Gear Hub: Yakima
Kim Fuller and I have a 2007 BMW X3 and a 2010 Subaru Impreza. Both are fantastic cars for our lifestyle and have provided us with many adventures around the state and country. They are full time all-wheel drive and with winter tires they are seemingly unstoppable and reliable vehicles. One thing they are not is spacious enough for our recreational lifestyle.
The Subie has a small cargo box and a single roof-top bike rack. We have been getting by with a trunk-mounted bike rack that we strap to the back that is not ideal for either of our full suspension bikes. Yes, the cargo box comes in handy but by no means holds everything for a few days on the road. After loading everything up with enough room in the back seat for our 15-year-old Maltese Jack, I feel like the Beverly hillbillies of the outdoor community making our way to our next trailhead. Top it off, if you need one thing you have to unpack the entire mess.
The BMW has a touch more room and we have been able to strap the trunk-mounted bike rack to the rear. Many times, the straps have popped off and we feared losing both bikes on the highway. I can’t count the time I have lost rigging the bikes to the racks and untying them to ride. This Tetris stack is even harder to shuffle through when you need more water or Jack’s food. The scratches the trunk-mounted bike rack left have made us resort to the less comfortable Subaru for trips these days.
Neither of us have the space or want to get a new vehicle. Thankfully, Yakima had a solution to turn our BMW into the perfect vehicle for all of our adventures — and we even have room for Jack and a couple of our friends to join.
We recently mounted the SkyBox 16 Carbonite attached to the JetStream Cross Bars stacked on the TimberLine Towers and the hitch mounted Hangover 4. Our BMW just turned into the perfect adventure vehicle for us at this time.
We can take two of our friends and their mountain bikes, load all the camping gear and luggage on the top in the SkyBox and leave the trunk open for the cooler and food. With the foot operated tilt mechanism, the Hangover 4 makes it easy to access a cold soda water when on the road and for a cold one after our ride. It even comes with a built-in bottle opener! The BMW is not built to go off road, but the Hangover design provides enough ground clearance to get to most trailheads and rides. It was our first time using a vertical hanging rack and we found it easy to load up and even easier to unload for a ride.
I was worried about putting a cargo box on the top of the BMW for fuel efficiency and cabin noise. With the aerodynamic design of the SkyBox and the JetStream cross bars we did not notice a change in the cabin noise. It is also way more fuel efficient than expected given the size. We are able to fit everything we need no matter the time of year or journey we embark on. The JetStream cross bars come in multiple lengths so you can add to your rack system for every activity in your gear shed. The entire rack system took under an hour to install.
We are excited for all the opportunities Yakima has provided to this family. We are also excited to get a few more accessories to complete our little adventure vehicle. If you need help turning your car into your perfect adventure vehicle check out Yakima.com for the perfect setup.
