Yakima Sup Pup vs Thule Taxi

[TN_SUP]

The Yakima Sup Pup is just “pads and straps in a box” that you can keep in your car. I bought one for $145 to carry my 25 inch Sprint that is too narrow to sit tightly in my Thule Taxi. First thing you notice is how much lighter the sup pup is than the Taxi. Easy to lift with one arm and mount to cross bars, but have concerns about the mounts being light plastic parts that seem fragile. Because it’s flat, it allows your sup to sit about 1.5 inches lower than the Taxi. The sup pup pad is hollow, flexible, and very grippy, the opposite of the taxi pads that are firm and slippery. Very surprised how thin the straps are, about half the thickness of NRS straps, and they do not have a steel cable like the Thule Taxi. Webbing had a pronounced crimp after one use. I think I could cut these straps with a butter knife. Straps are attached with a sewn loop on a sliding plastic piece, so you can’t change straps without sewing. You slide this piece adjacent to the board so that the straps are vertical at its edge. The cam is enclosed on the outer end.

On the plus side, the racks are lower, lighter, fast and easy to mount and unmount, and have grippy pads that help secure your board, more secure than the Taxi due to grippy pad. There are no locks for the rack or the straps, so the ease of use also makes it easy to steal. Minuses are the straps and mounts are flimsy, you may be reluctant to carry a $3k board on them. Sup pup is advertised to work on aero bars, but in reality, if your aero bars taper front to back like Thules, your mounts will be angled and only the upper one will make good contact with the board. I submitted a question to Yakima on how to accommodate aero bars, they really need shims. So I’m looking for rubber shim. Yakima said they expected them the angle on aero bars and it’s acceptable as long as the board is not touching the metal part.
Sup Pup worked well carrying narrow boards and two surf type boards, there may not be enough webbing for two displacement type boards. Not promoting the dealer, but they have a good video:

[Easy Rider]

DaKine Baja straps = $20.
DaKine Rack pads = $25. 

All you ever need - and works better than anything else.   

[SeaMe]

It's like the love child of a Bowdown and an Inno Rack. 

[Bean]

You mean ugly stepchild?

[gorgebob]

Ditto on the Pads n Straps is all you need. Double the strap surface and even lower profile and a third the cost. Looks like a police light bar.

[TN_SUP]

If you have a recessed deck like the Starboards, the only contact is at the inch wide rails. Unfortunately the Thule and Yakima aero bar pads are not wide enough to fit under both rails, so you'd have to flip the board deck side up.

[Bean]

If you have a recessed deck like the Starboards, the only contact is at the inch wide rails. Unfortunately the Thule and Yakima aero bar pads are not wide enough to fit under both rails, so you'd have to flip the board deck side up.

Thats a great point, luckily Dakine, (and others) make "long" 28" aero and round pads for that situation.