If you go to the Subaru Outback Users group and look up racks, you will find three different mods that owners have made to add after market racks to the Outback rails using the tie down points (Subaru calls these rope hooks) on the rails. The slickest and easiest one uses yakima cross bars and a very inexpensive yakima part but you have to fabricate a rectangular base that attaches to your car where the tie down is. This is very possible to do and much cheaper than buying the landing pads and footings and bars. It is about half the cost. Here is a link. http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/138-gen-5-2015-present/174042-2015-outback-yakima-crossbars-16.html A user named tj805 did this for Yakima bars and another guy named Lightingguy did it with Thule bars. Once you replace those bars you have a lot of loading options. Everyone who is suggesting that you load from the rear is not familiar with the outback. The old gens of outbacks had a strong metal rear spoiler. That thing is now plastic. It will not support the weight of a kayak if you load from the rear. You cannot rest your boat on it, it will crack. There are several diy loaders on youtube that are made from pvc which temporarily slide under your cross bars and are used to make sure your boat does not contact that spoiler if you load from the rear. Your other option is the Thule slipstream 887xt. It is a rear loader and has integrated cradles. The whole thing slides back, you lock it in place,load your boat into the cradles, unlock it and then the whole thing slides forward. It will fit on your factory crossbars. It should clear the rear spoiler but go to a dealer and try one before you buy it. Your other option using the factory cross bars is the Malone downloader J cradles with the Telos load assist. I use that but my boat only weighs 42 pounds. I have a 2015 Outback with the crappy roof rack and have never had a problem carrying two 13 foot boats in J cradles.
@currion comment - the Amagansett Roller Loader gets the boat above the stupid rear plastic projection that most cars have now. If it is a bigger one you just need to get the version with the 10 inch diameter wheels, that extension on my Rav4 is at the limits of what the 8 inch diameter wheels will clear. It is pricey to start but it just does not die. The one I am using is going on 12 years now.
I like the rollerloader. what I don’t like is having to rely on my tailgate window to hold a heavy boat. we tried the rollerloader on a 2015 outback with a 68 pound boat. The boat put way too much pressure on the window. It just made me nervous.
@Celia said:
@currion comment - the Amagansett Roller Loader gets the boat above the stupid rear plastic projection that most cars have now. If it is a bigger one you just need to get the version with the 10 inch diameter wheels, that extension on my Rav4 is at the limits of what the 8 inch diameter wheels will clear. It is pricey to start but it just does not die. The one I am using is going on 12 years now.