Thule Racks Launches 834 Hull-a-Port Kayak Rack and 823 / 824 Gate Mate TailGate Pads for Bikes

ORS Racks Direct, a leading retailer of vehicle gear and equipment transport solutions throughout the United States, has partnered with Thule Racks as a preferred, first phase dealer in the initial launch of the latest kayak carrier and bicycle carrier products most recently released to consumers for the upcoming 2012 water sport and cycling season. With a primary focus on value pricing and convenient function, the all-new products deliver premium features with economical pricing. In the water sport category, the Thule 834 Hull-a-Port kayak rack is poised to quickly earn top billing as the most popular car and truck roof mount kayak carrier. The clever Thule 823 Gate Mate TailGate Pad and the Thule 824 Gate Mate TailGate Pad, on the other hand, deliver entirely new alternatives for pickup truck owners to carry bikes in the pick-up truckbed. The Hull-a-Port and Gate Mate models are all available for purchase and immediate shipment from ORS Racks Direct.

"With such a concentrated effort in updating and improving their entire hitch bike rack product models for 2012, we were certainly surprised to be informed by Thule Racks that they also managed to spend plenty of time analyzing their current offerings in the kayak rack and pickup truck bike rack categories," states Catherine Case, ORS Racks Direct Consumer Relations and Sales Coordinator, "and the Thule 834 Hull-a-Port j-cradles kayak carrier and 824 / 823 Gate Mate TailGate Pads for bikes on pick-ups are the result of their research and design team. The Hull-a-Port, the latest of several generations, really does accomplish what previous efforts were short of successfully achieving - a truly easy to use, high performance, j-cradles style carrier that universally fits the wide spectrum of base rack system cross bars on vehicles today, all at a competitive sale price that beats out many competitors' models that lack the substantially long list of premium features found on the Thule 834 Hull-a-Port kayak rack. The Gate Mate TailGate Pad models represent the new Thule Racks way of thinking - exploring alternative possibilities for carrying gear and equipment on vehicles. In this case offering premium protection and stability for those pickup truck owners that like to just toss their bicycles into the back of the pickup truck bed and go."

The Thule 834 Hull-a-Port kayak rack (http://www.orsracksdirect.com/thule-834-hull-a-port-kayak-rack.html) replaces the previous generation 835XTR model with new and upgraded features for superior functionality, easy boat loading and universal multi-purpose base rack crossbars compatibility. This is all accomplished at a sale price that is even lower than what the previous generation Hull-a-Port models were sold at. With a wide-mouth j-cradle design, the 834 makes it easier than ever to load and unload virtually any style, shape or design of kayak with a width up to 34 inches and a maximum weight of 75 lbs. The cross bar mounting clamps fit virtually all factory racks and any aftermarket roof rack cross bars from Thule, including square bars, AeroBlade load bars and Thule 422XT Xsporter truck rack, all Yakima and Whispbar Racks, Inno square crossbars and more. Thule 834 Hull-a-Port also includes kayak straps and bow-stern tie downs.

The Thule 823 Gate Mate TailGate Pad for bikes ( http://www.orsracksdirect.com/thule-gate-mate-tailgate-pad-823.html ) fits compact pick-ups and has a length of 54 inches, while the Thule 824 Gate Mate TailGate Pad for bikes (http://www.orsracksdirect.com/thule-gate-mate-tailgate-pad-824.html) fits full-size pickup trucks and has a length of 62 inches. These unique offerings deliver exactly what customers are looking for when hauling bikes in the pickup truckbed instead of using a traditional truck bike rack. Simply attaching the Gate Mate Pad to the tailgate makes it possible to place multiple bikes on the pad with the front wheels overhanging the tail gate. With included features like Knock-Blocks, Handle Hood and built-in Anchor Straps, you can be sure the 823 GateMate and 824 GateMate are the most advanced, innovative and effective options for customers keen on transporting bicycles in this manner.


Additionally, ORS Racks Direct proudly announces the recent launch of their proprietary Whispbar Racks-Yakima Racks Fit Guide (http://fitguides.orsracksdirect.com/yakima/racks), the result of extensive development by the ORS Racks Direct team of web site engineers. After selecting a specific car, truck or van year, make and model, the customer now has the ability to browse and purchase from one convenient results page that displays the entire array of Yakima and Whispbar Racks and gear carrier accessories compatible with the customer's specific automobile.

About ORS Racks Direct
ORS Racks Direct is a closely held enterprise focusing on complete sales and service of car and truck rack systems. Representing the industry's most respected manufacturers, including Thule Racks, SportRack, TracRac, Inno, Yakima Racks and Whispbar, RockyMounts and Saris, the company provides high quality car and pickup truck rack, cargo box, ski-snowboard rack, kayak-canoe rack, surfboard-sailboard rack and bike rack solutions. Additional divisions include luggage by Thule and child carriers by Chariot and Croozer. The company has been offering consumer sales for over three decades to the U.S. market through multi-channel outlets that include store front, phone sales and internet.