This EXO system is perfect for your mountain getaway. Ski rack secures 5 pairs of skis or 4 snowboards, and cargo carrier holds coolers, luggage, firewood, and other large gear. System swings away to provide cargo area access.
Features:
Specs:
Notes:
This modular system includes everything you need for your remote skiing adventure. The SnowBank carries 5 pairs of skis or 4 snowboards, and the GearWarrior cargo carrier is perfect for hauling all your snow gear. The two-tier base system swings away, while fully loaded, for rear cargo area access, and the top tier can be removed if you only need to carry 1 accessory. Using the cargo carrier on the lower level, without utilizing the top tier, increases the weight capacity to 250 lbs.
Because the Yakima EXO system is modular it lets you transform your hitch into the ultimate gear-carrying rig. You can outfit the system with various accessories (sold separately) to carry all your skiing, biking, and camping gear. The system is compatible with a ski rack, bike rack, cargo carrier, and an enclosed cargo carrier, and you can easily swap them out to match any outdoor activity. You can also add base camp accessories, like a camping table. Lastly, because you can carry two accessories on the back of your vehicle, it frees up space on your roof to carry even more gear.
The SnowBank ski and snowboard carrier lets you carry 5 pairs of skis or 4 snowboards. It has DoubleJoint hinges that accommodate thick skis and snowboards.
The arms on the SnowBank have sturdy yet flexible rubber grips. The rubber lines the top and bottom of the arms and protects your gear from being scratched or scuffed by the carrier.
Push buttons make the arms easy to open, even when wearing heavy winter gloves. Simply push the buttons and raise the arms to load your gear.
The GearWarrior cargo carrier lets you carry coolers, luggage, firewood, and other large, bulky gear. It's easy to detach the from the base unit so two people can carry your gear to your lodge room or to the firepit in one trip. You can also attach a wheel kit (Y97VR - sold separately) to convert the carrier into a wagon.
The hinged arm on the base lets you swing the unit away from your vehicle. This provides full access to your vehicle's rear cargo area and eliminates the need to remove your skis or the cargo carrier when you're unloading your vehicle or letting your dog hop in or out of the back.
To open the hinged arm, simply rotate the release knob counterclockwise until it's unscrewed from the arm, pull out on the spring pin, and swing the rack away from the rear of your vehicle. The arm will lock in place when it's fully extended, so your hands are free to open your hatch and remove cargo.
In addition to allowing access to your vehicle's cargo area, the EXO can also provide access to your gear stored in the cargo carrier. Once the base unit is fully extended, you can swing the top tier back 180 degrees, with your skis and the carrier still attached. This will provide unfettered access to your gear on the lower level.
To close the base unit, just pull the release lever at the hinge and swing the extended arm back into position. Once you hear the spring pin lock into place, rotate the knob clockwise until it's tight.
If you leave the base swung open for an extended period of time, you'll need to install the included jack stand to help stabilize the arm. Turn the rod on the jack to fine tune the height so the system stays level.
To install the EXO system, simply slide the shank on the base unit into your 2" hitch receiver, insert the threaded hitch pin, and tighten it down with the included 24-mm wrench. The threaded hitch pin also reduces noise and movement in your hitch. The second tier bolts to the base to provide the second level of storage.
Dual arms on each tier have tracks with cleats and SpeedKnobs that secure EXO accessories. To swap the ski carrier or cargo carrier for a different accessory, undo the latches on the sides of the arms, rotate the SpeedKnobs to allow the cleats inside the tracks to free the carrier, and remove it. Next, put the new accessory in the tracks, rotate the SpeedKnobs so the cleats secure it, then close each latch.
This EXO system includes 10 SKS locks to secure the system, carriers, and your skis or snowboards. The two tiers have locks that secure them to each other and to your vehicle's hitch receiver. Both tiers also have locks in the arms to secure the SnowBank ski carrier and the GearWarrior. Finally, the ski rack has 2 locks to secure your skis. Because the GearWarrior doesn't utilize locks, this EXO configuration will come with 2 extra lock cores.
The SKS locks for the system come with the 2 base units - 5 with each. Because they are packaged separately, the locks for the top tier and bottom tier probably won't be keyed alike. However, they can be swapped out to match each other and even your other Yakima gear.
Because the EXO System is modular you can add accessories for whatever adventure you have planned, or swap them out for other activities.
The BackDeck camping table (Y84VR - sold separately) is perfect for use at the campsite. It lets you prep meals, lay out your gear, and even mix drinks at the end of the day. Simply remove the carrier on the top level and install the table.
The DoubleUp 2-bike rack has ratcheting hooks that grab your bikes firmly by the front wheel - not the frame. It's perfect for carrying nearly any bike, including bikes with carbon frames, disc brakes, thru axles, or full suspensions. Simply remove the ski rack and install this carrier in its place.
The GearLocker enclosed cargo carrier has 10 cu ft of storage space for carrying helmets, clothes, and other gear. It keeps your gear secure, dry, and away from prying eyes. The GearLocker can be installed on either the top or bottom tier and can be paired with the GearWarrior cargo carrier to maximize cargo space.
Alternate Instructions
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hey, everybody. Zac here, at etrailer.com. Today we're taking a look at the Yakima EXO system on our 2015 Toyota 4Runner. I have the configuration of the Ski and Snowboard Carrier paired up with the Cargo Carrier. This is gonna be a really cool system that's not only gonna give us the capacity to carry what we have here today, but if you really wanna go all out, you can get all the accessories that go with this. So, you can get a box, you can get a bike rack, just whatever you're looking for for the season.
So you can see here, this is gonna provide a really good space to store all of our gear on our 4Runner. You know, getting up on the roof, especially during the snow season, you know, maybe you don't wanna get up there. Maybe you've got a box. There's a lot of different reasons why your roof is maybe not something you're looking to get stuff on top. We've got the back end full, so we can get a storage box and a cooler back here, just carry a lot of different gear on it.
So, taking a look at the snowboard carrier, this is gonna be very similar to what you'd see on a rooftop setup. We're gonna be able to carry up to four snowboards, and up to five pairs of skis. Now, a lot of that plays into what type of skis and snowboards you're using. You can see, I only have one pair of skis on today. Something that I found that I'm not a big fan of, is just the way it clamps down on certain types of bindings.
Now, if you've got bindings like this, you're gonna be limited, because of how much room they take up. But if you're gonna have more modern bindings, something that's gonna be a little bit different, it's not gonna have that clamping down issue right there. So, on a rooftop with ski and snowboard gear, you can kinda play around with that a little bit, depending on where your roof rack's lined up. So, maybe you're not clamping down on those bindings. Now, a lot of bindings don't have that setting right there where we we're clamping down, so it's just going down on the ski here, which limits us with our setup today.
So, we wouldn't be able to get up to five pairs of skis on there, because of that. So, a lot of the times what you're gonna do, is stack your skis up. So, you'd stack them up like this on your roof, but you can definitely see there we're not gonna be able to do that. So, if I could adjust those and make them wider, it wouldn't be an issue. Another thing to keep in mind is, you know, how wide your skis are. If you've got some really wide powder skis, you're probably not gonna be able to get five pairs of skis on there. We'll get a measurement here in a second for you. But I just wanted to show you, if you have bindings like this, you are definitely gonna have some issues with getting this clamped down and getting the maximum capacity out of your carrier. When we are clamping this down, though, if you wanna take a closer look here, it gives us really good bite there. So, I'll get this one back in place too. So, it's definitely gonna do a good job of holding those in place. You can see here, I really have to get after that one. That's not something I really want to, but I think that's just gonna be a problem we have with our bindings today. But you can see here, we're getting a really good bite on that, able to get our stuff on there good. Now, the nice thing about this, with this whole EXO system, is that I can swing it away. So, after we're done riding for the day, I can come back here, and there's a knob that's gonna allow me to loosen this up, that we'll just have to twist there. I like that it's so large that I can get a good hand on it to get that loosened up. We'll pull that out. And then there's a release right there, and we can start getting this swung out from our back end, and then it's gonna latch in place right there. So, that gives us full hatch access. So if we need to get any more gear out of the back end, sit down to put our boots on, whatever we're looking to do. I really like that I can get this opened up all the way with all of our gear on the back. Now, another thing that we can do with this, we can swing this around. Now, maybe you don't have a reason to do that with the skis on here, but there's also a table top that you can put on here. So, maybe you wanna be out in the parking lot and have a bite to eat, and you just put a table on top of here. That's sold separately. But, it's gonna come locked, and then we'll take this knob out. Now that's one thing, if this doesn't stay put. Let's take it out all the way, and we'll remove this pin, and we can swing this around. Also with this swung out, I can get full access to, you know, I've got my cooler here, I've got a storage box. So, if we need to get into there without taking it all the way off, that's another way of doing it. Just to kinda help it make it be a little bit better for you, whatever you need it to be. I'm gonna get this swung around again, and put this back in place. So, I think it's a nice feature. Maybe not for everybody, but having it there when we do need it, is nice. So, this pin can go either way. So, if you wanna lock it on the inside or lock it on the outside, get that lock there. I'm gonna leave that key in place for later. And, I'll get this knob lined up. Then I'm gonna pull this release to get this back in place. And then this will click back in place. And then I can get that large knob that's gonna tighten everything down all the way. So, as you can see there, when I was swinging this out, this is a pretty substantial kit. It is gonna be very heavy whenever you're taking it off the car to store it. But, I think that's what's great about it, is being able to swap stuff out. So, we can take this off, we can take the ski rack off, we can make it a little bit lighter. But also, we can just leave the base on year round, and just swap out for whatever we're needing for the season. So, maybe you're done skiing for the season, you're switching to bikes, we'll put bikes on top. That's another nice feature to it. I'm gonna take some of my gear off, just so we can take a closer look at this. Before I take it all the way off though, I'm gonna take these skis off and just give you a better example of the bindings I was talking about. I've got a set of kids skis here, that we can get and put in place. This maybe gives us a little bit better example of how we could stack those skis up. As you can see here, not having that full frame of that binding in place, I'm able to get those stacked up, and that's how we'd be able to get multiple sets of skis on here. So with everything removed, we can take a closer look here at the cargo carrier. Now, this is gonna be similar to what you'd see on a roof, like a roof basket. It's gonna have a weight capacity of 110 pounds, so keep that in mind when you're loading stuff up. And, we've got pretty good capacity on how much stuff will fit in here. From the interior dimensions, it's right at 21 inches. You could see I had that storage container, and a pretty decent size cooler on here. So, 21 by about 54 1/4. So, pretty good amount of room there. I like that I've got plenty of spots all the way around to tie stuff down, get straps right in there. If you're not wanting something that's so exposed, there is an enclosed boxed version that you can get. And that's just gonna provide probably a little less storage space, but it is gonna keep stuff closed. So, you know, if you're going out skiing and you're probably not wanting all your stuff to get wet, if you're just putting coolers and boxes back there, not a big deal, but if you've got any kind of suitcases, I would consider the box. Now with that weight capacity of 110 pounds, another thing to keep in mind, is how much weight you're adding to the back of your vehicle. So, this system by itself, without our skis, without our gear, is gonna be around 137 pounds. So keep that in mind, whenever you're loading stuff up, on the tongue weight of your 4Runner. Now, the 4Runner has a pretty high capacity, depending on what hitch you have. So, either check with the manufacturer of the hitch, or with the owner's manual, if you've got a factory tow hitch. But overall, we're gonna get some measurements on how much this is gonna add to the back of your vehicle as well. Something to keep in mind. So, I'm gonna go from the rearmost part of the bumper, let's see if I can get a good measurement here, to the rearmost part of the cargo carrier, as it ends right about where the skis are. And, we're adding about 38 inches to the back of our vehicle, from the bumper. So, not a ton of space, but it's definitely gonna stick back there. For when it comes to ground clearance, we've got this factory 4Runner here, so we don't have any lift or oversized tires. I'm gonna do ground clearance probably right here where these knobs are. And that's gonna be adding at about, you're sitting at 24 1/2 inches. Another measurement to keep in mind, is how close everything is here. We've got plenty of room here today, but I'm gonna go from the bumper to right here where this knob is, and that's at 5 1/4 inches. With plenty of space there, you know, you don't have to tilt it all the way back. If you wanna get hatch access, we can just lower our glass there, if we wanna get something in or take something out, that's kinda small. Now, when it comes to mounting this to our two inch hitch, it does come with an anti-rattle bolt and a lock on the other side. And, you can get that keyed-alike, with all of the different accessories that go with this. You will have to pick those different lock cores up to match your skis or your bikes, but it's gonna come matched, to get with the system down here at the bottom. Then you can see here, as much weight as we have in there, there's a little bit of play there, not a whole bunch, whenever we're going up and down. But side to side, and it's gonna take a decent amount of movement there. But, we're basically shaking the whole vehicle there. So, it keeps us nice and tight. Another thing to keep in mind is you can add a light kit to this. So, you know, we're potentially, you know, blocking a little bit of lights there, if that's something you're worried about. And, if you are in a state that requires your license plate to be visible, there's also a relocation kit that you can pick up too, to make that a little bit more legal in your state. And, when it comes to swapping out your different accessories for the season, it's really easy to get those in place. So, we can just loosen up those knobs, switch that over, and then they just slide right out. So then, whether you're putting on another basket, a box, the bike rack, they're just gonna slide back in place that same way as the ski rack did, tighten that knob down. It comes with a lock there too. With those put in place, and then we're back in play. So, really easy to swap that out. So, you can have the same system and just kind of configure it to whatever you need for the season. Overall, I think this is a really great solution for carrying all your different gear for the 4Runner. You've got this big vehicle you're probably filling up with a lot of stuff. Whether you don't wanna get on the rack, a roof rack for snow, and wanna get stuff down, so it's not as dangerous getting skis loaded up, or cargo and gear, or you've got a box up there and you're just looking to maximize more space back here on the hitch, I think this is gonna be a really cool setup. It is really big. It's really heavy. So, moving it around when it's off the vehicle is kind of a hassle. Probably gonna take two hands. When we got this loaded up, it is a little heavy on the passenger's side, due to that swing-away arm. So, you do wanna be mindful of making sure you're lined up properly when you're getting that anti-rattle bolt in place, just so you don't put a lot of pressure on those threads. And then once you get it in place, it's good to go. But, that's maybe the downside as to how big and robust it is, but it's a small price to pay for being able to have all kinds of different gear getting swapped out on your 4Runner. But, that's gonna do it for our look at the Yakima EXO System on our 2015 Toyota 4Runner..
Average Customer Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (300 Customer Reviews)
This EXO system is perfect for your mountain getaway. Ski rack secures 5 pairs of skis or 4 snowboards, and cargo carrier holds coolers, luggage, firewood, and other large gear. System swings away to provide cargo area access.We use this for extra storage in our class B campervan. I'm able to store all the bulky items that don't fit inside the van like chairs, mats, and our grill. I like that it doesn't block the license plate or taillights and still allows access to the Thule bike rack. The SwingBase allows both doors to open for full access into the rear of the van.
Very interesting! I am pleased with this purchase. All of this equipment is well built and was designed with ease of use and security in mind. The hitch part is surprisingly pretty heavy, but once it is connected this weight gives the hitch a sturdy feel. The lockers are pretty big and the material though light weight feels like it will hold up to some rough miles and a few bruises. It is so nice to have this much dry secure and easy to access storage outside of our vehicle. Customer service was excellent and delivery times were surprisingly short.
Very easy to install. Total installation time (not counting taking photos and opening boxes) was approximately 15 minutes. The only issue I encountered was the left handle on the lower rack had a broken piece inside the locking pin assembly. Other than that, everything was quick and smooth for a single person job. This will greatly assist my business by allowing more room for passenger comfort on long trips to and from airports with a large party. Looking forward to putting this to use.
Product meets all expectations. etrailer quickly replaced a broken Knob Assembly which was damaged during shipping. Vehicle is an Airstream Interstate 24GT. The swing assembly does restrict the Sprinter's right barn door from opening completely, but not a significant issue. We did add our own rear turn signal lights and license plate holder since the factory rear lights restricted ground clearance.
Installed on 2017 Transit 350HD.
First order on etrailer and the experience was great; really fast shipping and great communication. I was surprised to see it picked and shipped so quick so late in the day, especially for how big this is. It comes in 4 boxes; one giant one and 3 moderately huge ones.
The Yakima EXO system is top notch, great construction. Excellent fit and finish, and pretty easy to assemble. Read the instructions and follow each step and you'll have no issues. I have a bad back and was able to assemble myself, the heaviest part is the swing away hitch - if you can lift about 40-50 pounds it is going to be easy to assemble without any help. I went slow and it only took me about 30-45 minutes.
Tips - the bike rack portion it's not super clear that the rails should not be tight when you put the upper bike rack on. Just set everything in place and it will make getting the bolts through easier.
Pros - it's as advertised. Super sturdy, no shaking/rocking, easy to use. The people who designed this system should be high fiving themselves, it's great.
Cons - none really other than one minor customer experience gripe - you're given enough lock centers to re-key multiple Yakima EXO accessories, I think 4 are included...but it does not come with a master key for removing the lock center. You'll need to buy this separately or do like I did and make your own. Considering they put the effort into including replacement lock centers and give you every tool you'd need, it's a weird oversight.
That being said once you replace the lock center on the cargo carrier you only need 1 key for all of the locks on the system which is awesome.
Ford Transit specific issue I ran into:
When the swing away is open there is a safety latch that holds it open so it will not fall closed on you. This gets in the way of the passenger door opening. But if you remove this (at your risk) you can open the passenger door fully and if you rotate the upper shelf you can even open the door entirely against the side of the van. Also it will 100% block your camera and license plate if it's door mounted.
Absolutely stoked on this system. The cargo box is awesome with internal tie downs and taking it apart to store it in the garage only takes a minute or two. I love how easy the cargo box indexes in place. Every aspect of it has been super satisfying to play with.
We have owned our Yakima swing away cargo carrier for a year and it has been a wonderful addition to our Rubicon. It gives us all the room for our 2 large dogs while carrying our luggage to visit our family. It has been so helpful; it stays on the Rubicon all the time! The way the carrier swings out of the way was critical for the dogs to get access to the rear of the Rubicon. Can't live without our Yakima carrier!
This is the perfect setup for family road trips when you need a little extra dry storage. I mounted this on my Rivian R1S and saw no change in range, as opposed to a roof mount system. I only wish Yakima would incorporate a full-size spare mount for the EXO. Also had a favorable experience with etrailer customer service, as one of the locking pins arrived damaged. They were quick to get a replacement part to me at no cost. I couldn't be happier with the EXO or etrailer. I know that sounds corny, but it's true.
Unfortunately we can’t open rear of 2018 expedition with the top box in place. One of the knob locking pins is/was broken in shipping. I also wish all of the items were keyed the same. This whole setup is 5 keys. I’ll probably call a locksmith and have them all re-keyed if possible.
Good design with minor flaws. After 12 months of using main frame and one level container I have found rusting pin in the swing hinge and box perforation,probably caused by a small rock picked by the rear tire. This year I purchased the frame for the upper tier and a 2nd container. The upper rotaing frame is loosely fitted and requires some gymnastics to fit in the stabilizing screw. It is especially difficult with the upper container loaded. The securing screw should have a butterfly handle and a pilot point, like the one in the lower level.
The lights work very well with the hitch box assembly.It is mounted on a Ford Transit camper. High visibility and easy to attach. The wire hold plastic clips have not held up after a few uses so I use some zip ties. The Transit blis system deactivates when a trailer is attached. You can use the Yakima box with lights and have blis active by setting trailer length to shortest setting in the controls. I believe it us longer than box and rack.
Couldn’t love this more, adds all of the extra space needed. Locks integrated throughout make very easy to secure. Love that the cargo boxes can be removed individually, packed and returned to brackets. Two improvements which we would improve, locks are all keyed differently and would be a bit easier for us if they were keyed alike. Also, has a significant wobble once affixed to the hitch. We were able to fix temporarily with shims, and will be ordering a hitch tightener for future use. Not sure if this is a universal issue or specific to our vehicle type.
I think this is a great product except for the locking pin in the full swing out position doesn’t allow the right rear door to open fully. (Check photo included). If Yakima made a 1/2” shorter pin then it would allow the door to open correctly.
I'm always impressed with the speed of getting shipments from etrailer. Of course the Yakima product quality is great, I think the service at etailer is what keeps me coming back.
Perfect for my needs, 2 bikes load easy and are secure. Gear tray is perfect dimensions for cooler and gear bags.
Great bike rack and cargo carrier. I use it on my camper van and it is very functional and creates a ton of extra storage. Swing away rack works extremely well!
Major flaw in the design. When using the box mounted on the bottom rack, You have to rotate the upper board/box rack 180° entirely in order to open the box… this isn’t super difficult but you actually have to swing the entire rack (upper & lower) out to the side to rotate the upper rack. This is extremely annoying if you just need to get something out of the box in a hurry. Additionally the turn knob/handle where you release the rack to swing out to the side, is right where your wheels throw all the mud, snow, dirt etc. so this makes for a messy event if you just simply want to get into box as stated earlier or in the back of an SUV after driving through any type of in-climate conditions. Another flaw was the clip rings should have been made with lanyard as we lost ours day one. Do your self a favor and by extra clips from the hardware store and keep in the box.
Aside from the flaws, the structural integrity is excellent, the mounting pin through the hitch is more than safe and secure, again a bit annoying if you want you remove the entire rack system quickly or even just after a trip. We ended up just leaving ours attached all winter due to the inconvenience. The box is made well, the rack holder’s are also made well. Quality of the product is high, just wish Yakima would have put a little more thought into the ease and accessibility of the rack in the way that THULE typically does. A simple 30° tilt up feature on the upper rack would have been perfect, additionally a 30° tilt down on the hitch mounting point for the entire rack to tilt would have given so much more ease to accessing the back of the vehicle.
We like the overall product and after spending so much money on it we have no choice but to keep it for years to come. Just might have to weld my own tilting brackets to ease the painful transitions.
Very heavy duty (which means quite heavy in weight too). Manipulates well to get into one or the other storage bin. Lots of room! Overall love it!
Got everything but the keys for the Cargo Carrier, no instructions in the box or keys. All the other items had instuctions, hardware etc. included but not the cargo carrier. It was the only piece that did not come in a Yakima labeled box.
I LOVE my EXO system
We bought this set of back of the car storage carriers a year ago so we wouldn't have to rent a U-Haul trailer for vacation. Just finished our second month long trip.
We love it. Sturdy, well engineered. Would recommend it to anyone.
Thanks etrailer
The unit arrived as projected,, 4 components all well packaged.
The instructions were easily followed and accurate
The quality of the construction was good with clean welds and good coating
One issue was no keys for the pin locks could be located
The design of the attachment is very easy to attach and detachment.
You can see the various coolers utilized, couple reasons
1. Larger coolers can’t be accessed, the smaller size allows for open top
Access, additionally these can be locked with cable thru handle to
Reduce possible theft.
I did find the upper tightening knob to be not as secure, as I felt better,
In putting a thru bolt and lock but in lue of
All in all pleased , we’ll see how it holds up under highway use
The unit is mounted on our class b RV and has performed flawlessly in the year that we’ve owned it. The swing away feature allows us to open the back doors. Next purchase will be the bike rack. 4 instead of 5 stars only because of no response by the Yakima support team to a question asked just after we purchased it. E-trailer was great to work with
All of the Yakima items I bought from you are awesome!!! They are very good quality and are great to use. I bought the swing arm , the box , the table. I just went camping for first time this year. Everything worked great. Thanks
This thing is well built and Heavy! should work well for my needs. definitely have to load heavier things on the driver's side as it is off center and tilts to the passenger side when not loaded with gear. I also got the tabletop which now I realize is useless for my application. I am using this on my truck with a truck camper in the bed. this makes the table attachment shoulder high. wheels for the wheel kit at pneumatic and flat so I guess I will have to add air every time I intend on using them, I thought the description said they were solid wheels, but I must have read something wrong cause they are definitely phonematic.
This was actually a really good bike holder. However, it is made for an inferior swing away system. Maybe if it was used in combination with a different platform that matched its quality.
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