These handy straps offer an alternate way to mount your Saris Bones bike rack to your hatchback vehicle. They replace the standard top hooks and anchor the rack to the hatch for a secure, custom fit.
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Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hi everyone. It's Evangeline here at etrailer and today we'll be taking a look at our Saris Hatch Huggers for your Saris trunk mounted bike rack right here at etrailer. So here at etrailer we install a lot of bike racks on a lot of vehicles. I'm probably the one on the team that enjoys installing trunk mounted bike rack the most, just because I enjoy the challenge of figuring out where all the straps go, how to get the best tension on them. It's really tricky, which I know, you know, if you've ever installed a trunk mounted bike rack. Now, if you want to install them on vehicles with hatchbacks or SUV's what you usually need are Hatch Huggers, like what we have here.
So it's nice that Saris has these Hatch Huggers just to make sure that their Saris Bones are compatible with multiple vehicles. I still kind of wish they included them with the bike rack itself, but definitely something worth adding on if you already know you're gonna be mounting a trunk mounted bike rack. This is a confirmed fit for most of your SUV's and it's very easy to switch them out. So if you have a Saris trunk mounted bike rack and then you also have a vehicle with a hatch what is probably gonna happen, is that they're gonna recommend you replace the top straps with Hatch Huggers like these. So what we have here is a Prius V with a hatchback, and since there's a spoiler on top, I didn't want to have to use the hooks 'cause that might bring my spoiler down.
We have the Hatch Huggers now that's taking the tension off the spoiler, as well as giving us stability for our bike rack. So we have a lightweight material on the inside, but on the outside we have these foam or these foam blocks. So these can be adjusted depending on the size of your hatch, as well as if you need to attach a strap. That strap is connected to our trunk rack. So this one is tensioned down since our bike rack is mounted.
So notice how it's distributing the weight between our hatch and our ceiling giving us that stability, but also not putting too much pressure on any one point. So what's holding the Hatch Hugger is this strap. So notice how it's running through the seam of our door's hatch and it's beside the latch too. That way it doesn't go out to the side. It's thin enough where it fits right there, but it's sturdy enough just to give you that strength.
These replace the current hooks on your Saris Bones rack, so let's take a look at how you switch those out. So the install process is really very simple. You're just replacing your upper hook on your Saris Bones with the Hatch Hugger. Now notice how we have it already installed with the strap. In case it came without the strap on there you can just pull this foam pad off. But with everything in place on your Hatch Hugger, just undo the buckle for your hook first. Just double check that this is the upper hook. Yep, It is. And then just get your Hatch Hugger strep and put that into your cam buckle. And just like that you're now ready to put your Saris Bones onto your vehicle. Please follow the specific fit guide instructions for your specific vehicles when doing so. Always good to see that you have everything you need. So depending on how your hatch is designed, what you may actually need to do is take the Hatch Hugger out of your bike rack first and then attach it later. So notice how I have my latch right over here, and I don't have much of an opening. So I have my hatch hugger, and I'm just gonna feed that strap up through the hatch. Now, get that strap through your hatch, just enough where your Hatch Hugger sits below the lip of your door. So with these in place we can now close our hatch and then install our bike rack, not forgetting to put the straps onto the top of our Saris Bones. So make sure that your strap feeds in through the top of the dog leg feet. So notice how we have a gap between our spoiler and our strap, only meeting in towards the very end. So that's how the Hatch Hugger works, just taking the tension off of your spoiler. Now don't forget to tuck the excess strap back into your Saris Bones bike rack and use the end cap to secure it. And that's it for the install of your Saris Bones Hatch Huggers for your Saris Bones bike backs..
My husband and I installed the bike rack yesterday and took it up to the bike trail 25 miles from home today. The hatch huggers were required for the side straps on my 2020 Honda Pilot. It required two people to hold the straps above the tail lights while the back hatch automatically closes. (One could possibly use tape to temporarily hold them in place.) The hatch huggers info says only 2 bikes with a total of 75#’s are useable with this strap. I would have appreciated knowing that info before buying the 3 bike rack. We also used bungee cords to prevent the bike tires from moving during travel. The rack & straps worked great!! The rack was in the process of being removed when I remembered to take the picture so this is not the fully attached rack shown.
With the current pandemic buying a rack & hatch huggers straps from one vendor was not possible. I was very happy that Etrailer.com was able to provide the needed hatch huggers!!
I have not had a chance to try the “Hatch Huggers” on the open road, but there is no doubt in my mind that they will add stability to the Bones 2 rack mounted on my Honda HR-V. I have found that a magnet is a must in positioning the straps before closing the hatch.
So far so good but I haven't used them that much. We are using them on a Honda CRV (in combination with a bike rack we also purchased from here); it's a little awkward setting the system up but once it's in place they work great. It may be me, but we needed to use these on the bottom of the hatch not the top as indicated but we made it work. Secures nicely. We drove from New England to South Carolina without a single problem. Actually the only problem was the rear wiper on the car that apparently won't shut off and got snagged on the rack itself. Otherwise 100% happy with the product - can't fault the product for the car issues.
This item allows me to use my saris bike rack but it takes time to loop it over the back of the car for use and then for dismounting the rack after use. I use it on a Lexus NX300.
Very easy to use and works great. However, because of the clearance between my hatch/trunk I have to remove the huggers from the bike carrier before or after using the bike carrier. The clearance on my BMW 430i Grand Coups does not have enough room to install from the outside.
This product was recommended for the bike rack I bought. It was a great investment. It made the installation process easier and much more secure.
etrailer.com delivered the ordered products in a timely manner. Each time I have used etrailer.com they have delivered the product quickly.
Wonderful product that enables me to re-utilize my Saris Bones2 on my new SUV? Great website and advice on the part I needed, and great service and quick shipping.
So happy with our decision to purchase this product! Easy to install on back of our Honda CRV and was exactly what we were looking for.
Item was exactly what I was looking for, great value and find. Recommend etrailer.com.
Fantastic customer service. Prompt deli very.
Product easy to attach for 2015 Audi Q5 SUV.
Adds piece of mind.
Item was as advertized.
They're just what I needed for my suv.
haven't had a chance to put it on yet....will let you know.....
Super moist and delicious.
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