Yakima Fat Cat 6 2013 - 2012 Review by The Good Ride

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The Yakima FatCat 6 comes from a long line of good racks and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s the rack you will see in my car when I’m carpooling. The only difference between the FatCat and the Powderhound Rack is that the FatCat has a more aerodynamic shape.

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  No one is perfect and we do make money from the “Where To Buy” links below, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

The Yakima Fat Cat 6 has the best look and the best aerodynamic feel of any other rack I have come across.

It seems like it’s only more aerodynamic when there are no snowboards mounted.  When the snowboards are on the aerodynamic advantage seems like it’s more negligible but I’d imagine that there is still a little advantage over other racks. FatCat has many sizes. The FatCat 6 can hold 2 snowboards wide and 4 stacked. Actually, I have even stuck in 4 snowboards with bindings and 2 without totaling 6 boards. Also, it looks better than any other rack I’ve come across.

Mounting: I haven’t found a rack system that is super easy but this is pretty much like every other rack I have mounted.  When it’s done it’s very solid and has fit my 2005 Subaru Outback, 2012 Subaru Impreza and 2013 Subaru Crosstrek XV no problem. It also fits my wife’s 2013 Subaru Outback without issues as well.  All of these cars came with factory crossbars and all of them mounted well.  I personally like leaving them on my Crosstrek Cross Bars and just leave them off the car when I don’t need them.  This way I only have to mount the Crossbars.

Locking System: Let’s face it.  If someone really wants to steal your gear they will but it’s nice to have a deterrent. The locks work well and sometimes get sticky in the cold but most locks do when they are exposed to wet conditions that then freeze.  I’ve had some times that took a little work but I’ve never had my lock frozen and inaccessible.

Ease of Use: The big release buttons really help when you have gloves on or are cold and just want to use your palms instead of frozen fingers.  It’s much better than almost any other rack that I have used.

If you are a gear whore like me that always brings at least 2 boards to the mountain or have lots of friends then the FatCat 6 is the way to go.  If you run solo and only have one or 2 boards then the FatCat 4 that carries only 2 snowboards will work.