Vehicle Recommendations for Bank/Kayak Angler

[Sethshaun]

Subaru Crosstrek. I have done exactly what you’re describing. Cheap. Great on fuel. All wheel drive. Easy to maintain. Reliable. Turns sharp. Fits anywhere. Goes everywhere. Guilt free adventure vehicle. 9” of ground clearance. I could fit several 7’6” rods in the front seat at an angle. 8’ if I had to. 
Roof rack is good for 150 lbs. Thule or Yakima fit. 

[AvoidingYardWork]

I have a OT Sportsman 106 and couldn't imagine not having my Tundra.  I know you can roof mount the kayak to anything and, suv's would probably work fine, but it is so easy to toss the kayak into the bed, secure with a few straps, and be about my way.  My rods go in the front seat, and any gear in the back.  

 

Saw a few Elements in this thread that made my heart smile, I loved that silly little thing.

[J Francho]

You should add a wagon to the list. 

[Way2slow]

Back in 1961 my first car was a 1948 Ford I bought for $10.  Since I was only 14 and not allowed to drive into town so my canoe stayed on top of it 24/7 except when I was using it.  (the great part of being a country boy).  I was 18 when I got my first 4WD vehicle, a 1966 Ford Bronco.  I have owned a 4WD vehicle ever since.  The 66 Bronco got swapped out for a 73 Bronco.  In 86 I also bought a 4WD Toyota pickup and traded that for a 93 4WD Toyota.  As My boats got bigger, my Bronco was getting some miles on it so I ended up swapping the Bronco for a full size 4WD Chevy truck (still wish I had kept the Bronco).  Today, I'm still driving the 93 Toyota, and using a 2500HD Chevy for towing. 

For my use, I have never seen any since in buying a 2WD truck.  I drive in places I wouldn't try to walk.  For many years I fished ponds, creeks and rivers there was no convenient access to so I might be driving through the woods and over small trees, across fields and bunches of other places a 2WD would never go.   My canoe was a wide 17' aluminum cargo style, so it was a little heavier than comfortable to carry so it got drug through the woods a lot.  

I always kept the smaller truck because I was a big-time quail hunter and full-size trucks would not go where the smaller, lighter truck would.  However, it only takes one 2800-pound bass boat pushing you through a red light on a wet, slick road to learn that smaller, lighter truck ain't worth a darn for towing your bass boat.

 

So, if you ask me, a 4WD truck and a canoe are a great combination for getting in places off the beaten path to fish.  I'm not a yak person, tried one, hated it and gave it away.  If by yourself in a canoe, just turn it around and use it backwards, that equalizes the weight much better and keeps the nose from sticking up in the air.

[padlin]

While I use a full size truck with an 8’ bed for fishing, given your post I’d suggest the SUV. We have a CR-V too, it’s quite a decent vehicle, I could see easily getting a yak up on a roof rack. Fairly decent clearance and AWD, add some better rubber and it’ll probably go anywhere you want. With the rear seats down you can fit at least 7’ rods inside, I’d have to measure for longer. 
 

Just the other day I was thinking about adding rails and a rack to ours as the truck at 13 is getting long in the tooth and I’m not psyched to spend $50k to replace it. Heck, I can do that and buy a new Lexus for the wife for what a truck will cost me.

[Alex from GA]

I have a Ford Explorer AWD and, my wife and I, took a two week trip from GA to ME and back with a 16' camping trailer and a 60 lb kayak on top of the Explorer.  I was in my late '70s and getting the kayak off and on the truck was pretty hard.  Not possible now.  When we go to FL for the winter I load the kayak on my 16' tin bass boat.  I get about 17-18 mpg with that load @ 65 mph. 

[Boomstick]

I'll chime in with another recommendation. I finally had enough of the horrible seats with front leaning headrests in my '14 Sierra and traded it in and leased a '25 Subaru Outback.

 

The Outback should be pretty good! The non-Wilderness editions come with roof racks already, I can add a trailer hitch for my kayak trailer and there is a lot more storage space in the Outback than a small or even many mid-sized SUVs. My wife's old CRV maybe had a quarter the floor space with the seats up. Some of the SUVs have more height, but if you have to play jenga to stack everything in back, it's going to take time to get it all out.

 

I have had some horrible back pains in the past year and a half, and getting stuff in and out of the Outback is much easier than the bed of the truck as well.

 

I can still put my Yakima topwater rod box on the roof, and it will be easier to access it as I can access it by standing alongside the car without having to climb on anything.

 

Car topping a kayak wouldn't be too bad either.

 

I haven't done any kayak trips yet as I just got it, but I'm fairly sure it will be fine.

[SpellCaster]

Thanks all for the suggestions. Great things to consider. Wagons are certainly underappreciated.

[FishTank]

I have a 2018 Ford F150 Super Cab. I can fit up to a 7'6" rod in the cab and my Hobie PA 14 travels fine in the bed. It has a V8 so gas on the highway, I get about 21-22 miles to the gallon. I average about 16-17mpg all around.