Kayak transportation

Hello everyone! My girlfriend and I are headed up to NH in a couple months and I'm wondering how I'm gonna transport 2 12' kayaks, on a 4 hour highway trip, in my 07 access cab. I have seen 3 different setups .
Thule racks..
Bed rail racks..
And a little bed extender ( arm that comes out and supports the items)Connects to thetthe hitch...
Which setup is safest to use? I also have a tonneau cover that I would like to keep on, so the bed rails are no really high on the list. And if I use the extender, I'll have to leave the tailgate down, which is something else I'm not too keen about.

Would be awesome to have some feedback from people who do this a lot. Thanks!

 

Bed rack can be mounted with tonneau cover... It shouldn't be a problem.

If you get bed rack, make sure the rack is higher than the cab roof in order to have kayaks strapped on them.

If you want to place kayaks in the bed, you can strap them to the d-rings in the bed near taillights. If kayaks stick out too long and get wobbly, you can get the bed extender for stability.

 

Thule bed rack. I have several of their racks on several different cars and can tell you that they're super high quality. Not going to be the cheapest, but you asked what the safest setup was and as far as I know Thule is the only company that actually crash tests cars with loaded racks to make sure your stuff won't fly off and decapitate someone.

 

I also transported with the tailgate down making a 7 foot bed for a 12' kayak and used multiple straps in the tailgate D Rings and cushions or pool noodles will fill the voids and securely prevent things from sliding around a bit.
Stop 1/2 way and ensure the straps are still snug.

 

6' bed, 12' kayak. Leave tailgate up, slide them in and strap them down. Tie red flag on back.

 

Just let it all hang out! 12.5 foot Vibe Shearwater 125. Yes, I use a flag.

 

Here is my taco with 4 kayaks on friday:
on the roof, i have two 9'ish Perceptions. they barely fit on the bars side by side but it works.
in the bed, i have two boats, my Feel Free Lure 11.5' is super wide, but I could fit my 12' ish Perception Carolina next to it on the bed tilted. i could easily fit two of the Carolinas in the bed using the hitch extender.

 

Loaded!

 

Thule Hullavator with Thule cross bars for my fishing kayak. The wife and kids I throw in the back with ratchet strap.

 

Just posted on another kayak thread but I transport my 16’ hang gliders with trac racs and a thule roof rack. Support spread was a little under 10’

 

It really depends on your budget but with an access cab, I would go with any bed or roof rack that would allow you to use your bed for other things. Traveling with a family of 4, we often times are loaded with 4 bikes, luggage, etc. Sometimes we even have a 13ft tandem kayak up there. I have a Prinsu rack with a Swiss Cargo kayak carrier. Definitely need more available space with an AC.

 

Awesome responses! I think I am going with the Thule cause I found one cheap on Craig's. My girlfriend has the kayak adapters so I'll just swap them out. It seem pretty safe to keep em on top with the racks. I might just buy an extended as well to keep support on the back if they reach that far out. I guess I'll have to test fit or do some fancy measuring when I get the thules

 

one thing to be mindful of - as I understand it the bed will flex versus the cab such that an item racked to the cab and racked to the bed with sustain similar flex -