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Motherhood, Travel, and Life on the Road

Words by Pro Mountain Biker, Mother, and Yakima Ambassador Rachel Strait. “As a female athlete, I always knew that one day I wanted to get married and start a family. But I also knew I didn’t want to wait until retirement to do it. I wanted our children to grow up immersed in our lifestyle—traveling, exploring, and experiencing the world alongside us. Of course, the fear of the unknown crept in, filling my mind with endless “what ifs.” But despite the uncertainties that come with starting a family, Kyle and I took the leap, welcoming our baby girl into the world in February 2021. Life changed, but not in the way you might expect. By the time Stevie was three

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March 20, 2025

Tight Lines In Squamish

Romy and Ali, long-time friends, embarked on a weeklong road trip around British Columbia, Canada, their hearts set on adventure and rekindling old friendships. Their first stop was a hidden gem of a fishing spot, where they were to meet their old friends Jarred and Nicole. Both Jarred and Nicole were seasoned fly-fishing anglers, known for their knack of finding the best fishing spots. The drive to the spot was rough, with a narrow, wooded road that twisted and turned through the dense forest. Romy and Ali clutched the car seats as their Bronco bounced over roots and rocks, feeling like they were in an off-road rollercoaster. “Are we there yet?” Ali joked, peering through the windshield as branches slapped

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July 16, 2024

Ben Hicks Toyota Tundra TRD Pro

#beoceanminded Ben Hicks – Fine Art Photographer, World Traveler, Conservationist, Entrepreneur, along with many other roles. A human who is truly trying to make a difference in this world and enjoying every step of it along the way. We’re here for it, and we support his efforts. A true adventurist – Ben has been traveling around the US, and Americas since 1999. He first built out a Ford F150, where he took to the road for 72 days, sleeping inside the cab, alongside by tent, mountain biking, hiking, climbing, fishing, and plenty of exploring. In 2007, he moved into a 4×4 van that was a bit more adventure ready – this time joining a crew that was documenting the Americas and

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October 24, 2023

EXO OpenRange

Open Unbelievable Not totally sure what this new box is from Yakima? Is it a cooler? Is it a satellite that fell from space? Even better, the Yakima EXO OpenRange is the ultimate outdoor kitchen organizer. Set it on your back seat, slide it into your truck bed, or secure it to your hitch using out Yakima EXO System. If you’re reading this, you’re probably someone who has gone through the struggle of packing cooking supplies to go camping. Plates, bowls, cups, stove, spices, pots, pans, kettles, french press, utensils, etc. The list feels never ending, especially if you’re cooking for multiple people. Or maybe you’re extremely smart and planning to cook while camping for the first time. Either way,

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October 2, 2023

Rack Maintenance Tips and Tricks

Year-Round Vs. On n’ Off – There’s nothing wrong with keeping your gear mounts on your vehicle all year round. But, if you don’t plan on using them for a while, take them off. This prevents any unnecessary build-up of road grime and bugs. Whether you keep them on year-round or remove them after use, here are some helpful tips to increase their life span, and ease of use. Keep them clean DON’T GO THROUGH THE CAR WASH – If there’s one thing to take away from all these tips, it’s keeping your racks and gear mounts clean. Brush off any loose dirt and road grime…and bugs. Hand wash with an environmentally friendly soap. Never go through a car wash with

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September 20, 2023

Border Lines

Baja Mexico – rugged landscapes, breathtaking coastlines, and amazing culture make it a must go destination for any Overlander. Also, non-stop tacos. With never ending coastlines riddled with perfect waves, Baja has a rich surf history dating back to the early 60s. Back then, small groups of American surfers would head south with their boards, which soon inspired locals to start their own Mexican surf clubs. In the 70’s, replacing the dirt roads with paved highways made accessing Baja beaches much easier and since has created a culture of camping and surfing along the coastal highway. Today, the goal isn’t just about finding the perfect camp spot, its about a journey to find surfing, camping and culture – overlanding through

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June 28, 2023

Soup or Bowl on the EXO OpenRange

There’s nothing quite like tailgating with friends and passing the time with good food. The EXO OpenRange makes it easy to bring your kitchen to the tailgate party with easy set up and take down, fitting everything back inside the EXO OpenRange box. Here’s our take on an easy Taco Soup recipe that you can cook on the CookOut stove while tailgating or camping.                                           prep time: 10 minutes                                          total time: 40 minutes cook time: 30 minutes servings: 6 people Taco

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February 8, 2023

No Lodge? No Problem

In a year where everything looks a little different, being flexible with your approach to winter recreation is key. While the ski resorts will be spinning their lifts, most of the lodges are either closed or operating at an extremely limited capacity. Suddenly, parking lot lunch (and everything else) is taking on a whole new meaning. For some people though, “Lot Life” has always been where it’s at. Arriving at the mountain with a plan, and the right gear, can make any day at the hill feel epic, not to mention a little easier to manage.

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December 9, 2020
Robin Van Gyn

Dropping In with Robin

Professional athletes are just like normal people, except for, you know, being faster and stronger. So, just like for everyone else, this year has been strange and challenging for those whose lives and livelihoods revolve around getting outside and getting after it.

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November 24, 2020

Weekend Getaway: Big Bear, CA

Andrew Villablanca is a Los Angeles based outdoors enthusiast. If he isn’t mountain biking, he’s out on an adventure in his truck to explore the Southwest. His 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 is equipped with a Yakima SkyRise HD rooftop tent, SlimShady Awning, and OutPost HD rack.

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October 7, 2020

Meet Scout, and Her Human

It’s a familiar story, but it never gets old. Person gets dog. Person falls in love with dog. Dog becomes catalyst for new experiences. Person begins to catalog those experiences on Instagram and amasses 20,000 followers. OK, that last part is maybe less common. But that’s the general idea behind Peter Kim-Yang, his partner Rose, and their dog Scout’s adventure story.

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August 5, 2020

Brianna’s Home For the Holiday’s Recipe

The easier the recipe the better. Brianna enjoys taking simple recipes and switching it up with various add-ins. One of her favorite holiday season dishes is Skillet Chili Mac. The best part of this recipe is it can be made vegetarian, vegan, or carnivorous and it can be cooked over a fire all romantic-like or just on your camp stove or stove/oven at home.  

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December 9, 2019

Van Life: Dirty, Smelly, and Perfect

Brianna Madia takes over our instagram Hitch a ride with Brianna and her family as they make their way to visit us here in Portland, OR. Hitch a Ride Instagram takeover Brianna Madia spends her time roaming the desert in a van named Bertha. She loves the warmth and solitude, and the environment’s scrappy toughness. “There’s something really intentional about the desert that just sort of clicked with me,” says Brianna. “There’s nothing easy about living in a place where daytime temps are triple digits and water is scarce. I remember being absolutely fascinated by all the woody little desert shrubs, all the cacti – for them to survive and thrive in a place like that takes such grit and

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October 8, 2018

Roaming with Loki the Wolfdog

Loki the Wolfdog, Bailey the dog dog, and Kelly and Ally, are a pack of road roamers and snack enthusiasts. There’s a lot of love in this group so it’s no surprise that they have gained a giant following on social media.  Loki’s anchored Kelly, inspired him, and brings a level of companionship only a dog can bring. “Having that consistency of a faithful friend is irreplaceable. I brought Loki home as a pup, and just made it a point to never leave him behind. I had dogs throughout my life, but bringing home a low content wolfdog, I took it more seriously. Over time my life changed to look a lot different. My priorities changed,” says Kelly. ““I just

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August 16, 2018

Home on Wheels – Tips for Van Life

Jace, Giddi, little Juniper, and Lotus the Dog live in a van – and it’s a nice one. After selling their first van in March of 2016, they purchased another and did a complete new build. They put a ton of work into it, but its floors and cabinets don’t define their Home on Wheels. “For us, its not what you put inside, or how you decorate,” says Jace. “Sure, these things help create a more ‘at home’ feel as you travel around, but what really makes it a home is the experiences you have in it.” Ready for the van life? Read below and snag some tips from these seasoned pros. Pack smart Space is tight, so Giddi and

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August 9, 2018
Henry and Baloo Yakima RackPack

Meet Henry & Baloo

An unlikely pair that can adventure anywhere Furry Adventure Henry is a dog. Baloo is a cat. Cynthia Bennett is a human. All of them love to pile into their 2007 Toyota 4Runner, hit the road, and adventure outdoors. Cynthia loves to be out in nature – hiking, camping, backpacking – and she loves her fur babies. Only natural they should all travel together. But how does she pull it off so everyone is safe and happy? “Traveling with Henry and Baloo is like traveling with kids,” she says. “There is a lot to pack and think about before hitting the road!” Cynthia, Andre, Henry, and Baloo! Part of the Yakima RackPack TRAVEL COMFY. TRAVEL SAFE. Having the right gear

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July 9, 2018

Hit the Road with WildRoots

SHARING THE ROAD Nate and Candice are the adult portion of WildRoots, an outdoor-loving, Utah-based family with jobs, school, and four boys – Zev who just turned 10, seven year old Kai, five year old Liam, and Shem. He’s three. Before Candice and Nate got married, the outdoors was a big part of their lives. Now it’s part of the kids’ lives, too.  “It’s pretty natural to enjoy sharing things you love with the people you care about,” says Nate. “I find on the rare occasions when I go out on a solo fly fishing trip, I end up seeing rad stuff that I can’t wait to get back and tell my family about. We get pumped about the same types of

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June 14, 2018

Brianna’s Road Trip Tips

Brianna’s Road Tips for Road Trips Getting there is half the journey. That’s what they say, right? But, if you end up laid out on the side of the freeway with smoke pouring from the hood of your car, getting there can end up being the whole journey. Take it from me, a woman who should have earned a college degree in laying on the hot pavement beneath a 28-year-old vehicle playing, “what’s that burning smell?” Now you might be thinking, “Brianna, I don’t drive a vehicle that’s been around for both Bush presidencies, so I’ll be fine.” Maybe so! But a well-maintained vehicle is a happy vehicle, no matter the age. Here’s some quick and easy tips for making

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June 7, 2018

Life in the SkyRise

FEELS LIKE HOME Randy Propster, Backpacker Magazine’s Get Out More Guru, practically lives in our SkyRise rooftop tent. In just about a year, he’s logged over 150 nights in his SkyRise. That’s more than anyone we know of. “It feels like home,” says Randy. “It better. I’m on the road for over 32 straight weeks right now. This year I have my SkyRise on top of my Turtleback Trailer and I’m pulling the whole kit around with a Ford Transit Connect van. I have a home everywhere I go.”   The van his living room and garage (“I travel with 1000 pounds of ultralight backpacking gear”), the Turtleback his kitchen, and the SkyRise is the bedroom. “I climb that ladder,

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June 5, 2018

Unracked: SkyRise Tent Tips & Tricks

Ian Betteridge : Product Integrity Lead No one has spent more time with our SkyRise rooftop tent than Ian. Ironing out bugs and refining new products – it’s a reality of a business, and Ian is the guy to do it. “I’m basically a problem solver, he says. Adding, with a laugh, “I am The Wolf. Like Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction – ‘It takes thirty minutes to get there in traffic? I’ll be there in ten.’ When we are met with challenges from dealers or consumers, they come to me as the first attempt to find a solution.” He cites the SkyRise as an example. ““We take feedback from the market – if there’s a way we need to

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September 12, 2017

Our Home on Wheels

Hey there! We are Our Home On Wheels, also known as Jace, Giddi, and baby Juniper. We are a full-time traveling family living in a 2005 self-converted Sprinter van with our pup, Lotus. We often get asked why we decided to sell everything and move into such a small space. To put it simply, this is what we needed. Flashback two years ago and Jace and I were working the typical 9-5 schedule and feeling as if our dreams were slipping away from us. There’s nothing abnormal about working 5 days a week. Millions of people do it — even many van dwellers continue to happily work a day job. For us though, this wasn’t working. We felt something was

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March 27, 2017

The Bus and Us

We are @TheBusAndUs, which consists of Dillon, Tessa and our 1975 Volkswagen Bus, Rita. It was 2014, while we were two young working professionals making a life for ourselves in Alaska when the travel bug burrowed deep into us. Tessa was happily in a special education teaching career in Anchorage, spending her free time camping, skiing, fishing and exploring the large state she calls home. Dillon was working in supply chain management and with what little time off he had he could be found weekend warrior-ing to the max, trying to snowboard, surf, and camp as far from town as possible. It was then that we realized that we would rather be road tripping, camping, and adventuring full time rather

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March 6, 2017

5 Amazing National Parks for Camping

Nothing is as memorable as camping in the breathtaking wilderness of America’s national parks, where lifelong memories of sitting around the campfire, roasting marshmallows, and gazing at the gazillion stars above are forged. The memories are so strong, in fact, that even just the smell of burning wood will transport you back to the campsite where you last spent the night. Whether you are in a tent, a hammock, or sleeping out in the wilderness, camping in the national parks helps reconnect you with a way of life mostly forgotten in the daily hustle and bustle. There are 59 national parks for you to find that one-of-a-kind bedroom under the stars. Here are the five best for incredible camping. Many

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January 12, 2017

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