Practical for travelling: Inflatable roof rack from HandiRack put to the test
Stephan Gölnitz
· 26.12.2025
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With rental cars in the smaller classes, the only space left for boards is usually on the roof. Fortunately, inflatable racks can even be taken on aeroplanes. The HandiRack weighs a total of two kilos - plus a small hand pump. If necessary, the carrier can also be inflated by mouth - albeit rather laboriously - but high final pressure is not required. There is an air hose in the very robust-looking cover, which only needs to ring the carrier tightly into shape, then it fits snugly to the roof. The wide straps are used to lash the carrier across the car; in vehicles that are not too wide, the wide fabric of the carrier overlaps the door seal to protect it from the strap. Even when tightened by hand, the carrier sits securely and non-slip on the roof. The HandiRack costs 89 euros and is z. e.g. available here.
Gentle on the roof as much as possible
The boards are then lashed directly to the carrier using separate straps, with plenty of solid metal rings sewn to the surrounding straps on the carrier. The boards are therefore not pressed onto the roof as is sometimes the case with the rustic method without an additional carrier. If you simply lay your boards in the board bag bare on the roof according to the motto "don't be gentle it's a rental" and tighten them with straps through the doors, you shouldn't be surprised if the roof is dented. (Fortunately, such dents can often be pressed out again from the inside - no guarantee!) With two boards side by side, the load was perfectly distributed during our test drives; with the boards stacked, you had to be a little more careful when pulling on the straps. Two boards (58 and 54 centimetres wide) still fit well next to each other. Inside, the Suzuki Swift proved to be extremely high and spacious in the front headroom, with plenty of headroom to the seatbelts on the driver and passenger sides. Experience has shown that this can also be tight in sporty, low-slung estate cars. Please keep an eye on safety here. The rear seat belt restricts the use of the seat bench more, but there are usually sails and booms that don't interfere with this. The most important tips:
- Keep the roof free of sand and clean before and during installation
- Ensure sufficient headroom in the interior in relation to the seat belts
- Distribute the load as evenly as possible across the width
- Car hire companies may not allow roof transport
surf conclusion: The HandiRackWith the two double carriers, the provides a wider and more solid support and more distance to the roof than very simple inflatable carriers with only one tube each. Two waveboards fit easily on it, narrow boards even side by side with separate bracing. The boards are secure and stable and hardly move even at 100 km/h.
Extra tip: We inflated a carrier in the board bag and strapped it to the front of the board during the flight - as an additional airbag to prevent transport "accidents".
Stephan Gölnitz
Deputy Editor in Chief surf
Stephan Gölnitz comes from Bochum and had Holland as his home windsurfing territory for many years before moving to Munich in 1996 for the job of test editor at surf magazine. The materials engineering graduate worked as a surf instructor on the Ijsselmeer during his studies and competed for several seasons for the Essen sailing team in the Surfbundesliga and the Funboard Cup. He completed a traineeship at surf-Magazin in the test department and since then has actively accompanied almost all tests on the boom and for more than 10 years also as a photographer. Stephan has covered many thousands of test kilometers, mainly on Lake Garda and in Langebaan, but also in Egypt and Tobago. He gets his hands on over 100 new sails and boards every year as his company car. Privately, he prefers to surf with a foil on Lake Walchensee or “unfortunately far too rarely” in the waves. SUP is Stephan's second passion, which he pursued for several years at numerous SUP races. Today, he prefers to paddle on river tours with family or friends - even for several days.
