Yakima stories

The Yakima Showcase 15 Lets You Haul More Gear Without Having to Buy a Larger Vehicle The Yakima Showcase is a new cargo box from Yakima designed to haul extra gear for your mountain bike road trips. It’s easy to install, simple to operate, and looks great too. I’ve been testing the Showcase 15 which offers 15 cubic feet of storage space. This is basically enough to fit 4 to 5 stuffed duffel bags and backpacks. On one trip I managed to fit two bags plus a whole bike with wheels inside the box, though this probably isn’t what Yakima had in mind when they designed this product. Yakima says skis and snowboards up to 190cm in length can fit

Yakima SkyRise Rooftop Tent Yakima is jumping into the fast growing rooftop tent category with the Yakima SkyRise. Unlike most rooftop tents, the SkyRise can be installed tool free, and is pounds lighter than the competition. Available in a two or three person size, the SkyRise includes a built-in mattress, and the entire tent is deployed in seconds by unfolding it and extending the ladder. Read More

Yakima Fat Cat 4 Ski and Snowboard Rack Tired of cramming skis and boards in your car, only to have them drip mucky water all over? This ski rack mounts to your roof crossbars and holds up to four pair of skis or two snowboards. We love how its sleek, low-profile design is aerodynamic and whistle-free. And it has a secure locking mechanism, so you can sleep easy knowing your gear is safe outside. Read More

Yakima Products Inc., a vehicle racks and cargo solutions company, has partnered with Locally, an online-to-offline commerce platform that supports local retailers by guiding consumers to local dealers with the desired Yakima products in stock. “We love that Locally supports both our consumers and our brick-and-mortar retailers. It brings together the best of both worlds for our consumers – blending our unparalleled online vehicle customization tool plus the convenience of the 24/7 online experience with the hands-on help and support from local retailers,” said Jason McGibbon, VP of sales at Yakima. “For our retail partners, Locally enables them to have a wider-reaching online presence, and to reach their local customers.” Locally currently features more than 250 Yakima products. Consumers can

As younger adventurers flock to trailers and RVs to make their lives mobile, outdoor brands eye a slice of the market. When SylvanSport suggested that Chad Carlson’s Woodland Travel Center in Grand Rapids, MI consider selling its line of adventure trailers, he was resistant. As an Airstream dealer, Woodland Travel Center is perched at the premium end of the RV business and Carlson did not want to tarnish his showroom with a pop-up camper. “At first I did not want to carry it,” Carlson said of the SylvanSport GO. “And then I saw it at a show and said, ‘holy crap! This is best product I’ve ever seen.’ The tooling is better than Airstream. I’ve sold 50 of them this

Yakima rolls with DrTray hitch rack, new roof racks, Skyrise car top tents, Slim Shady Awning, more Want to take it with you? Yakima has a rack for that. In fact, they have a number of new additions to their rack and cargo family that will let you take more than ever on your next road trip. Tray style hitch racks seem to be where the majority of riders want to spend their money to carry precious bikes, but there is still plenty of room for improvement – especially when it comes to bike on bike interference. The new DrTray may just solve that with quick release adjustable trays and plenty of clearance for a number of different bikes… Rather

Yakima StreamLine System One thing I didn’t understand, is why would you buy a car/SUV/wagon and then attach scaffolding to it, so you can transport bikes. Several reasons for my thinking included: not dooring your bike with it on top of the car or having it fly off in severe wind. Yep, both of those things have happened to me. I drive to rides with a wagon and the bikes are inside. One with the wheels on and two with the front wheels off. My racing buddies use vans and large SUVs for the same reason: to put the bikes inside. Yakima StreamLine System Well, as it happens, since I stopped racing and riding wider, large volume tires instead, I’ve

1,143 MILES, 14 BEERS, 6 GLASSES OF WINE, 3 MEXICAN COKES AND 2 BIKES. YES THAT WAS OUR OFFICIAL TESTING GROUND FOR THE YAKIMA SPARERIDE BIKE RACK. What better way to test the Yakima SpareRide than with a multi state road trip. We packed up a Jeep full of gear, tossed on the bikes and headed north. Okay maybe it wasn’t that simple. First we had to install theSpareRide which Yakima claims takes about 30 minutes. That might be a little on the exaggerated side. We’ll argue that as it took us 50 to 60 minutes with cleanup. It is not overly difficult or anything, but does take a little time to get the tire off and everything back together. Nice thing is,

Lots of outdoor enthusiasts love the outdoors, but don’t want to spend it sleeping on the ground because of bugs, snakes, bears, oh my! This is one of the reasons why vehicle roof-top tents are growing in popularity. At the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City, Utah, we caught up with our friends at Yakima, who showed us the company’s new Sky Rise tent, which was mounted on top of a 2016 Toyota Rav4. The Sky Rise can hold up to 400 lbs. and attaches to factory roof-rail systems. The tent simply folds out from the mounting platform and includes a heavy-duty ladder. According to Garret Barnum at Yakima, the tent can be completely assembled in about three

Keep your bike secure while driving on the road Driving a bike to the starting line, trailhead, or park is a hassle without the right bike rack. The latest generation of racks are engineered to make moving your bike a cinch—you just need to pick the right one for your cycling lifestyle. If you’re also the type to haul skis, kayaks and/or surfboards, invest in a roof rack crossbar system enabling multiple carry options. If you’re looking for an easy-load bike rack that fits up to four bikes, new hitch racks insert into Class II hitches for simple and safe rear carry. If you have a sedan and carry bikes infrequently, a trunk rack is a simple solution; those with

The DrTray hitch rack, an all-new offering from Yakima, is designed to eliminate bike-on-bike banging and damage during transport by allowing both of the trays on the hitch rack to be independently adjustable along two different axes. We’ve seen hitch racks from other brands allow side-to-side adjustment to prevent handlebars and seats from hitting each other, but the DrTray adds adjustment of the trays both in and out from the back of the car, allowing you to not only offset the bikes, but pull them further apart. Just flip the levers up and move the tray around. At first blush one might wonder, “why not just permanently keep the bikes as far apart as possible?” but, depending on exactly how

Comfortable, light weight, lower cost lodging for your car or truck. Rather than a massive SUV, Yakima used a mid-size Toyota Rav4 as the demo vehicle to show Mtbr why it believes a smaller, “expandable” vehicle is the optimum way to handle life’s adventures. Rooftop tents have captured the attention of mountain bikers. They allow adventurers access to far away trails, and establish a base of riding operations quickly. Securely attached to a rack that is positioned on the roof of a truck or car, these tents are space and time efficient. Set up is quick. Basically just unfold, lower the ladder, and climb in. You’ll also be sleeping off the cold, rough ground, with less dirt, bugs, and whatever

Yakima has two new mountain-bike racks: the HighSpeed (shown above) is a fork-mounted roof rack with a clamp that can handle any axle size. The tightening knob is torque-sensitive and clicks when the axle is secure. The rack is also versatile as far as mounting is concerned, with rubber-wrapped steel straps that can secure to the vast majority of crossbars. The straps can be replaced with T-bolts if you’re one of those fancy folks with aero bars. MSRP is $220, locking core not included. If you want to keep both wheels on, Yakima also has the new HighRoad, which has similar features to the HighSpeed and retails for $230. The Dr. Tray is Yakima’s new remedy for hitch-mount woes. At

The Yakima SkyRise introduces a few important upgrades to the growing rooftop-tent industry. The new Yakima SkyRise, which launched last month, is the most utilitarian rooftop tent we’ve seen yet. For one, it’s much easier to attach to your roof than models from Tepui*. Instead of using metal clasps that have to be tightened with a wrench—an awkward process that can take up to 30 minutes—the SkyRise incorporates a series of slick clamps to grasp your bars, no tools required. At 105 pounds for the three-person tent, the SkyRise also lighter than most of its competitors, as it’s made from ripstop nylon rather than canvas. While we prefer the look of the canvas, it is a fair bit heavier. The

Finding the perfect bike rack for the Tesla Model X can be somewhat challenging due to the back-in setup of most Tesla Supercharger stations. You don’t want your precious Model X hanging out in the lot with the associated risk of it being hit, nor do you want to be that guy/gal who blocks multiple Supercharger stalls while parking across several parking sites. Teslarati recently set out to find the perfect Model X bike rack and believes it found the answer in the Yakima FullSwing Bike Hitch Rack. Yes, Tesla markets its own bike rack for the X, but it’s actually just a rebranded Yakima with a $100 markup and it doesn’t swing out of the way to allow for

Add this one to the wish list. Yakima, the world-renowned maker of camping products for your vehicle, will soon release the SkyRise, a rooftop camping tent for your crossover or SUV. It’s their first entry into the tent market and by the looks of these initial images, it’s bound to draw plenty of attention from fans of the outdoor lifestyle. As for the tent itself, it’s comprised of a 210D nylon tent body, certified fire-resistant yet breathable and lightweight. Yakima also hooks it up with a PU coated 210D waterproof nylon rainfly. Here, durability and comfort are key and the tent even comes equipped with 2.5-inch foam mattress with a waterproof bottom. No tools are required to vehicle attachment, and

The HoldUp is in many ways a hybrid of the Thule T2 and the Kuat NV. Nice looking and easy to use, it has a similar retention arm system and identical tilting features which place the rack in upright, level, and downward positions. Like the Thule, the HoldUp has retractable cable locks hidden in each support arm. Instead of a quill-style hitch insert, the HoldUp uses a threaded hitch pin to securely tighten the rack within the receiver. Loading bikes is easy and the large front wheel trays accommodate all wheel sizes with some limitations, which I will address in the pros/cons. The support arms have been designed to clear wider fork blades and like the Thule, the bike trays

The HoldUp is Yakima’s best-selling hitch rack. Considering how easy it is to use and how fast you can load and unload bikes, that’s not surprising. Specs and Design Yakima offers the HoldUp for vehicles with either a 1.25″ or 2″ receiver. For $449, you get the ability to carry two bikes. Should you have a 2″ hitch, you can also add on the optional HoldUp +2, that expands the carrying capacity to four bikes. The HoldUp +2 will run you an additional $329. There is some assembly required with the HoldUp, but it’s a simple affair. There’s no giant bag of parts, just one big bolt for mounting the base into the hitch, and then eight small bolts that

Yakima makes some of the best transport systems on the market and they keep making them better. This year I was stoked to see updated roof saddles for kayaks. The Deck Hand ($109/pair) replaces my favorite Mako Saddles as classic saddles made better with felt for easy sliding the kayak. The Hand Roll ($109/pair) is similar to the Hulli Roller with a improved rubber coated roller to make easy loading. I really like the Sweet Roll ($219/four) system. This new system features saddles that pivot to fit boats with a curved or flat hull. The rear saddles have an integrated wheel to make it easier to load a boat on the roof. All of the new designs feature tool-free installation.

2017 Gear Sneak Peek: Yakima DrTray Bike Rack – VIDEO The bike rack space is a crowded one with several companies to choose from, all of which producing many unique styles of bikes racks and carriers. Yakima has always produced quality bike racks (and ski boxes for that matter) and in the past we have reviewed a few of their products such as the Yakima Flipside 4 Bike Rack and the Yakima Skybox Pro 18 Ski Box. For a quick overview of the Yakima DrTray Bike Rack watch the following video which we recently shot at the Summer Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City: For the 2017 bike season Yakima has a brand new tray style bike carrier aptly

Yakima’s HoldUP retails for $450 and is a burly, simple-to-use, and aerodynamic system. Ryan Dunfee photo. For those of us not rocking monster dually pickups with space to hang 57 bikes over the tailgate, hitch-mounted tray racks are the most pro way to go. The bikes are locked down on the tires, meaning that frames aren’t getting banged together, and hiding the bikes behind the car means your gas mileage won’t get knocked down so much that the Koch Brothers are gleefully checking their gas station stocks. They’re also expensive – Yakima’s HoldUp we’re about to review here cost $450, which is a pretty penny for hosting two bicycles – so getting the right one is pretty important. Unless, of course,

Car-top carriers are capable of adapting to a broader variety of stowed items than ever before. Today’s bicycle racks are designed to provide more stability for the bicycles that they carry. Weekend warriors and sports fanatics used to specialize: Skiers skied, campers camped and bicyclists biked. Now, more people seem to embrace multiple sports, and the manufacturers of car-top carriers and bicycle racks, or bike racks, noticed. You can pack different types of gear into today’s cargo carriers, and manufacturers now produce models that fit nearly every vehicle type better. Universal fit is a top trend, says Chris Ritchie of Thule, which makes car-top carriers and bike racks. In past years, cargo carriers got in the way of minivan and

As cars become smaller and people are increasingly seeking out more practical and fuel-efficient options, rooftop carriers have become an almost essential piece of equipment for outdoor enthusiasts – especially those who happen to share their outdoor excursions with the family. The amount of gear required to get a family to the slopes, or the campsite, or the mountain biking trails can be staggering, and a rooftop carrier can make the prospect infinitely more manageable. If they aren’t thoughtfully designed, however, a rooftop carrier can actually add more hassle to an excursion than it eliminates. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of that kind of frustration, it might be time to take a serious look at Yakima’s new

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. (BRAIN) — Yakima Products’ Road Warrior Program, which attends to various outdoor and automotive events over the summer to demonstrate Yakima products, will travel in new co-branded Toyota vehicles this year, in a joint promotion. Toyota is now the vehicle partner for the program, which will use Tacoma, Highlander, 4Runner, Rav4 and Sienna models. Besides about 75 consumer events on its calendar, the Road Warrior program makes retailer visits as well, providing hands-on product demonstrations and personalized staff training. In 2015, the Road Warriors trained more than 2,000 retail associates across North America. “This is a perfect partnership of two brands committed to empowering people to maximize their lifestyle with their vehicle,” said Summer Henderson, Yakima’s brand director. “Toyota has

Yakima is starting over. Say goodbye to the long-enduring rack design. Rolling out this month, the roof-rack juggernaut embarks on the largest product launch in company history. Goodbye Q Tower. Outdoor enthusiasts have long adored Yakima racks. They have enabled us to get outside and explore on bikes, kayaks, skis, and more. For years, a “Yak Rack” consisted of Q Towers and round bars. This year, Yakima rolls out the StreamLine system— new towers and components with an updated design and aero options. Upgrades to both the hitch and trunks systems also abound this year, adding to the company’s massive re-launch. Under new ownership and with a new CEO, this year is a big test for the 36-year-old company. Yakima’s JetStream bar on