The Exitrax recovery boards claim to be unlike any other recovery board on the market. We take a closer look.
Recovery boards have been around for ages and, yep, everyone should have a set or two in their recovery kit. Putting a new product into a saturated market is a big move and you’d want to back your product and, according to Mean Mother, its new Exitrax recovery boards have had a tonne of R&D go into these boards, and they believe it has revolutionised the recovery board. Sounds like marketing speak, right. Maybe… Let’s take a look.
There are three Exitrax Recovery Board variants, which are classified as Good (930mm), Better (1110mm) and Best (1150mm). The Unsealed 4X4 team will be out testing these in the near future.
Let’s start with the boards in profile, regardless of the model they’re all shaped to be flat on top, meaning there’s no ramp to drive up before getting onto the flat section of the board. So, you’d extrapolate you’re making it easier on your vehicle in a recovery situation – and Exitrax reckons the design will reduce wheelspin. Exitrax claim to have reduced the initial climb out angle by up to 12-degrees.
Look at the boards top down and you’ll notice there are less nodules than on some other boards. And that, according to Exitrax is because if you have too many nodules, you’re just creating a flat surface. It likened that to a bed of nails; more nails closer together mean your weight is distributed evenly across the surface stopping your foot from being pierced by the nails. Fewer nodules improves grip – a claim we’ll be putting to the test soon. In addition to the nodules which, on the entry and mid-spec boards are star-shaped, the top-spec board (Ultimate) offers a flat-toothed nodule which is unique to Exitrax and nine additional gripping cleats. There are also debris channels which we’re told will help in clearing mud… and the boards have ground grippers on the underside too.
In terms of storage and carrying, the Exitrax are claimed to offer the lowest stacked profile when compared with “two other main boards”. One claim we can agree with is the balance of the boards. Even the top-spec Ultimate is balanced perfectly; to the point where you can literally carry it with one finger. The Exitrax boards come with an optional joining plate allowing you to connect two boards together. That same joining plate can be slotted into the back of the board allowing it to be used a jacking plate.
The boards were designed in Australia, are made in New Zealand and are priced from $139 for the entry-level 930mm board. For more information, visit https://exitrax.com/ and stay tuned for our full test in an upcoming issue.
