Wilderness Systems Heavy Duty Kayak Cart - for Kayaks and Canoes

Looked at a multitude of kayak carts and wanted one that would be suitable for my Old Town Sportsman PDL 106. This cart fit the hull nicely, provides a smooth transport and can actually be used without the provided tie-down straps. It's worth the cost and is built solid.

My kayak is the Bonafide SS107 sit on top fishing kayak, weighing in at 67 lbs without gear and approaching around 95 - 100 fully loaded (fishfinder battery, seat, poles, rod, pole anchor, tackle box, etc). I initially purchased and used a Malone MPG504 Xpress Scupper-Style Kayak Cart (it broke at the frame during 1/2 mile hike along a trail - cheap aluminum and clearly not up to the weight. This cart is rated at 450 lbs.Assembly: simple half page of visual instructions but it helps if you are a bit of engineer to understand how it goes together properly. You may want to check YouTube for video help. There are only basic set of parts, so it took me about 25 minutes to get it going. Part of the deal is making sure the tubes are aligned to your kayak (mine is tri-hull design, and the support tubes fit perfectly because they are adjustable!). The cart has two levels, high and low. I built mine high but didn't get the impression there was more than a couple of inches between "low" and "high".Sturdiness: The material are well made. Once together, I loaded the kayak by dragging the front end to the front of the cart in the first picture (I saw a video review that showed this - ingenious), then pulled it up and over - the cart settled nicely in the middle of the cart. Next, you take the two cam straps and tie the kayak on. Cam straps are very long so they should cover everything. Note: I'm not a fan of cam straps - I like ratchet types but Wilderness Systems thoughtfully put a heavy piece of leather/cloth to avoid the metal scratching the yak.Performance: simply awesome. While my kayak was not loaded at 67 lbs, maneuvering this was a piece of cake. I took it all over my driveway then over my very thick lawn (small hills). I also liked how the wheels allow you to pivot circularly in place (makes it easy to move in any direction). I just hand tightened the cam straps but that worked out just fine with no slippage. I haven't yet tried a major hike yet, but am I convinced this puppy will do trick nicely. At 200 bucks, it's one of the costliest carts out there but you get what you pay for here. If you intend on any kind of heavy kayak hauling, make the the investment!

I have attempted using a couple of different cheaper ($40-$60) folding carts with my kayak. I often found the carts wouldn't stay in place and would also collapse or slide off in any kind of rougher terrain. I primarily fish different creeks and rivers that don't always have the best put in locations. This cart has truly been a champ at getting my kayak from the truck to the water. When I have all my gear on the kayak it is right around 100 pounds but with the cart just behind the center of the boat, it pulls with very little resistance.The assembly is pretty straight forward and it does store upside down in the rear of my kayak fine while leaving room for a medium dry bag and my lunch. Once the load rails are adjusted to the grooves in the bottom of the kayak's haul, you are able to pull the kayak around smooth ground without a strap with no issues. I still utilize the strap when going up/down hills or over rough ground.If you are in the market for a good kayak cart and have a heavier sit on top fishing kayak, don't waste your money trying the other ones and just start here. Also, before you use a post style scupper cart be sure to check with your manufacturer. Most kayaks warranty will not cover any damage caused by this style of cart and they can also be difficult to load.

I had bought an inexpensive kayak cart that worked fine on packed sand or any hard surface but the hard plastic wheels didn't roll well at all through dry sand. This cart is great. My kayak is much more stable on the cart and the low pressure inflatable tires will roll easily over virtually beach, rocky or sandy. I love it. It was a bit pricey but it works so well and is easy to load and unload that I wish I had bought sooner. I have a friend who bought a similar cart but instead of just dropping the kayak onto the cart and strapping it on, his has two vertical posts that stick up thru the scuppers on the kayak. It's great once it's loaded but getting it onto the posts is a job. If you're going to spend a chunk of money for a cart, I don't think you can beat this one.

Warning to All: This item does NOT fit all Wilderness Kayak storage hatch! The description on Amazon and on Wilderness is inaccurate. I ordered the cart and kayak at the same time. Though due to shipping delays, I did not get my kayak to test it out before return date was up. I assumed both items are Wilderness product, it was a safe call to keep thinking it can be stored as the description and video states on BOTH sites! Wrong! I’ve a Pungo 120. I tried to configure this to make it fit but fell short by 3-4ins in clearing the hatch to fit inside. The only items that were able to fit were the tires and the bolts. The handle bar, not so much.Do NOT make the same mistake and assume the item will fit just because it’s made from the same brand. Do not order ahead of time and let it sit in a corner in anticipation it will work.Luckily, I was able to get a partial refund for this item through Amazon, as Wilderness would not and could not assist with the issue. Charged a restocking fee. Do not want anyone have to deal with this issue and just in case Wilderness doesn’t update their description and video, along with Amazon, I thought I’d post my product review for this item.Item is nice and sturdy! Rolls well, easy to break down and put back together in a few minutes. However, do confirm with Wilderness Cart will fit your kayak! It certainly did NOT fit mine.