Author: PRW

Our story is more of a journey, because we’ve never been good at sitting still. After all, we don’t have wild sides; we have wild souls. For four decades, our trusted solutions have transformed the way people travel. We’re leaders in our category, packing heritage, safety, design sensibility, and street smarts into every product. Based in the Pacific Northwest, we’ve got the great outdoors at our doorstep. From valleys and peaks to banks and backlands, the grounds we roam make us feel at home. We give everyone the freedom to wander, the right to be unruly, and the confidence to go more rogue.

Yakima & Northwest River Supplies

Whether to stream, river, lake, or ocean, Yakima has easily and safely been getting people to the water going on five wild, original decades. To celebrate our 40th year, we talked with legendary river runner Bill Parks, founder of NRS (Northwest River Supplies).

A Longtime Water Lover & Yakima Customer

Passionate about helping others enjoy the sport he’d come to love so much as a river runner guide, in 1972 Bill started NRS with $2,000 from his savings, stocked an inventory of boating gear in his garage, and typed up his first product catalog.

“You can see the original Yakima Rack (known as ‘gold bars’) in this photo of a mistreated 1950s station wagon that I restored in the early 1970s,” Bill boasts. “And I still own a prototype of the BasketCase, Yakima’s first wire-mesh luggage carrier.”

Remembering Yakima’s First Founders

As a fellow entrepreneur in the early days of water sports, Bill knew the humble folks who ran a small machine stop in the town of Yakima, Washington, Otto and Jeanne Lagervall.

“Otto was exceptional,” Bill recalls. “He started out as a trumpet player with the New York Philharmonic and invented the folding music stand. As an engineer, he later designed a rack (the first of its kind) to get his touring kayak to the water, along with foot braces and a rudder.” Today, Otto’s rack still helps water-lovers navigate hard crosswinds and surf today.

Bill remembers Otto as honest and conscientious to a fault. “He didn’t raise prices and didn’t make much money because there was quite a bit of inflation. Otto was so dedicated, he slept in an easy chair that he kept in his shop.”

Moving Forward While Honoring Tradition

When the time came to sell, the Lagervalls chose outdoor fanatics who shared Otto’s vision and would take the company further: kayakers Don Banducci and Steve Cole, who brought the renamed Yakima Products to Arcata, California, in 1979. The rest became our proud, multi-sport history.

Likewise, NRS has thrived after its original founder passed the baton. Recently retired as he approached his 80th birthday, Bill Parks sold NRS to nearly 100 employee-owners who share his singular vision. Like Yakima, NRS continues building on a heritage of innovating solutions for adventurers who are drawn to the water.

 

Celebrating 40 years of transforming how people travel

As the days lengthen and the sun shines into the starlit evening, there’s no better time to roll your window down, turn the music up, and hit cruise control. Head for the open road with any kind of gear and leave the rest to us. For 40 years, outdoor enthusiasts and travelers have entrusted Yakima to help them Take It Easy™. We put our best selves into everything we make—pairing common sense with unlimited imagination.

Yakima’s Pacific Northwest roots began in our rural namesake in Washington State, leading to expansive growth in the groovy coastal California town of Arcata. In the Summer of ’84, we racked out the vehicle fleet at the U.S. Olympics in Los Angeles, and the rest is history.

Now in our fifth trend-setting decade, we’ve learned that being an industry innovator requires original, safe, and easy-to-use solutions. Whatever kind of adventure moves your wheels, our products let you break away from the concrete-and-asphalt world to experience the natural one.

Nature’s therapeutic nature

Hit the road and leave your worries behind

Being avid explorers ourselves, we know first-hand why getting outside rewards mind, body, and spirit. That’s why you’ve always been the heart of our brand. Yakima’s unwavering mission is to equip outdoor-lovers with ever-capable products—for a seamless transition from work to play, and from stress to fun.

What’s good for the soul should also be good for the Earth. Like us, our nonprofit partners support outdoor recreation for everyone, along with engaging the next generation. As a company, we are committed to improving our carbon footprint by introducing new packaging and working to implement the HIGG index, an industry-wide self-assessment standard for measuring environmental and sustainability effectiveness. We do anything but “take it easy” to make sure you can Take It Easy™.

Peace of mind packs many pleasant surprises

Products that are easy on the eyes—and easy to use

Early on, we broke with existing American and European standards and traditions in rack design. We created hardware people had never seen… that elevated roof racks and bike mounts and kayak saddles, and all the rest, to achieve a new standard for making road trips safer and easier.

Today we continue working from both sides of our brains, engineering solutions that take the guesswork out of hauling gear. As your recreational co-pilot, we let you focus on your playlist and your destination. When it comes to what matters to you, our equipment must check all the boxes: user-friendly intuitive, functional, durable, and guaranteed to amp up every vehicle’s appearance. Rest assured, the Yakima product line-up is a breeze to install, and simple to load and store. That’s what we pack into our mantra, Take It Easy™.

We’re big on diligence and getting our headlights dirty

Testing, one, two, three

There’s no such thing as makeshift at Yakima. We are lighthearted in nature, but downright relentless about innovating solutions that get you where you’re headed. In the lab and on the road, each of our products must meet more than the International Organization for Standardization’s ISO requirements—they must endure our own rigorous testing criteria as well.

Refusing to take a “one-size-fits-all” approach, we use foolproof, high-tech simulations, and actual street smarts to maximize the strength and safety factors of everything we design. We methodically shake, stress, and pummel all parts independently and together in the form of fully assembled units. We’ve got your back, guaranteed—offering one of the best warranty policies in the business.

Built for beefy, sleek, large or compact

Ensuring the perfect “FIT” for your vehicle

Transport your gear with Yakima confidence, no matter what set of wheels you drive. From big rigs to modest sedans, from fat tires to rooftop tents, our in-house team tests our products for compatibility with all makes, shapes, body styles, and gear.

Vehicles are constantly changing, with new activities on the rise. Gear is evolving, too, giving us even more of a reason to continuously refine and tailor our products to harmonize with what you drive. We document each “fit” in a continually updated database for online reference 24/7. You can easily customize your vehicle here.

Time doesn’t stand still—neither do we

We just keep making it easier

Wanderlust doesn’t always run on a schedule. So when the call of the Wild inspires you to answer, be sure to take us along for a smoother ride. Whether you’re buying a new vehicle, have just picked up your first kayak, or are planning an epic summer road trip… count on us to make the journey safe and seamless. After four decades expanding horizons and pushing personal boundaries—yours and ours—there’s no stopping us. When it comes to almost about any type of outdoor activity, we keep on finding smarter ways to help our fellow wanderers Take It Easy™. Thanks for exploring with us.

To continue the journey, follow along with us@YakimaRacks and #TakeItEasy—and share photos of how you TakeItEasy™.