Beware:
Link to blog post desribing anecdote:
http://keithwikle.com/article/40/accidents-do-happen-twice-a-day
you got off easy …
when i do things like that i get hurt. in fact, i haven’t paddled in going on 8 months because i got seriously hurt. surgury required. one of these days i’m gonna just resign myself to the fact that i’m abit short for my height. that and learn to use a ladder instead of standing on upside down buckets 
carry foot stool in my van
This helps. Actually it was my mother’s foot stool and not a purchase I made. It got left in my van and I found a use for it.
Seems like if you are light enough a bucket would be okay though.
Step
My wife and I use a Sherpak Elevator Step which fits over the rear wheel of our Nissan Pathfinder, and which is available from Seattle Sports Company (www.SeattleSportsCo.com). I built a plywood ‘box’ (5 sides) which sits on the floor of the car and allows retrieval and replacement of the step while storing luggage on top of it.
Adrian
i’m light enough …
but when the bucket tips over and you’re at 9 feet (bucket on desk) and you hit your shoulder on the desk on the way down … trust me … get a ladder. tore absolutely every tendon in my shoulder and a few muscles, and i’m nowhere near being able to even lift my arm higher than 45°yet, despite 8 months of physical therapy.
Wheel steps and other options
I bought one that has adjustable stops for different heights. The thing slips over a tire and is rock-solid. This one was labeled “heavy duty” for use up to 450 lbs. It weighs as much as a freakin’ tank. I bet there are lighter-weight, lighter-duty versions. Cost: $70 from an RV supplier. Nonadjustable ones that appear to be lighter-duty can be had for about $50.
For much less money, you can buy a folding plastic A-frame stepladder thingie. Yeah, I don’t know the real name for these things.
You could also hang a rope ladder from your crossbars while tying down.
On some vehicles, like the Wrangler I used to own, you can turn the front wheels to the side and step onto the front bumper, then onto the tire to gain height.
On my truck, I can step onto the rear bumper for access to the rear part of the topper roof.
Old-fashioned, flat metal bumpers don’t look as cool as molded plastic ones but they are definitely more useful.
short people and ladders
no more struggles for me! Husband bought me the Thule Hullavator for my birthday last week. I can load my 16 ft boat onto the Escape roof with ease! The best part was the cool CD directions that made assembly and operation easy for those of us who are “challenged” by directions. Now I can go out by myself without waiting for him to get off the golf course etc.
kinda reminds me of a joke…
Three housewives were sitting drinking coffee together one morning, and the conversation turned to birth control methods. One woman said the she and her husband just used the pill. The second woman, being Catholic, used nothing but the rhythm method. The third woman was quiet for a bit, but finally said she used the big-eye-bucket method. The other wives were mystified at this, so she explained:
“Well, as you know, I’m a pretty tall woman, and my Henry is a pretty short man. But for some reason he always wants to do it standing up. So he gets up on an upside down bucket to do it, and I watch his eyes. When they get big and round, I kick the bucket out from under him!”
A bit confused
Are you guys talking about using the ladder/stool/bucket just for doing the tie-down? Or are you really talking about mounting the ladder/bucket/stool with the kayak on your shoulder???
For straps and such, I just stand on the door frame. I wouldn’t dream about climbing anything, never mind a ladder, with the kayak on my shoulder! It’s just a desaster waiting to happen!!! I thought that’s boat-loader and rollers are for. At $45~50, it’s a whole lot cheaper than the medical bills if the ladder/bucket topples…
Not if you’re Baptist…
Baptists are fearful that having sex while standing might lead to dancing.