After a long week last week that was supposed to end up in the north woods, we are finally heading north at last this weekend. I\'m taking Friday off and we leave early. One thing that packing for the trip reminded me of, (besides that fact that this time of year you can never be sure what sort of clothes your going to need up there), is how much I really hate the Saris Rack fit on the Honda Element.

I\'ve griped about this before and alas, I am doing it again. Not only because I really am uncomfortable going any distance with that thing barely clasping anything metal and mostly relying on the plastic runners that are on the Element, but because Yakima has a kick ass rack moun made especially for the Element. Now THAT is dedication to customers. The approach from Saris seems to be, we\'ll fit as many as we can with the same equipment, which tells me they\'re lazy and don\'t want to invest any time into coming up with an intuitive solution. Obviously there are enough Element owners out there to prompt Yakima to create such a thing, it\'s no wonder that Saris is playing second fiddle to the like of Yakima.

I fully plan to get rid of the saris someday and go with Yakima if I can convince Carrie. The only reason we went with Saris in the first place was because she has a Saris rack for her Jetta. The Saris rack system is quite cool in that it\'s easy to go from bike rack to kayak rack, etc. However their kayak accessories really suck. Cheap saddles instead of any kind of rollers, and no vertical holders either. Saris is definitely a cyclist rack and other sports seem to have been an after thought.

Anyway, I am looking forward to getting to the north woods safely, with kayaks still attached, and hitting the water for a bit. Can\'t wait...the loons ought to be around and the fall colors may even be settling in already. See you all when we return!