SportsRig Adventure

I've had my Sportsrig micro trailer for almost 10 years now, and I can't say enough good things about it. I've towed it from southern Wisconsin to the north shore of Lake Superior and back behind my Prius, and it tows so well, I often forgot it was there. With Yakima accessories, the trailer is easily configured for multiple uses. I've used it to carry up to 4 boats and a rocket box. The large wheels and light weight mean that I can take it off of the car and often pull it right down to the water's edge. And loading/unloading boats from a trailer is so much easier than struggling to get them on and off the roof of a car. After owning the trailer for 6 or 7 years, I needed some help configuring it for a 22ft tandem kayak. I contacted John at Sportsrig, whose father-in-law actually built my trailer, and he happily made a custom tongue extension for me that works like a charm. So I heartily recommend Sportsrig. Their products are made to last a lifetime, and they stand behind them across generations.

This review was originally collected through the manufacturer's website.

I've been using my SportsRig for some 13 years now hauling sea, white water, and tandem touring kayaks, bicycles, and now a recumbent from Maryland to Maine as well as to trails and waterways here in Maryland and Pennsylvania. I've never had a problem, nor has the trailer has never failed me in all those years and I could not do without it to haul all my "toys." It certainly has generated a lot of attention at rest stops up and down the Northeast and hope you have gotten some more business from your ambassador in B'more! Thanks SportsRig for building such a durable versatile piece of equipment!

Jack Boyson

This review was originally collected through the manufacturer's website.

After doing quite a bit of research we found the Sportsrig Trailer for our kayaks and couldn't be happier. I am only 5' tall and was tired of getting the step stool out to push the kayaks on top of the SUV. Not a problem any longer, we use the kayaks so much more, use the handle to pull the trailer around the campground and due to space limitations we can now just remove the tongue of the trailer and stand it up in our garage. We have towed it up to Glacier National Park and it was sturdy and did the trick. One of the best decisions we ever made.

Cindi - Lake Tahoe, CA

This review was originally collected through the manufacturer's website.

I love my sportsrig. It is so light, I can pull my kayaks all around campsites and around my property! I've loaded it with 5 kayaks and driven 400 miles down south ad back with no problems. I now am adding a bike rack and cage (more toys!). The company really stands behind their product and has been really great about getting back to me (like how to get the spare tire off...by the way it was really easy!) Thanks for this great trailer!

Clare Choate

This review was originally collected through the manufacturer's website.

I am extremely happy with my decision to buy a SportsRig MicroTrailer. This was my first time buying a trailer so even after hours of research I was still a bit apprehensive about the whole thing but the SportsRig team helped me at every turn. From working with me on the phone and over email to make sure I was ordering exactly what I needed, to letting me know the trailer had shipped, to answering questions during assembly, to follow-up questions over a year later... The SportsRig team has always been there for me. Besides getting a terrific trailer you are also purchasing the peace of mind that SportsRig will be there to help you and stand behind their product. 

Joe - Chicago, IL

This review was originally collected through the manufacturer's website.

I purchased the micro-trailer for my two hybrid kayaks. Assembly was fairly easy. The only problem that I had was that one of my electrical connectors was smashed in shipment. Tech support promptly sent me a new one and "talked" me through it with on-line pictures. Everything works and I'm ready to roll. I live in a town home so the break down of the tongue is great and fits easily in my garage along the wall. Extremely high quality product. I wish I would have purchased it sooner. 

Lee - Cincinatti, OH

This is an update from my review in 2011. I've had the trailer for 6 years, and the steel tubing has rusted through in several places. I recently welded on some reinforcement because the driver side wheel mount was letting go. I'm afraid I'll be replacing the trailer. As much as I love the suspension, the powdercoat finish doesn't hold up and it's just not worth the price. The wheels are also corroding badly, but the new Sportsrig trailers are using a new wheel design, so that may no longer be an issue.

Last year I transported our two kayaks from Dallas to a high mountain lake in Colorado on top of a car. This worked OK but for frequent steering corrections made necessary in a cross wind with the “sail" on top of the car. Another problem was the damage caused by the tie downs rubbing the cars paint. Fuel economy was not improved by carrying the kayaks on their sides in Malone cradles atop the car. While staying at the lake, a fellow from Texas pulled into the next unit with three kayaks on a unique trailer built for the purpose Myof hauling kayaks or bicycles. It featured motorcycle type independent suspension using coil over shock units. It piqued my interest to the extent that I began looking into such a trailer as preferable to car top transport.

After a lot of research using the internet, I settled on the kayak trailer produced by SportsrRig Micro Trailer. The trailer arrived in five boxes that were delivered at one time. All components arrived undamaged.

We kept the boxes in the garage for several months and didn't begin assembly until a week before a planned trip to our usual destination in the later part of summer to escape the summer heat and do a little hiking and kayaking.

After unpacking and inventorying all the trailer parts, I began the process of assembly, following the enclosed instructions. The first step is to mate the outer frame components, known at the C sections with the center frame section called the H section. Thus began assembly hell. It was nearly impossible to mate these sections. The H section is the female section and the C sections are supposed to slide into the H section until the securing bolts can be applied. I pounded on the first C section all one morning with a 24 oz dead blow plastic hammer and didn't succeed in getting it joined to the H section. The weld and ridging from punched holes inside the square tubing interfered in a very big way even though I lubed the inside of the big tube with grease to help. Much more preparation on the tubing interior should have been done by the manufacturer to make this task reasonable. By my estimate, forcing the C frames into the H frame required at least a thousand blows with a 24 ounce dead blow plastic hammer. Joining the frame sections took the better part of two days in the Texas heat. I had to laugh at the instructions at this point because they said,"If needed, tap the sections a little with a rubber mallet to help line up the holes." In fact, this was not a laughable matter and proved a major unexpected challenge.

The balance of the assembly was far from problem free. I next discovered that the load bars, which sit atop the frame, did not match up with the locating holes in the frame. To make them line up I was forced to spread the legs of the load bars with a jack. It took some head scratching to engineer the fix.

The next problem was encountered in mounting the tongue extension. Again the inside of the female tube was full of welding and drilling burrs. Using the knowledge gained from mating the frame member, this time I used a long file to massage the interior of the female tube to allow an easy seating. On sliding the two sections together, we found the drilled holes for through bolting did not line up. Fortunately I had the proper tool to enlarge the misaligned bolt holes so that the two sections could be bolted together. v On the third day of assembly hell I again faced another major problem. The lights would not work. Only the running light on the drivers side smiled at me. My knowledge of electrical problems is extremely limited, but I have an excellent son for whom this was no challenge. As an aside, it would be nice to have had a wiring diagram for the trailer.

My son inspected and tested the trailer lighting and determined there was no ground to the tail lights and that the passenger side running light light bulb was broken. The bulb was broken but the plastic lens showed no sign of rough handling. SportsRig had run a ground wire to the running lights only. They overlooked the fact that the powder coating on the frame insulated the sections from each other. My son ran an additional ground wire to the tail lights and replaced the broken light bulb and the lights functioned nearly properly. However, in examining and testing the supplied tail lights we determined they were so poorly constructed that constant contact for the light bulbs was unlikely. We decided to replace the tail lights to assure constant function. We replaced the taillights with LED lights that function properly all the time.

The final problem was that the the jack stand would not fold back on the tongue because the wiring harness was in the way. We altered the harness so that the jack stand could be folded up onto the tongue. At last assembly was complete in only five days.

Assembly of the trailer has not been a pleasant experience. The manufacturer could have done a much better job by practicing a modicum of quality control, However; 0ne thing is certain, the powder coat is tough, it has absorbed more than a thousand hammer blows without complaint. The trailer's first outing was a trip of 805 miles one way with two kayaks on Malone cradles. The trailer performed flawlessly once we overcame the problems of quality control. In retrospect, I would not choose this manufacturer over other alternatives and would advise others to proceed with extreme caution when choosing a trailer supplier.

I researched trailers for many months until finally deciding on Sportsrig. I read the reviews most of which were more positive than not. The price was higher than others, but there were options offered the others did not have. I ordered a Deluxe with just about every option available.

I placed my order via the website on October 29, 2010. I received an email a few days later stating that the lead time had been extended to 4 weeks. I was OK with this as I purchased it early based upon other reviews on this website. I figured I would be receiving the trailer early to mid December. Mid December came and I had not heard anything, so on the 18th I checked the status of my order and it showed it had been shipped. I had not received an email, so I sent one to the customer service. I was told it was an error and that my trailer was scheduled to ship on the 24th. The 24th came and went. I waited till the 29th and was getting ready to send an email when I received notice that Fed Ex had been notified for pickup. I waited to see the status as picked up on the Fed Ex site only to notice that nothing was happening. I called the customer service on January 4, 2011 and inquired as to the delay. I was informed that they have had continued problems with Fed Ex pickup. They contacted Fed Ex and the order was finally picked up.

I received my 7 boxes on Friday, January 7, 2011. The assembly was easy and all the parts went together well. The only thing missing were the extension lights I ordered. I sent an email and was informed that they would be shipped on the 12th of January. This was unfortunate because I had planned a trip to the Everglades and Florida Keys starting January 20, a trip of 1600 miles one way. The lights did not ship in time for my trip.

The trailer performed great on the interstate even at speeds of 70+ MPH. My wife and I spent the first couple of hours checking our mirrors, but after a while we became comfortable with the trailers performance, which can only be described as great. I enjoyed the fact that I could easily move the trailer when unhitched, even with 4 seventeen foot kayaks on board. When staying at hotels I could choose to block 3-4 spaces like an ass or unhook the trailer and park it next to me. My only concern was with security when I unhooked, however, I came to the conclusion that a couple of U Bolt type bike locks through the wheels and frame would solve that problem. I did have some problems with the taillights not grounding out properly, but this was easily resolved with a 7/16 inch wrench.

I have nothing bad to say about the trailer itself, so far I love it. The Sportsrig customer service has been pretty good they respond quickly and courteously to my emails and phone call. My only complaint is that a company that has shipping problems such as they are having should consider an alternate method. I would have dumped Fed Ex like a bag of used diapers if I were them. The website shows they have other shippers such as UPS available. I finally got the extension lights on February 4, 2011 only after sending an email asking what the hold up was with shipping. The extension lights are OK, but not really worth the money. I received one that is broken. The design is cheap and there is no way to secure them the the kayaks/cargo. I will probably just go buy some lights and wire them up for my own use. I would suggest just finding a male connector to match the female on the trailer and do your own wiring if you have the ability to do so.

I am giving a rating of 7 because of the time it took to fill the order and the problems with shipping which near the end (for the trailer) started to worry me since I had made plans. I hope to use this trailer much more in the future and will make additional posts if I have any concerns. Hopefully this helps anyone who is seriously looking for a trailer. Good Luck.

I reviewed this previously and still think the trailer is great. I've had a lot of trouble with an accessory though and non-responsive customer service. I ordered the risers to solve the fender clearance issue. Nice idea, but the bolts did not work as the originals were too long.

I've tried repeatedly via email to get correct replacement bolts and there has been no response over a couple of months now. I wasted my money with the risers as I can't use them. While this seems to be a good product, the lack of response to simple email questions is not acceptable.

Just a follow-up to my recent review (2/17/09)...
My girlfriend reminded me that my 300lb brother was along for the ride to Florida. That and all our luggage and gear for a 3-4 day trip could have easily added to the strain on the car thereby reducing the gas mileage. Also, I used my V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee recently to tow the trailer with one bike and two kayaks. The gas mileage remained steady at 17 mpg. So, no lower than normal operations.

I stand by the "8" rating due to the minor customer service issues, but it really is a solid trailer.

As for wait time on your order... yes, that is true. But I learned from all previous posts and ordered in the fall so I'd have it for the following season. Much better idea!

I purchased the deluxe package with the beefy suspension, longest tongue, and extra bars (wide ones). My goal was to be able to carry all my toys for multi-sport activity plus all my girlfriends gear also.

Pros:
- I can fit super long surf skis (over 21 feet), the suspension is great, and the wheels are the newer design which eliminates the rust issues mentioned below. Very important change there. I wouldn't have made the purchase if that hadn't been changed.

Cons:
- I've had a hard time trying to figure out how to fit more than a couple bikes on it. It was difficult to find a bike tray that extends far enough to attach to the lower load bars. I have those on outer sides of the upper load bars. The length between the upper load bars is too far to be able to mount bikes up there. I'd like the ability to place at least 2 road bikes and 2 mtn bikes on the trailer when not hauling boats, but it doesn't seem like that is possible.
- Gas mileage. It was interesting to see someone comment on using their Honda Civic Hybrid and maintaining high fuel efficiency. I have successfully towed the trailer with a regular Honda Civic, but the gas mileage dropped from around 40mpg to the low 20's. And this was just a trip from SC to FL, so mostly flat land. I can't imagine taking it into the mountains. Granted, I had two bikes and two boats, but the boats were very light at 28 and 33 pounds. The mtn bikes were at a total of about 50-55 lbs. So this was a load of about 115 lbs and my gas mileage plummeted. That was very disappointing after spending so much $$ on the trailer and buying a tow package for the Honda Civic. My guess is that a V6 engine or better would pull the same load really well with very little reduction from regular fuel efficiency. Or carrying 2-3 lightweight boats would likely be fine with the 4 cylinder engine. But apparently it's asking too much to haul what I would normally want to haul with a little economy car.

The customer service was so-so. When I could reach the owner he was friendly but very busy. They failed to send some minor hardware pieces which was annoying, but nothing I couldn't pick up locally.

Overall, it is a solid design. Maybe not what I was hoping for in fuel efficiency while towing it, but it seems there is some hope based on comments below.

I received my Sportsrig Classic last July with much anticipation and worry. I carry one 14' fishing kayak plus gear and usually fish alone. I'm also not very tall so this kind of trailer was appealing. After purchasing it I came across some posts describing rust issues. I worried I spent over 2k on an item that will last a couple of years.

Assembly was pretty easy and took about 3.5 hours. Since then, I've used it to haul luggage on a 1k mile ski trip. It handled wonderfully, even through ice and snow. Loading the kayak is a snap. However, I am beginning to notice some very small rust spots on the spoke wheels and frame. I'm hoping I can stop it by applying rhino liner.
I'll post an update in about a year.

Initially pleased with set up. I've loaded it within manufacturer's specs using top bars for two bike rails and a cargo box. Two 17-18 ft composite boats on lower bars. Am now experiencing my second tongue failure. The first tongue bent near the trailer. A replacement took many, many weeks last summer during peak paddling season. Now, once again, the second tongue is bending. It also appears that the frame of the trailer at the tongue has become deformed. This is not due to abuse or mishandling of the trailer. The failure has occurred on paved roads, such as they are in New England. That I payed a premium for this flimsy thing and am now left with an expensive pile of aluminum and no way to portage my boat is incredibly frustrating! Don't waste your money! Buy something more durable!!!

I'm writing to add two quick comments. I owned one of these for about a year. Great trailer in every respect, EXCEPT that it had started to rust in numerous spots, simply from being stored outdoors. For the price, I'd expect something better. In addition, one reviewer says that the Rack and Roll trailer does not fold. He's wrong. If I were buying another one of these, I'd go with the Rack and Roll -- to me, the rust-free aluminum is worth the extra money.

As an add-on to my previous review, the Sportsrig web site states their cancellation policy. Once you order anything from them, there is a 20% cancellation fee. Read all the reviews and be very sure of what you want when you order, and be willing to wait a long time to get it.

I have owned a Sports Rig Delux for almost two years. Once a year I carry six kayaks about 300 miles to a family reunion also when we take trips I place the Kayaks on the upper level and strap the gear for the trip to the basic trailer -- hence the requirement for the Delux model. On one of our first trips one of the shock absorbers slipped off the rubber bushing and created quite a mess. I was able to find some washers to place on the bolt to preclude this from happening again.

My tires have rusted badly and Sports Rig has notified their supplier and I have received new ones.

The rest of the trailer is rusting -- at the joints and through the powder coating. I have sent pictures to Sports Rig and they have indicated that they will fix the problem but that it may take a little time -- that was almost two months ago.

I think that the design of the trailer is as good as I have ever seen but I also think that there are serious issues with rest that must be addressed. We live in Virginia and while the trailer is stored outside it has never been backed into the water, etc so I expected it would take the weather far better than it has.

If Sports Rig does decide to fix the rusting components I will make another posting to that affect.

I'm 5'4". The top of my truck is 7'6". My Carolina weighs 67#. My SportsRig trailer, purchased 18 months ago, is the perfect solution to the problem of geometry. I can roll it right down to the water to unload, fold it up and chain it to the truck in areas where trailer parking is forbidden, tuck it into a corner of the side yard for storage and zip down the highway with up to 3 boats like I had nothing in tow.

This is an update of my previous review. My Sportsrig is now about 3 years old and has many miles on it. Nary a problem. I would like to respond to the negative review. The negative review said that the sportsrig cannot haul canoes. Mine handles canoes just fine. The negative review said that this trailer was difficult to assemble. I am mechanically inclined and did encounter a problem, but I called and the owner of the company quickly put me right on track. Finally, the negative reviewer said that the shock bushings failed after half a trip. My shock bushings show no signs of wear after thousands of miles of use. Could it be that the trailer was assembled incorrectly?

Be advised, this trailer cannot carry canoes. It is difficult to assemble, we had the shock bushings fail after 1/2 a trip and when we went to return the trailer because of the many problems, the company refused to back their product. The only way we received our money back was VISA.

I've had my SportsRig MicroTrailer for about 6 months now and love it! I originally bought the trailer to carry our 2 Ocean Kayaks, but just recently purchased their new accesory called the Mini Rack. My husband and I now carry our 2 kayaks on the bottom level and 2 mountain bikes and a cargo box on the second level. We recently went on a camping trip with all of our gear and the trailer traveled like a dream at highway speeds and on the offroad trails to get to our campsite. I can easily hook up the trailer to my Honda Civic and I actually look forward to loading and unloading because it's so easy. The customer service was excellent, always accommodating to any special needs.

This trailer allows you to use your existing Thule or Yakima hardware to transport either Bikes, Canoes or Kayaks on this light Class One trailer. I have owned this trailer two years now and I am very happy with it. When I saw the add for the Jimco Portage Pal trailer I at first thought I had bought the wrong trailer to fill my needs, but seeing reviews that this company does not return calls, and is having finacial problems had me feeling that I made the right choice. When I fiist purchased the Sports Rig Trailer I was somewhat dismayed that the instructions for putting it together were not quite that clear. A quick call to the company put me in direct contact with the company's owner. It doesn't get much better than that! He quickly explained that they were redesigning the trailer and instructed me on how to properly assembel the trailer. This was completed in about one hour. Sports Rig then sent me an updated hitch and tang at thier own exspense, explaining that they had improved on the original design. (This was replacing the round tang and hitch with a much more sturdy square one.) I had some problems with the wiring due to the change in the design, but quickly resovled the problem with this issue. The trailer is light, handles well at high speed. The wheels fold up much like a bugger (A trailer for hauling a little one behind you bike) does, which mean that it takes up no space at all in the garage! The tires and suspension are based on a motorcycle type design and is very easy to maintain and adjust. Using my Yakima kayak stacker device I can mount up to four kayaks mounted on thier sides. Normaly I mount just two in the Mako Kayak Saddles, with the additional boats going on the top of the van, but in a pinch I can take all four boats that a I own if I want to. I would recomend this trailer to anyone that is considering buying a class one trailer for the purpose of hauling kayaks or a couple of canoes. Sports Rig will be buy now shippong only the newer model of trailer with the correct instructions, and they do answer thier phone to the point of giving out the owner's cell phone number! I have had the family's van up to 75 MPH and the boat were riding behind with no probelems! This is a great product!