Malone SlopeSide Ski and Snowboard Carrier - Slide Out - 5 Pairs of Skis or 4 Boards - Silver

Video Transcript for Malone SlopeSide Slide Out Ski and Snowboard Carrier Review

Hey, everyone, it's Evangeline here at etrailer and today we have the Malone SlopeSide Sliding Ski and Snowboard Carrier. We're gonna take a look at some of its features, how it works, how it installs, right here at etrailer.com. The main thing about this carrier is its sliding feature. Now, a sliding ski and snowboard carrier is not a new idea, but this is gonna be the first one I've seen that offers this feature at an entry-level price point. So if you like that premium feature but you're not quite ready to invest at that premium price, this is a great way to start where it makes your skis and snowboards easier to mount and dismount, especially when you're at the slopes. This can carry up to five pairs of skis, four boards, or 10 fishing rods.

It has a traditional design of these rubber pads that allows the carrier to grip onto whatever you're carrying, but also cushion them. Of course, skis and boards come in different shapes and sizes, so the actual usable space of that rubber lining is going to be 24 inches. Now, for your clearance for your bindings, here's some measurements to help you figure out if your skis and boards will fit. So what I like to do is I measure from the board to the top of the crossbar since everyone has different roof racks. So if you're using the universal clamps, you're gonna have a height of 3 1/4 inches of clearance.

If you're using the T-track clamps, you're then going to have a height of 2 1/2 inches. So add that to your roof rack height and that will help you figure out if you have space for your bindings. So compared to other styles of roof rack carriers, this does not have a height adapter. So if this doesn't fit on your roof or if you really need to carry your bindings in a down position and you know it's not gonna clear, that is something to be mindful of before you get this carrier. Before we take our boards and skis off, I do wanna show you how exactly it slides out.

It's a very unique design where it utilizes this pull lever. So you have to grab that lever, you pull up on it, and then you're able to slide your carrier out. Once you get past that initial slide, you can then let go of the lever and then focus on getting both carriers out as evenly as you can. So compared to buttons and triggers that other carriers have, this is a little bit more of work you're gonna have to do. And when you push the carrier in, you do have to make sure that that lever is in the enclosed position and that way you can close that top half.

So if you don't do that, that's gonna stick out and you won't be able to close your carrier. While it's kind of a goofy design, it does what you need it to do and that's what's important. Now, something that I am really glad to see is that it has locks included. So these are gonna be your integrated lock cores. You do get two keys with the system. Both of them are keyed alike, so you can keep one as a spare. Once you turn that lock, you're then unable to press the open button, which then secures your skis and your snowboards. And since there's a knob in the middle of the carrier that secures the clamps, that makes it a little bit more difficult to remove the entire carrier by loosening the knobs. So there are security functions there to protect your investments. The carrier is 31 inches long and that's measured from the furthest point to the furthest point, and that will help you figure out if you have space for other accessories on your roof rack. Now, I personally like to push this as far to the end of the roof rack as I can get it, so having the options for either the T-slot or the universal clamps can help me with that. And this will also help you fully utilize that whole slide out feature. This does feel very lightweight, and that's because you have a combination of aluminum and plastic construction. The perks to that is, well, it does save on weight capacity for your roof rack, but also, if you are using this outside, you have the snow, you have the weather, you have the water, you wanna make sure that your carrier doesn't rust in those conditions. All in all, this carrier's gonna be very straightforward. It carries your skis, snowboards, and fishing rods, and it is able to slide out to make it easier to do so. It does have some interesting design choices like that lever where you have to pull it up and then slide, plus you have that whole thing where there's a difference in experience between the universal clamps and the T-track clamps depending on your crossbars, but at its price point, it's still a very tempting carrier. You would compare it to the Thule SnowPack Extender or the Kuat Grip. Those are premium carriers at extremely premium prices. They're awesome. They work great. But if you're not quite ready to invest in those carriers just yet and you still wanna make it easier for you to reach your skis and snowboards because maybe you're short, maybe your car is really tall, maybe you just want an easier life when you're out there on the slopes, then this is something worth looking into before you start upgrading to those premium carriers. There's two ways to install your SlopeSide Ski Carrier. So the first option is gonna be with the universal clamps, and this is the method that I would recommend if possible because it provides a solid base, especially for that sliding action. Now, if you do need to, you also have these T-track adapters and this can be used if your crossbars are too large to fit within the clamps. So the measurement for your crossbars, the maximum height is gonna be an inch and a quarter in height measured right there where the bolt is and then the maximum width is going to be three inches and a quarter. Not every crossbar is built the same, so because your T-slot adapters might have an angle when you slide them through the crossbar, this may or may not affect your experience with sliding out the carrier. So if you have a flat surface for your arrow crossbar, that's awesome. If you find your crossbar's angled a bit, you do have to be mindful you need to switch to the universal clamps. So we're going to be installing our carrier using the clamps. The first thing you need to do is you need to remove all three knobs up top, and then that way you can slide this onto your crossbar. You can put the clamp underneath and then you put the bracket up top and then secure them with the two knobs. Now, ideally, you'll want to space your clamps 20 and a half inches away from each other, but what I like to do is I like to just keep one of the clamps slightly loose. That way once the carrier's on, I can make my adjustments right there and then. Grab your carrier, line that up, try to get it as close as possible, and then drop the carrier onto the bolts. Hold onto it 'cause it's not secured. As you open up the carrier, you pull on this lever here and then you slide the system out. This will reveal the first clamp and then you can tighten it down with that small knob. To reveal the second clamp, you continue pulling on the carrier. You do need to push down on this metal piece in order to continue sliding the carrier out, but do that until you reveal the next clamp so that you can tighten that one down too. With both clamps secured, you can now push the entire carrier back into its locked position and now you're ready to load up your skis and snowboards. So for a friend that doesn't snowboard that often, but just needs something quick and easy to add to their roof rack so that they can hit the slopes, this is actually something that I would recommend for them. It gets the job done at a entry-level price point. Now, if you're curious about other ski and snowboard carriers, especially after looking into the features of this one, I do have a fun video here at etrailer where I guide you through the process of choosing a snowboard carrier. You can also check out our videos, pictures, and descriptions to help you find the right fit for you. But right here, right now, this was a look at the Malone SlopeSide Sliding Ski and Snowboard Carrier. You saw it here at etrailer.com. My name's Evangeline, and I hope you enjoy the journey.