Beat vehicle vote. Truck, SUV, MiniVan?

I am curious what people think about what is the beat vehicle for kayaking.

the best one is the one that hauls the boat

if it can't do that, its useless

all kidding aside they are all pretty similar. It would really depend on the non-yakking stuff the vehicle had to do (work, haul people, or operate on rugged terrain)
I like my pickup with a cab height shell. I can lock it, its waterproof, I can sleep in it, and I can still fill the truck with firewood and use it around the porperty.

i 2nd the pickup...I love being able to slide the yak in the back and when done for the day toss all the we and sandy stuff in the back. I have racks for longer hauls or when I need more bed storage. But not having to lift the boat over my head at the end of the day is GOLD! esp when solo....

i love my subie since i can sleep in it with the backseat down, its not too tall so i dont have to reach too high to load the yak, and its got AWD so when i go up to tahoe i dont need chains. plus the gas mileage is pretty good.

i would consider a pickup with a camper shell though.

Since I started yaking I've gone through or used a vw jetta, an acura integra, a chevy 2500hd longbed with duramax and my current townie beater....a toyota pickup.

The cars were both 4 bangers and had the edge in gas mileage (even though it still wasn't stellar due to the aerodynamics of having a yak strapped to the roof) and maintenance, but were horrible for hauling gear and or camping equipment.....especially in the acura.  7' rods had to go out the window and I'd freeze driving places in the am.

The chevy was by far the most comfortable and capable of hauling gear.  Gas mileage was great....for a truck.... and I could just huck my yak straight into the bed and drive away....but mainetenance on it kills.  Fluids, filters, tires, shocks everything gets worn and parts can cost double or tripple than what you'd normally pay or expect.  Diesel has jumped in price thanks to the EPA and their communist energy policies. When I first got the truck I filled the 30 gallon tank for about 70 bucks, now its about 130 

The Toy is fun to drive, carries my gear just fine and is decent on gas.  I recently switched from radial tires to an AT and lost about 1-2 mpg, currently getting between 15 and 17 depending on how I drive.  Two wehhel drive will probably get better mileage.   
It only has a ten gallon tank though which is a pita, its a two seater so passenger options are limited and it has a 4 cyl engine......getting up to speed and going uphill are not its strong points.

Luckily my kid will be of driving age soon so I get to shop another vehicle in the next couple years.  Lookin at picking up a 1st generation 4runner, most likely an 85 for the solid front axle, extra passeneger seating and a removable top.  She'll probably hate it but I will have fun in it   

 

Small 4x4 pick up with lumber rack. I love mine. A shell would be a bonus.

I got a 4 dr tacoma, shortbed, custom sport rack,

Minuses, bed's too short for a yak, interior storage needs to be clean, cept I alway have a blanket on the back seat so "sorta clean" , rack is pretty high making for a one end at a time loading when solo.

Pluses,  still a truck for hauling anything, dirty, wet, heavy, lockable storage in the back seat, can haul extra people, truck/sport rack is a better platform for yak hauling than a roof tack.

Had an SUV, like the truck better for a one vehicle lifestyle.

I have a 95 toyota tacoma x-cab 2 wheel drive.  On the plus decent gas milage, can load a fair amount of stuff.  Negative, not the most powerful vehicle in the world, and not so comfortable on long hauls.  The vehicle I have been most impressed with are the guys who bring the white Chevy mini van, the one with the all the stuff on the inside.  It also has front and real scotty mounts for surf fishing, definetly a sweet set up!

IMO...hard to beat a 4 cyl Toyota Pick up with a camper shell + thule racks. (wish I had an extra cab and power steering)

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,14071.0.html

The Subaru Outback is hard to beat.  There's room to sleep in the back with the seat down and the AWD can't be beat.  I get about 25 MPG in my 2011 Outback with the Yak on the roof.


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I agree with mooch. 4 cylinder 2wd pickup with camper shell and rack. The 2wd trucks are lower to the ground and get better mileage. Lumber racks are more durable and multi purposeful. Camper shell gives you a place to keep your gear dry a place to sleep in case you have to sledge it. Having the extended cab is also a wonderful thing.

Pick Up, Full size, Regular Cab, (a real truck) 8ft bed, 4X4, camper shell with bolted in racks.  This will be my next vehicle OR I will get a Jeep Rubicon and build a kayak trailer (like Danglin's)  with lots of storage so I can't FORGET anything.----Jeff

I had the 4 banger yota with the shell and lumber rack, sold it to the Fishadow and now he's beatin the hell out of it.  It was a solid truck, ok gas mileage, but it was way too small for me and you really had to go through the gears when going up hills loaded (the truck loaded!)  Inspired by Mooch and Andy fishmaster I got the cargo van.  it was good for work, had power, but sucked gas, was loud because theres no separation between you and your sh#%, and the trailier hitch would scrape on steep driveways.  I recently Sold the van and bought a little GMC Canyon, ext cab, 2wd, 4 cyl.  Its great!  It drives really nice, has enough room with the ext cab., looks good for buisness, gets about 20 mpg, and is pretty cheap. (its also easy pretty easy to wrench on)  Im waiting for the camper shell to come in, then it will be the MACHINE i need.  Small truck, ext cab, camper shell, rack.......Serves the most purposes all around....

Man van!!! I've had several toyota's starting with an '85 that had the straight axle in the front and then moving to a T100 and now a Tundra.

Although I do love the toyota's for their simplicity and reliability I think the overall utility of a cargo van would be awesome. I have a family now and it would be really nice to have a warm dry place to keep everything for extended camping trips.

The new generation V8's get close to 20 mpg which is the same as the yota's but with twice the hauling capacity.

I think the Ford and Chevy cargo's are nice and the new Nissan deserves a look as well. That is unless you have a lot of money in which case you should just buy a Dodge sprinter with the mercedes diesel and be done with it.

Let us know what you get!


-Eliot

Man van!!!

I hear you brother. Man Van is the way to go ....if you can afford it.  I too ended up selling my GMC Man Van and opted for small compact and better gas mileage truck. And I feel like I can prioritize more now that I have little space as it is. The problem with having a van is you always end up over packing. Most of my weekend trips will be at 4 days at the most and I've got my packing down to what I need. I'll be doing some mods to my little truck during the winter. Will build a ghetto like awning (PVC pipes and tarp) for those storm trooper days.



Here's what my last man van looked like.....

*By the way, I had to get a small ladder just so I can get the yak on my rack....that sucked