of her car by herself though..... PM her if you have any questions....

[Liz]

A kayak made of Kevlar or carbon fiber would be light enough for you to handle if you have a way to carry it on the RV. Mine rides atop my car towed behind the RV.
Here's a link to where I got mine:
http://www.hornbeckboats.com/

Otherwise, inflatables are a good alternative.

[IrishIroamed]

I'm thinking of an inflatable also when the time comes. Easy storage. I've heard about a pack raft, on the Motion (Lifetime TV) show. Inflates by catching the wind in a bladder (not sure what the real word is), so no pump is needed. Depends on if you'd be hiking & don't want the weight of a pump I guess.

As for regular kayak storage, I saw one once mounted right to the back of an RV near the ladder. Looked like they had something rigged to pull it up & lock it in place, but since I was driving behind them on I-80, I couldn't look real well.

Happy travels

[Securit24]

I've never seen one but check out this website!

http://www.rvkayakrack.com/index.html

[linann]

After checking out everyone's kayak's and trying a few last year at the FL GTG, we ordered one of the inflatables. It travels inside the van that pulls our TT. Since we're not FT, we choose when to take the kayak, bicycles, etc. depending on what is planned for that trip. I saw a 5th wheel this summer with kayaks mounted vertically on the back bumper. The key is could you lift a kayak alone to the rack? Perhaps if it was as light weight as the craft Liz had built. I think I'd hold on to that PFD no matter what you decide about the kayak and paddles.

[CricketSail]

I'm thinking I should let go of the kayak, and maybe get an inflatable later. My spinal surgeon had me limited to no more than 3 lbs for months! That's not going to translate into lifting a kayak onto a rack anywhere. I want life to be fun, but easier. I do think I'll hang on to the paddles and PFD, though. I spent years getting the ones I really like, I can store and manage them fine. Thanks for the comments

[IrishIroamed]

That kayak & bike rack looks awesome! A little different than what I saw, which was probably home made. Looks like a good bet. The link to a double hitch (from the rack site) looks good too for hauling a bike & toad. Thanks for posting that.