Yakima EXO Hitch Hauler installed for ski season

[Stretch]

Having recently ditched my ICE F150 long bed with camper shell, I've been wondering how I'm going to deal with schlepping all of my ski gear back and forth from the hill this season. Didn't really want to put wet gear and boots in my new vehicle, nor was I excited about using a rooftop box due to range concerns when it's already cold outside, as well as just being a general pain to access on a pretty tall vehicle.

Decided to try out the Yakima EXO lineup. It was a pretty easy installation but damn, that thing is heavy once assembled! I intend to take it on and off pretty regularly rather than hauling the whole thing from the mountain cabin back to Boise with each drive, so I'm still figuring out a way to on-/off-load a 100lb rack by myself so I don't have to bug my wife every time. I've got a rack valet from Hollywood Racks on order, and I'm hopeful that will at least help with moving around and storing, but the actual lift-on and off is still going to be a b*tch. Anyone got any tips other than anabolic steroid injections?

All that said, the EXO lineup seems to be a pretty slick product. Very easy to swap out the various components. So far I've just gotten the Swingbase, Topshelf, Gearlocker, and Snowbank (ski/board rack). If all goes well, I plan to add the bike mount and possibly check out the Camp Kitchen in the spring.

It all seems to fit very well on the back of the rig, and it's rock solid. Doesn't look like it will create too much drag since even with the locker on top, it still sits just below the height of the rear roofline. I wish there was a bit easier way to bolt and unbolt the hitch pin, but I think the fact that it is threaded is what is giving it such stability. Just makes it a bit more time consuming to install and remove, but not bad. (BTW, WTF is with the crummy plastic hitch mount cover on the Riv?? That thing is not going to last more than a half dozen removals and reinstalls before those flimsy pins start breaking off...)

It's very easy to swing the whole EXO setup away from the vehicle and then fully access the rear hatch and tailgate. I will probably install a little bit of adhesive rubber on the TopShelf upright post just in case the rear hatch gets opened accidentally while the swingarm is in it's closed position, just to avoid any scratches on the paint or window.

If there's any interest, I can report out on overall usability and functionality after a few weeks of use...presuming we ever get any damn snow.

Happy ski/board season, y'all.

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[LongJoSilver]

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[Stretch]

This helps! GEARWRENCH 12 Pt. Ratcheting Combination Wrench, 24mm - 9124 https://a.co/d/6ARpToD

Ha! I just ordered one of these last night! Thanks for validating my suspicion that this would help!

 

[xyskis]

Why the box on top and not on bottom? Looks like you’re obscuring your view and exposing your skis/boards to road debris. Thought about getting this system but really hate to leave Kuat’s awesome hitch system. I think they have a slicker way of taking out the slop between the hitch/receiver.

 

[moosehead]

Either you roll with some short skiis, or that R1S is gonna take flight?

Or I'm hungover.

 

[Glongo]

… looks very functional, and bad-arse!

 

[Stretch]

Why the box on top and not on bottom? Looks like you’re obscuring your view and exposing your skis/boards to road debris. Thought about getting this system but really hate to leave Kuat’s awesome hitch system. I think they have a slicker way of taking out the slop between the hitch/receiver.

Yeah good question. You could certainly swap them, but if the box is on the bottom, you can’t open the lid very far unless you swing the Topshelf around. That’s not too difficult, but it’s additional steps when I just want to grab my boots and gear and go. I’m only driving about a mile to the slopes so the road grime isnt really too much of an issue especially when they are snow packed most of the season.

Same with the view out the back. Not a big deal for short trips, and with the box on top I actually still have surprisingly good visualization with the rear cam in reverse which is really helpful for backing into the garage.

I might try to swap them just to compare but I think this config is probably best, for me at least. Will keep the box on the bottom and bikes on top in summer.

Didn’t look at Kuat too much but do they also have a multi-toy-attachment option like the EXO?

 

[Stretch]

Either you roll with some short skiis, or that R1S is gonna take flight?

Or I'm hungover.

Nah, but you might still be a lil bit drunk…

I thought my skis would hang way over but surprisingly they don’t. The base of the Riv is actually pretty wide. I’m 6’3” and usually ski 175s and they don’t hang over at all.

Sadly, Viv is still ground-bound.

 

[xyskis]

Yeah good question. You could certainly swap them, but if the box is on the bottom, you can’t open the lid very far unless you swing the Topshelf around. That’s not too difficult, but it’s additional steps when I just want to grab my boots and gear and go. I’m only driving about a mile to the slopes so the road grime isnt really too much of an issue especially when they are snow packed most of the season.

Same with the view out the back. Not a big deal for short trips, and with the box on top I actually still have surprisingly good visualization with the rear cam in reverse which is really helpful for backing into the garage.

I might try to swap them just to compare but I think this config is probably best, for me at least. Will keep the box on the bottom and bikes on top in summer.

Didn’t look at Kuat too much but do they also have a multi-toy-attachment option like the EXO?

Totally makes sense and wish that I were just a mile from skiing! If I end up with an Exo, probably will do the same if I can’t open the lid enough to easily get ski boots in/out.

Kuat doesn’t make one yet, but I really hope they do! Luckily have some other ways of carrying skis in the meantime between some fat cats above the R1S and a rear mounted ski box for the van from Owl.

 

[moosehead]

Nah, but you might still be a lil bit drunk…

I thought my skis would hang way over but surprisingly they don’t. The base of the Riv is actually pretty wide. I’m 6’3” and usually ski 175s and they don’t hang over at all.

Sadly, Viv is still ground-bound.

Maths are not my strong suit. Plus the short R1T messes with my head everytime. Plus it will not fit my 188cm skiis lengthwise with tonneau closed. Good thing the tonneau is stuck open.

But now you got me wondering if skiis should be mounted horizontal to the R1T bed in the racks, so I gotta schlep out to the garage to check it out.

Brain exploded.

 

[DCRiv]

Having recently ditched my ICE F150 long bed with camper shell, I've been wondering how I'm going to deal with schlepping all of my ski gear back and forth from the hill this season. Didn't really want to put wet gear and boots in my new vehicle, nor was I excited about using a rooftop box due to range concerns when it's already cold outside, as well as just being a general pain to access on a pretty tall vehicle.

Decided to try out the Yakima EXO lineup. It was a pretty easy installation but damn, that thing is heavy once assembled! I intend to take it on and off pretty regularly rather than hauling the whole thing from the mountain cabin back to Boise with each drive, so I'm still figuring out a way to on-/off-load a 100lb rack by myself so I don't have to bug my wife every time. I've got a rack valet from Hollywood Racks on order, and I'm hopeful that will at least help with moving around and storing, but the actual lift-on and off is still going to be a b*tch. Anyone got any tips other than anabolic steroid injections?

All that said, the EXO lineup seems to be a pretty slick product. Very easy to swap out the various components. So far I've just gotten the Swingbase, Topshelf, Gearlocker, and Snowback (ski/board rack). If all goes well, I plan to add the bike mount and possibly check out the Camp Kitchen in the spring.

It all seems to fit very well on the back of the rig, and it's rock solid. Doesn't look like it will create too much drag since even with the locker on top, it still sits just below the height of the rear roofline. I wish there was a bit easier way to bolt and unbolt the hitch pin, but I think the fact that it is threaded is what is giving it such stability. Just makes it a bit more time consuming to install and remove, but not bad. (BTW, WTF is with the crummy plastic hitch mount cover on the Riv?? That thing is not going to last more than a half dozen removals and reinstalls before those flimsy pins start breaking off...)

It's very easy to swing the whole EXO setup away from the vehicle and then fully access the rear hatch and tailgate. I will probably install a little bit of adhesive rubber on the TopShelf upright post just in case the rear hatch gets opened accidentally while the swingarm is in it's closed position, just to avoid any scratches on the paint or window.

If there's any interest, I can report out on overall usability and functionality after a few weeks of use...presuming we ever get any damn snow.

Happy ski/board season, y'all.

Looks awesome. I’ve been eyeing he EXO system for a while and very interested in your thought on it as you give it some use. Please keep us all up to date!
Thanks!

 

[wicked2112]

Having recently ditched my ICE F150 long bed with camper shell, I've been wondering how I'm going to deal with schlepping all of my ski gear back and forth from the hill this season. Didn't really want to put wet gear and boots in my new vehicle, nor was I excited about using a rooftop box due to range concerns when it's already cold outside, as well as just being a general pain to access on a pretty tall vehicle.

Decided to try out the Yakima EXO lineup. It was a pretty easy installation but damn, that thing is heavy once assembled! I intend to take it on and off pretty regularly rather than hauling the whole thing from the mountain cabin back to Boise with each drive, so I'm still figuring out a way to on-/off-load a 100lb rack by myself so I don't have to bug my wife every time. I've got a rack valet from Hollywood Racks on order, and I'm hopeful that will at least help with moving around and storing, but the actual lift-on and off is still going to be a b*tch. Anyone got any tips other than anabolic steroid injections?

All that said, the EXO lineup seems to be a pretty slick product. Very easy to swap out the various components. So far I've just gotten the Swingbase, Topshelf, Gearlocker, and Snowback (ski/board rack). If all goes well, I plan to add the bike mount and possibly check out the Camp Kitchen in the spring.

It all seems to fit very well on the back of the rig, and it's rock solid. Doesn't look like it will create too much drag since even with the locker on top, it still sits just below the height of the rear roofline. I wish there was a bit easier way to bolt and unbolt the hitch pin, but I think the fact that it is threaded is what is giving it such stability. Just makes it a bit more time consuming to install and remove, but not bad. (BTW, WTF is with the crummy plastic hitch mount cover on the Riv?? That thing is not going to last more than a half dozen removals and reinstalls before those flimsy pins start breaking off...)

It's very easy to swing the whole EXO setup away from the vehicle and then fully access the rear hatch and tailgate. I will probably install a little bit of adhesive rubber on the TopShelf upright post just in case the rear hatch gets opened accidentally while the swingarm is in it's closed position, just to avoid any scratches on the paint or window.

If there's any interest, I can report out on overall usability and functionality after a few weeks of use...presuming we ever get any damn snow.

Happy ski/board season, y'all.

LOVE the EXO setup!!! Yakima appreciates that look! Question though, what's the tire and rim setup????

 

[diehlryan]

Can you share pictures of your skis in the ski rack? The only thing holding me back from purchasing this system is the distance between the ski rack clamps being shorter than most bindings. I don't think we could get 4 sets of skis on and have the clamp work. The toe and heel bindings on my skis are far enough where the stacked skis are fine. The kids (and wife) have bindings that are "1 piece" between the toe and heel so its super thick when the skis are stacked.

In this video review you can see they have to put the skis side-by-side.

 

[kyunam]

Having recently ditched my ICE F150 long bed with camper shell, I've been wondering how I'm going to deal with schlepping all of my ski gear back and forth from the hill this season. Didn't really want to put wet gear and boots in my new vehicle, nor was I excited about using a rooftop box due to range concerns when it's already cold outside, as well as just being a general pain to access on a pretty tall vehicle.

Decided to try out the Yakima EXO lineup. It was a pretty easy installation but damn, that thing is heavy once assembled! I intend to take it on and off pretty regularly rather than hauling the whole thing from the mountain cabin back to Boise with each drive, so I'm still figuring out a way to on-/off-load a 100lb rack by myself so I don't have to bug my wife every time. I've got a rack valet from Hollywood Racks on order, and I'm hopeful that will at least help with moving around and storing, but the actual lift-on and off is still going to be a b*tch. Anyone got any tips other than anabolic steroid injections?

All that said, the EXO lineup seems to be a pretty slick product. Very easy to swap out the various components. So far I've just gotten the Swingbase, Topshelf, Gearlocker, and Snowback (ski/board rack). If all goes well, I plan to add the bike mount and possibly check out the Camp Kitchen in the spring.

It all seems to fit very well on the back of the rig, and it's rock solid. Doesn't look like it will create too much drag since even with the locker on top, it still sits just below the height of the rear roofline. I wish there was a bit easier way to bolt and unbolt the hitch pin, but I think the fact that it is threaded is what is giving it such stability. Just makes it a bit more time consuming to install and remove, but not bad. (BTW, WTF is with the crummy plastic hitch mount cover on the Riv?? That thing is not going to last more than a half dozen removals and reinstalls before those flimsy pins start breaking off...)

It's very easy to swing the whole EXO setup away from the vehicle and then fully access the rear hatch and tailgate. I will probably install a little bit of adhesive rubber on the TopShelf upright post just in case the rear hatch gets opened accidentally while the swingarm is in it's closed position, just to avoid any scratches on the paint or window.

If there's any interest, I can report out on overall usability and functionality after a few weeks of use...presuming we ever get any damn snow.

Happy ski/board season, y'all.

I like your wheels. What are they?

 

[ZipZamZoom]

That solution looks super interesting, thanks for posting the pictures.

I wonder if the gearboxes could be mounted on the bed cross bars on the R1T. Would be nice to be able to use them directly over the bed.

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