As much as I >>hate<< Thule I’ve got to say that their kayak rack held up to the crazy weather (mini-tornado getting on fwy in Northwest, gale force across the bridge, snow on the other side) better than the Yakimas did.

I hate Thule, but in this case they won
not really one to critique hairstyles, but fauxhawk is pretty much always a fail…
The big difference is in the customer service. I would bet if you call Yakima, someone will listen to your problem and attempt to help you resolve it. Thule (I know from experience) will ask you for original receipts, pictures and 100 other things before ignoring you. European and Asian companies don’t understand customer service. Buy American.
HA! You’ve been there done that with Thule for sure.