Ordered and installed my TopWater Rod Box in July 2020 and overall, I'm happy to have it. I'm a YAK fisher and travel around the south fishing and this storage system is important to me. Good comments first: Installs like a breeze and the under-bar clamp secures the unit easily. I did order the Slot-T-Slot Kit 5 for my Thule YAK rack and this hardware is the bomb. It allows me to slide the box on and off from the end of each crossbar of my rack and allows me to remove the box when I'm not traveling. Also, makes it easy to remove if I need to run the pickup through a car wash. The locking mechanism is adequate, but make no mistake in thinking this is a safe, secure way to store your rods overnight in a hotel parking lot or something similar. With a long screwdriver and not much effort, anyone can pry open the lid and make off with your gear. Yakami's lock hardware and mechanics are designed to keep folks honest when you’re at the fishing resort, but you'll want to remove your rods if staying somewhere very public, overnight. The NOT SO GOOD part: The hinge system of the stay-up-lid is nice, but very fragile. Before making my purchase via Moosejaw.com, I had read reviews that mentioned the spring(s) popping off when opening the lid and to be cautious of this. Well, the very first usage in the field of my TopWater, the left hand spring popped off before sunup and I had no idea how or why that happened. After getting home, I inspected the right side hinge spring, and it had bent nearly all the way and was holding by the bare minimums to the hinge hardware. One lid opening later, it popped and this is NOT something that should be happening to a brand new product of this cost. I contacted Yakima and they immediately offered to send new springs/hardware, however to my surprise, customer service offered ZERO explanation concerning how this may have happened, nor how I can try to avoid the issue in the future. I was really shocked that they offered no commentary on how to potentially open the lid differently, or more carefully than I currently do. Because I like to keep purchases for a long time, I manage the lid opening and closing gingerly, but that still didn't help avoid BOTH springs from failing within my first fishing trip. Lastly and somewhat negative, is that you can only unlock and lock the lid open or closed. To remove your key, you'll have to lock the lid back down and it's not possible to just close the lid and know that it's properly latched down. Yakima mentioned this was a design feature, to help prevent folks from leaving their car key(s) in the lock and later driving off. Can't say that I blame them for that, but it would've been nice to just be able to close and secure the lid, without having to have my keys available for locking or unlocking every time. Overall, I really like this box and will enjoy using it for its intended purpose, provided I have no more challenges with the springs. The composite material the box is made from is excellent and I hope the finish will hold up over the years of being exposed to the sun. I do recommend this box to anyone interested, however not without the concerns noted. Happy fishing!
