u/Former_Acadia_6586

That took longer than expected.

Today I completed the final round of upgrades and accessories for my 2025 Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek. The vehicle is now equipped with a Yakima LockNLoad platform, Pelican cargo case, side awning, and—installed today—a Rich Solar Mega 100 Slim Onyx solar panel.
The solar panel is mounted to the Yakima platform using BougeRV claw clamps, which provided an excellent fit and a secure installation with no modification required.
This setup gives me a reliable solar charging solution for both my EcoFlow River 2 Max and EcoFlow Delta 3 Max power stations. Together, they provide ample power for my refrigerator/freezer, electronics, lighting, and other camping equipment, making the vehicle well-prepared for extended road trips and off-grid car camping adventures.

Today I completed the final round of upgrades and accessories for my 2025 Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek. The vehicle is now equipped with a Yakima LockNLoad platform, Pelican cargo case, side awning, and—installed today—a Rich Solar Mega 100 Slim Onyx solar panel.
The solar panel is mounted to the Yakima platform using BougeRV claw clamps, which provided an excellent fit and a secure installation with no modification required.
This setup gives me a reliable solar charging solution for both my EcoFlow River 2 Max and EcoFlow Delta 3 Max power stations. Together, they provide ample power for my refrigerator/freezer, electronics, lighting, and other camping equipment, making the vehicle well-prepared for extended road trips and off-grid car camping adventures.

I had an idea to ventilate my Pathfinder, because stale air is so last season. Armed with imagination, cardboard for brainstorming, ABS plastic for pretending I'm a pro engineer, noseeum mesh courtesy of my neighbor Mike, silicone weather stripping to seal the deal, and a couple of USB fans for intake and exhaust, I set to work. Sanding and Dremeling later, I'm thrilled to unveil my latest gadget to my trusty adventure chariot.

The newest addition to my 2025 Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek is the AILUYUN Car Side Awning (6.56 ft x 8.53 ft / 2 m x 2.6 m) aluminum retractable awning with integrated LED lighting, purchased through Amazon. Shipping was free and took approximately one week.
Unfortunately, the package arrived damaged and was missing the permanent mounting brackets. To resolve the issue, I ordered a set of Replacement Mounting Brackets for the Yakima OverNOut Roll-Out Awning from the E-Trailer website.
Installation was straightforward. I was able to install both quick-release crossbar mounting brackets onto the awning in about five minutes, and they fit perfectly without any modifications.
Overall, I’m impressed with the value this awning provides for its price point. One of its biggest advantages is the durable aluminum housing, which offers better long-term protection compared to the zippered fabric bags commonly used by many competing products.
Another feature I appreciate is the self-retracting design, which makes setup and teardown much easier. The awning also includes a full-length LED support beam that is powered by a standard USB battery pack. In addition to providing useful lighting at night, the support beam adds a noticeable amount of rigidity and stability when the awning is fully extended.
So far, this has been a worthwhile addition to my Pathfinder, especially for road trips, camping, and creating a shaded outdoor living space while keeping a clean, factory-like appearance.

Side Note: the photo with me in it is to show the extra headroom when standing underneath it and I’m 5’10”.

My newest addition to the 2025 Rock Creek: the BX140R Cargo Case, mounted using the Cargo Case Roof Mount Gen2 Kit (RFMT-002LR-BLK).

The installation took about 30 minutes and was easily completed by myself. Best of all, there was no drilling, cutting, or modifying required to the existing Yakima platform that’s already attached to the Rock Creek roof rack.

So far, both the mount kit and the BX140R feel extremely sturdy and secure. I even gave it the official test by slapping it and declaring, “That’s not going anywhere.” With how solid it feels, I’m confident it’ll stay put while driving.

Overall, I’m very happy with the setup and how seamlessly it integrates with the Rock Creek.

Good morning Pathfinder family. I assembled and installed the Yakima LockNLoad Platform with two pairs of the Yakima Crossbar Clamps to the OEM Rock Creek roof rack.

No drilling or modification of the OEM rack. The whole process was super easy and barely an inconvenience. Assembly was about 30 minutes. Install was about the same as I did it by myself.

I found it odd that the Yakima website and vehicle fit guide said that this would not fit the RC. But it does and I think it looks great and more useful for future mountings…like the Slim Shady awning. 😁

Spent a few hours on the 2025 RC. Paste wax first and then the hybrid ceramic wax. The Porter Cable 7424 random orbital buffer makes the job a lot easier.
Washed and waxed…let’s see how long before any pterodactyls fly by and dump buckets of white crap all over it.

Gotta love Floridian birds.