Editor’s Note: In each issue of Snow Goer magazine, our team of experienced product testers reviews various aftermarket products in the Cold Tested department. This review was printed in the November 2015 issue of Snow Goer. Subscribe to Snow Goer now to receive such reviews, 7 times per year delivered to your home.
The Skinz Protective Gear Tunnel Pack for Axys-based Polaris Rush and Switchback models is a two-part bag that uses the four bumper bolts to fasten the bag’s four plastic buckles to the machine, and six hook-and-loop straps that attach it to the crank mechanism of the rear suspension. Installation was mostly quick and simple.
All four of the sled’s rear bumper fastener bolts twisted out and easily threaded back in – because the holes in the bumper and chassis didn’t move out of alignment – but the six hook-and-loop straps were very, very strong. That made it a bit of a challenge to tightly wrap them around the crank because they’d prematurely stick to each other and they were stubborn to separate and reset.
The lower portion of the Axys Tunnel Pack rests on the plastic “shelf” between the tail light and rear shock, so it relies on a few strips of adhesive-backed, hook-and-loop material to minimize shuffling back there. We cleaned the shelf with acetone, warmed it with a torch, pressed on the material and let it cure for a few days to help make sure it would reliably stick to the plastic surface. The whole installation process took less than 10 minutes and the fit was great and styling was good.
The bag held securely on the back of our 2015 Polaris 600 Switchback Pro-S demo, and it did a fine job hauling things like gloves, a tow strap, mid-layer jacket and a roll of aluminum foil that we used for cooking hot dogs on the muffler during a ride. The padded bag material is semi-rigid, which not only gave it some form and style, but also some structure that make it easier to load and unload cargo. Overall this is a nice bag that seems to be well built and provides a reasonable amount of cargo space for a day on the trails.
Tunnel Pack for Axys – $159.95
Skinz Protective Gear
Paynesville, Minnesota
320/243-8771
skinzprotectivegear.com
I purchased a axys chassis tunnel bag for my 2016 Polaris Rush 600. No instructions came with it and I cannot find a video to show how it is suppose to be strapped onto the snowmobile. can you send me instruction or show me where I can view a video on how to install them?