Video Transcript for Yakima MOD Topper for HomeBase SUV Storage Drawer Review

Hey there, it's Evangeline here at etrailer. Today we have the Yakima MOD Topper. This is gonna fit your Yakima HomeBase, where you can then expand your cargo capacity, giving you more height compares to your HomeBase drawer. We're gonna take a look at how this MOD Topper fits, why you might get it, as well as how it installs right here at etrailer.com. If you're not familiar with the MOD system, it is a modular storage organization system from Yakima. It is designed to be used with different accessories where you mix and match depending on what you need to carry.

The HomeBase, it's pretty cool because you have all this space for all this stuff. However, the HomeBase is historically pretty short. So if you have larger bags, totes, cargo, usually they might not fit in the HomeBase. However, that's what the MOD Topper is for. It has pretty much exact same design and style as your HomeBase, but this'll take up half of your top board and gives you a lot more height to work with.

So you still have the same length dimensions, half of the width dimensions, but a little bit more height. So when you do need to carry those taller items, you have some different options. You can either put them on top of the MOD Topper and use the MOD cargo net to hold those larger things down. Or you can get the gear totes or the gear crate, which are also gonna be larger. The things these options don't have though, is gonna be the locking capability of the MOD Topper.

Similar to the HomeBase, you're gonna have a smooth drawer that closes, but is cushioned by these rubber strips. If you need to open up the drawer, you do have to pull on the latch, which is helpful because then you know this isn't swinging open when not in use. And finally, when this is closed, if you do find there's a little bit of extra movement, you can turn this plastic latch with a flathead screwdriver or the back of your key. And if you want to secure it with a metal key, you can switch these out for SKS lock cores, Yakima same key system cores. So if that's the method you're going about, make sure to get a pack that's large enough so that you can switch out the cores of all of your Yakima accessories and everything can then be keyed alike.

What I've noticed with the MOD Topper as well as the HomeBase, is when that drawer does come out, it locks into place in the open position, which is great because then when you have your heavier items, this by the way has a weight capacity of 50 pounds, then you know that it's really holding it up and supporting that weight and it's not just sliding in on you. Now you do have to remember that you have to give it a little extra force and push to bring it back in. You don't need to pull the latch, but if you find that it might feel a little stuck, just give it a push and feel free to slam that closed. For your HomeBase, you actually have some different options here. If you have the large HomeBase, it can only fit the large MOD Topper, but if you have the extra large HomeBase, you can fit both the large MOD Topper and the extra large MOD Topper. They do have mounting points that work for both sizes on the extra large HomeBase. Some people like to get creative and do the setup so that they can carry their longer and bulkier items here in the center, like their tripods, their lawn chairs, or different poles. So that is an option available for you if you have the extra large HomeBase You'll see the different mounting holes on the top of your HomeBase. So where your MOD Topper is secured to are going to be these nuts that come with the base system. If you want to put them side by side, you can see how they fit perfectly flush against each other. And you have another nut down there for your smaller topper. The topper secures with four bolts that are pre-installed on the system. So all you need to use is the tool that is already included with your topper. This tightens down on the bolts. The main thing you need to do is just get everything lined up. Getting it lined up might be a little tricky because it is heavy, but it's really just a matter of fitting that bolt over those holes and then using the tool included. This is gonna be a 4 millimeter Allen key, just like any tool included with a lot of your other Yakima accessories. Please use this tool when installing the topper because it does make it easier to tighten down that bolt and push down on the spring. But also once you get to 3-1/2 Newton meters, it'll automatically click, which prevents over tightening, but also tell you that you have enough tension. When you tighten down all four corners I like to give the MOD Topper good ole shake test to make sure everything's in place, and that's it. It's a very simple process. You don't even have to install the bolts yourself. You are just tightening them down into the nuts that are already on the HomeBase. So it's very simple. And also if you need to slide this over to the other side, it's something you can do too. Just loosen it, slide over, tighten it right back down. While using the MOD system, I noticed some things, and the tip I have for you is if you are using the MOD Topper for larger totes, that's awesome. If you're using it though for management of smaller items, because you have such a large cargo area, and because this is made of metal, you do have to be mindful of the items that you're carrying. If you have smaller cargo or things that can roll around, I do recommend looking into your MOD gear totes. These are gonna arrive in two different sizes and they will cushion your different cargo. That way your metal items aren't banging around the metal of the drawer, but it'll also make it a little easier to organize your stuff. So just a little tip I've learned while using the MOD system. The final tip I have for you is please make sure you have this space for your MOD Topper. Once you have your HomeBase in place and once you start adding and stacking things up, you might have different clearance issues with visibility of your rear window, being able to close your hatch, having clearance behind your rear seats. Every vehicle is different. So double check the measurements we give here in this video, as well as here on our site. We give you the exterior dimension so you know exactly where it sits, but we also give you the interior dimension so you know where your cargo will sit here in your system. But this right here was a look at the Yakima Mod System here at etrailer. My name's Evangeline and I hope you enjoyed the journey.