The gap between the parking lot and the launch is where most kayak days go wrong, and a cart is the cheapest fix for it. We carry Suspenz and YakAttack, and they solve the problem two different ways.

Pick a cart on three things: what the ground between you and the water is made of, what shape the bottom of your kayak is, and how much the kayak weighs once it is loaded. Get those three right and the rest is easy.

Scupper carts and bunk carts

Every cart here is one of two kinds, and they are not interchangeable.

A scupper cart has two posts that go up through the scupper holes in a sit on top kayak. The kayak sits on the posts, nothing needs strapping, and you are rolling in about ten seconds. The catch is that your kayak has to have scupper holes in the right places, reinforced to carry the load. Check with your kayak's maker before you put weight on a scupper.

A bunk cart cradles the hull from underneath on padded bars and gets strapped down. It takes a minute longer to load, and it fits nearly anything: sit on top, sit in, canoe, paddle board. If you own more than one kayak, or you are not sure what you will own in two years, a bunk cart is the safer buy.

Suspenz

Suspenz runs airless wheels across the line. There is nothing to inflate before a trip and nothing to go flat while the kayak is sitting on it. You give up a little cushion over sharp rock, and most people take that trade the first time a pneumatic cart goes down at the ramp.

Suspenz carries a beach tire version too. The Catch-All comes as a dedicated beach cart on wide balloon wheels, covered at the end of this section, so a soft sand launch does not push you out of the Suspenz line.

All-Terrain Super Duty Airless Cart

The Suspenz All-Terrain Super Duty Airless Cart is the one to look at when the ground is the problem. Two numbers explain it: the wheels are 15 inches across and there is 11 inches of clearance under the frame. Small hard wheels dig in and stop. Big wheels roll over. Soft sand, loose gravel, mud and roots are exactly where that difference shows up.

The frame is powder coated steel rated to 350 pounds, which covers a fully rigged fishing kayak with the crate and the cooler still aboard. The BUNKER BARS adjust from 9 to 20 inches wide across three positions and handle tunnel, catamaran, V-shaped and flat hulls. It folds to 31 by 16 by 9 inches and weighs 17 pounds. Two sets of 98 inch cam buckle straps come with it, which matters more than it sounds: a single strap lets a long kayak pivot and walk off the platform, and two sets stop that.

One note before you buy. Wide fishing kayaks are the place to pay attention, and Suspenz sells taller Xtra Tall Bunker Bars to convert this cart for hulls like the Old Town Sportsman line. Call us with your kayak and we will tell you straight whether you need them.

Catch-All Universal Airless Cart

The Suspenz Catch-All Universal Airless Cart is the adaptable one. Its BUNKER BARS platform rotates 90 degrees, so you run the bars lengthwise for a narrow kayak or crosswise for up to 32 inches of support under a wide one. That one hinge is what lets a single cart carry a fishing kayak, a canoe, a jon boat and a paddle board.

It is anodized aluminum, 12 pounds, rated to 300 pounds, on 12 inch airless wheels with 5.5 inches of clearance. A 4-point tie-down with two 12 foot cam straps is built in, and the buckles are rubber-encased so they do not mark the hull. Quick release wheels come off and the whole thing packs into the included bag at 33 by 11 by 6 inches. If soft sand is your regular launch, buy the beach tire version below instead of fighting the airless wheels.

SOT Airless Cart

The Suspenz SOT Airless Cart is the scupper cart in the Suspenz line, and it is the simplest thing here. Adjustable posts drop into scupper holes up to 26.5 inches apart, and there are no straps to deal with at all. Load and go. It carries 150 pounds, weighs 10 pounds, folds to 23 by 10 by 3 inches, and the quick release wheels come off without tools.

That 150 pound limit is the thing to check against your kayak. A heavy pedal kayak with a battery aboard will pass it.

The beach tire version

Airless wheels handle packed sand and stop in soft sand. That is the one surface the Suspenz line needs different wheels for, and the Suspenz Catch-All Universal Beach Cart is the answer. It is the same frame and the same rotating BUNKER BARS platform as the Catch-All Airless, riding on 13 inch beach wheels instead of 12 inch airless ones.

The wheels are 7 inches wide, so the load spreads out and the cart stays on top of soft sand instead of cutting down into it. Ground clearance goes up to 6 inches and the rating comes down to 240 pounds, which is the trade you make for the wider wheel. Everything else carries over: 14 pounds of anodized aluminum, the 4-point tie-down with two 12 foot cam straps, the kickstand for low-lift loading, quick release wheels and the storage bag. It breaks down to 33 by 11 by 11 inches.

Suspenz sells 12 inch airless wheels for this cart as well, so one cart covers the beach in summer and the rock and roots the rest of the year.

YakAttack TowNStow

YakAttack builds the TowNStow line in the USA from UV-resistant polymer, anodized aluminum and stainless hardware, and backs it with their Built for Life Guarantee. All three carts share the same 12 inch BeadLoc wheels and the same ratings: 450 pounds on a flat surface, 300 pounds on a trail, 200 pounds over a 5 inch drop. All three come apart without tools and stow in most kayak hatches.

They are rated for walking speed. These are not made to be towed behind a vehicle, an ATV or a bike.

TowNStow Scupper

The YakAttack TowNStow Scupper Kayak Cart is built for hulls reinforced to take a scupper cart, which in practice means the Hobie Pro Angler, Outback and Lynx lineup. Where a classic scupper cart puts all the weight on two posts, this one adds four rubber bunk pads arranged fore and aft, so the hull is supported along its length and the post cannot rack. The bunks adjust anywhere from 5.5 to 14.5 inches wide.

The detail worth knowing is the one-way Scupper Barb. You can push the posts through the scupper holes while the kayak is still in the truck bed hanging over the tailgate, and the barbs lock so the cart will not fall to the ground while you slide the kayak off. That is a loading and unloading feature, not a transit one.

TowNStow Bunkster

The YakAttack TowNStow Bunkster Kayak Cart is the straightforward bunk cart: two uprights in the traditional parallel-to-the-hull orientation, repositionable along the axle across six width positions from 6.25 to 16 inches. Four snap-on rubber bumpers protect the hull, and there are tie-down points in the wheel hubs plus one on the axle for 1 inch cam straps. It weighs 11 pounds and comes apart into about five pieces.

TowNStow BarCart

The YakAttack TowNStow BarCart Kayak Cart is the Bunkster with a second trick. The bunk bars run two ways: crossbar style, like a roof rack, for flat pontoon-style hulls, or in the traditional bunk orientation for V-shaped hulls. That makes it the one in the TowNStow line to reach for if you own a very wide fishing kayak or more than one hull shape. The bars collapse from 44 inches to 17.75, and the folded chassis is 26.5 by 7.5 by 4.75 inches. It weighs 17 pounds 5 ounces.

The sand tire versions

The BeadLoc wheels on all three are built for hard-packed ramps and trails, not for soft sand. If sand is where you launch, each cart also comes in a sand tire version: the Scupper, the Bunkster and the BarCart with sand tires. Buy the right wheels the first time rather than fighting the wrong ones.

Carts that ride on the kayak

There is a third option worth knowing about. An onboard system mounts to the kayak and travels with it instead of being carried back to the truck. The Bonafide Sidekick Kayak Cart and the Native Watercraft Sidekick Wheel Transport System both work this way. They are tidy and you never leave them behind, and they only fit the hulls they were built for. If you fish alone and the walk is short, they solve a real problem.

Both ship on standard wheels, and both convert for sand. The Sidekick Sand Tire Conversion Kit is two longer legs and two sand tires, and it fits an existing Sidekick on either brand. It is legs and wheels only, so the Sidekick has to already be on your kayak.

Matching the cart to your ground

Start with the hardest surface you cross regularly, not the average one.

Paved ramps and packed gravel: any cart here works. Pick on hull fit and how small it folds.

Grass, dirt trails, roots and rock: 12 inch wheels and up. The TowNStow carts and the Suspenz Catch-All are all at home here.

Soft sand, mud and deep gravel: this is where cart choices separate. The Suspenz All-Terrain, with 15 inch wheels and 11 inches of clearance, the Suspenz Catch-All Beach Cart on 13 inch balloon wheels, or a TowNStow with sand tires. If you already run a Sidekick, the sand tire conversion kit puts it on the same footing. No cart is effortless through deep dry sand with a loaded kayak, but these are the shapes that get through it.

A long walk with a heavy kayak: check the load rating against your kayak's weight plus everything you leave in it. A loaded pedal kayak gets past 150 pounds faster than people expect.

One instruction worth repeating

Suspenz is direct about this and it applies to every airless cart: these are for transport only. Leaving a kayak sitting on the cart between trips will deform the solid wheels, because the load sits in one spot and never moves. Roll the kayak down, pull the cart out, and store the kayak on a rack or padded supports. It is the one piece of care that decides how long the wheels last.

Kayak Cart Questions, Answered

Scupper cart or bunk cart?

A scupper cart is faster and needs no straps, and it only fits a sit on top kayak with scupper holes placed and reinforced for it. A bunk cart cradles the hull from underneath and fits nearly any kayak or canoe. If you own one sit on top and intend to keep it, the scupper cart is quicker every trip. If you own several kayaks or expect to change kayaks, buy the bunk cart.

Do airless wheels really never go flat?

Correct, there is no air in them. Nothing to inflate before a trip and nothing to go down while the kayak sits on it. The tradeoff is a little less cushion over sharp rock than a pneumatic tire gives you.

Can I store my kayak on the cart?

No. Suspenz states plainly that their carts are for transport only and that storing a kayak on the cart will damage the airless wheels. A solid wheel under constant load in one spot deforms. Store the kayak on a rack.

Does Suspenz make a beach tire cart?

Yes. The Suspenz Catch-All Universal Beach Cart is the Catch-All frame on 13 inch beach wheels, 7 inches wide, rated to 240 pounds. Suspenz also sells 12 inch airless wheels that fit the same axle, so the one cart can run either set depending on where you are launching.

What size wheel do I need for sand?

Bigger and wider than you think. The 15 inch wheels on the Suspenz All-Terrain, the 13 inch balloon wheels on the Suspenz Catch-All Beach Cart and the sand tire versions of the YakAttack TowNStow carts are the ones built for it. Width counts as much as diameter here: the Suspenz beach wheel is 7 inches across, and that is what keeps it on top. Standard 10 and 12 inch hard wheels will dig in and stop in soft dry sand. The Bonafide and Native Sidekick onboard systems convert as well, with a kit of two longer legs and two sand tires.

How much weight can these carry?

The YakAttack TowNStow carts carry 450 pounds on a flat surface, 300 on a trail and 200 over a 5 inch drop. The Suspenz All-Terrain carries 350 pounds, the Catch-All Airless 300, the Catch-All Beach Cart 240, the SOT 150. Add your kayak's weight to everything you leave aboard and compare against the trail number rather than the flat one.

Will a cart fit in my kayak hatch?

The YakAttack TowNStow carts come apart without tools and are designed to stow in most kayak hatches. The Suspenz carts fold rather than break down, to 31 by 16 by 9 inches for the All-Terrain, 33 by 11 by 6 for the Catch-All Airless, 33 by 11 by 11 for the Catch-All Beach Cart and 23 by 10 by 3 for the SOT. The three smaller Suspenz carts include a bag.

Do I need to buy straps separately?

It depends which cart. Suspenz includes straps with the All-Terrain and both Catch-All carts, and the SOT needs none because the posts hold the kayak. The YakAttack carts have tie-down points built in and are designed around 1 inch cam straps, which are not included.

Can I tow a cart behind a bike or an ATV?

No. YakAttack rates the TowNStow carts for walking speed and specifically not for towing behind a vehicle, ATV or bike, or above 5 mph. Treat every cart here the same way.

How do kayak carts ship?

Ships parcel, nationwide. Every cart here folds or breaks down and goes out as a standard ground shipment.