When I worked for a canoe rental place we had these foam blocks that worked great. They're cheap and you can store them in the cubbies in the car. Get something like these and a couple of nylon straps through the doors. For a once or twice a year occurrence it's probably cheaper and quicker than sourcing a whole roof rack setup. Something to consider if your Saris doesn't work out.
Understandable. You'll want to make sure the pressure is close to the sides about where a roof rack would attach. Ladders can be tricky if they're narrow they may well rest on the roof panels and those aren't as strong. You shouldn't cinch anything so tight it bows the roof. Really you just want it taut enough to keep from flapping up and down or shifting side to side. Always be sure to tie down the front and back too. 2x4s can also serve as cheap cross bars to distribute the load to the stronger sides of the roof line. You'll want to make sure they are actually held down with the straps too. Use the foam blocks to protect your paint and make sure the wood is tied down too so it doesn't shift under the ladder
Right on, that's what I've been doing when needed and just use blocks of EVA Foam pads individually usually or stacked as needed to level with the canoe or kayak blocks. Then heavier duty ratchet strap to be safe and lighter duty to better secure.
I definitely had Blaster Master thoughts driving back. Way stable and just seemed like war zone or something esque. For my 2013, I actually invested in a Yakima nicer roof rack (Baseline I think, maybe was Ridgeline) with the Jet Stream bars since seemed like better design known to fit and handle most load of the rack systems. Found I didn't like the reduced fuel economy performance unless I absolutely required the Thule Evolution cargo box on. Left assembled with the cargo box, removed and haven't used since. Actually, planning to use those ratcheting hangers used for lights and make a dedicated ceiling storage location for in the garage. Reminds me, can start to work on that and related items to hang this winter season.
