Tell me about rooftop Cargo Boxes

[Table 5]

I'm looking at getting a rooftop cargo box for our wagon, and just looking for some general opinions on what features are good, and what are useless.

Is there any discernible quality different between Thule and Yakima? What about Inno?

Ideally looking for something that can take a lot of stuff. Not sure what that stuff will be, but probably mostly baby crap...although I'd like it to be long enough for a couple of skis. So far the Yakima Skybox 18, and the Thule Force/Sonic XL seem to stand out as options.

I'll try to not run this one into an overhang.

[GGG]

No difference between any of the big brands. As you go up in price they claim wind noise is reduced. Sportrak available at Canadian tire is also made by Thule.

Consider the height of the carrier vs the max height of what you want to put in it.

[btimbit]

Rule of thumb, Thule looks better, has nicer designs, maybe a few neat features, but can cost roughly twice as much and take twice as long to install than Yakima.

By neat features I mean some little things. I've come across very few Yakima boxes that can be opened with one hand. Something you don't think about until you're wrangling a bunch of gear, or a kid, while trying to load up the car. Thule is nice there.

If it's something you'll be taking on and off a lot though, Yakima's mounting brackets areusually fixed in position, which makes them easier to install. Some prefer Thule since you can adjust them, especially if you want to try and put another bike or ski rack on the roof.

Can't really go wrong with either, I've always just gone with the best deal I can find on kijiji and never been disappointed. Nice thing about roof boxes is so many people use them once or twice, then they collect dust in the garage until sold. Cheap and barely used.

Never used any other brands myself, just those two

[Tron_fdc]

Fanny packs of the car world?

Inno carry less, but they don't whistle as bad. Yakima and Thule are pretty much the same thing these days, and are interchangeable. I have Thule bars and a big Yakima box, and it's noticeably loud. It really screws up my hands free phone speaker with the loud humming the bars/box make.

Check kijiji often for boxes, they pop up cheap pretty often. Rack City often carries used bars, or you can buy new and they will install them. My advice is new bars, and used attachments to save some $$$

[Table 5]

Thanks for the insight guys. I've actually been scouring Kijiji for the last two weeks, but nothing seems to be quite what I'm looking for, or it's in terrible shape. I just need to keep looking I guess.

btimbit, Yakima from what I've seen doesn't seem to be that much cheaper than Thule now. Personally, I don't have a huge brand preference, so good to know that there's not a huge different between the too. Although I have seen a few reviews online where Yakima boxes pop open...which is sub optimal.

I've never heard of Sportrack before, but I might need to check them out.

Rooftop bags could be a decent option too.

[bossy22]

I've got a Yakima skybox pro 21. It's huge. It's fully adjustable and super easy to use. The brackets will fit any crossbars and slide on tracks. I've used it on a honda pilot and a Toyota matrix. The hatch wouldn't open fully on matrix though but still pretty accessible. And my kids used on their Pacifica for a ski trip. It's got a single lock and can easily be opened with one hand. It can also be opened on both sides which is a nice feature.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Thanks for the insight guys. I've actually been scouring Kijiji for the last two weeks, but nothing seems to be quite what I'm looking for, or it's in terrible shape. I just need to keep looking I guess.

btimbit, Yakima from what I've seen doesn't seem to be that much cheaper than Thule now. Personally, I don't have a huge brand preference, so good to know that there's not a huge different between the too. Although I have seen a few reviews online where Yakima boxes pop open...which is sub optimal.

I've never heard of Sportrack before, but I might need to check them out.

Rooftop bags could be a decent option too.

Really? Was a pretty wide price gap last time I was looking (5 years ago)

That sure makes it harder then. I'd just go with whatever's a better deal I guess

[Northendzone]

I have no direct advice, other than to think of a way to signal yourself to not just wheel into a garage......put a ribbon on your steering wheel, hide you garage door opener.......

Have you looked into renting one of these things? Then you can decide if it is really for you, or if you should just buy a semi-trailer and cab over unit....

[Wormius]

As a somewhat happy medium, we picked up one of those Thule cargo bags from C.T. They're quite compact when empty, and can fit a bunch of stuff. Only criticism is they're not waterproof, so anything for camping should be double-bagged. Also, get a wind-deflector to help reduce the number of bug guts that accumulate.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

Have you looked into renting one of these things? Then you can decide if it is really for you, or if you should just buy a semi-trailer and cab over unit....

Hmm renting one is not a bad idea. Looking into that now.

Originally Posted by Wormius

As a somewhat happy medium, we picked up one of those Thule cargo bags from C.T. They're quite compact when empty, and can fit a bunch of stuff. Only criticism is they're not waterproof, so anything for camping should be double-bagged. Also, get a wind-deflector to help reduce the number of bug guts that accumulate.

I was thinking about a cargo bag as I like the fact that it would store well (our garage is not very big), but every review I've read online of them seems to indicate they don't last very long, and start ripping at the seams. How long have you had yours? Any issues like that? What model do you have?

[GGG]

They also put tiny scratches in your roof.

Mine fell apart after a few uses. I would not recomend unless it was just for one or two trips

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Hmm renting one is not a bad idea. Looking into that now.



I was thinking about a cargo bag as I like the fact that it would store well (our garage is not very big), but every review I've read online of them seems to indicate they don't last very long, and start ripping at the seams. How long have you had yours? Any issues like that? What model do you have?

I bought Thule Nomad, it was on sale at CT, really cheap as I recall. I have only used it three times for week long camping trips in Tofino,Yellowstone, and Glacier. It's still in good condition, except for the straps as I have noted below, but I am sure there are things you can buy at MEC to mitigate that.

The good:

- Cheap.
- Compacts down and fits into a tiny pouch when not in use.
- Does what it needs to.

The bad:

- Not waterproof.
- The straps frayed easily, and also need to tie the straps to something or else you'll hear constant flapping when you drive.
- Not aerodynamic.
- Unwieldly. As in don't try to fill this up and then put it on your car.
- Hard to gauge how much you can fit in it, and it takes some shifting stuff around. If you're not trying to stuff it full, its not a problem though.

Also be careful of what you put on the bottom that is against the car. It would probably cause dings in your roof.

[BigNumbers]

Just bought a cargo box for the first time for our qx60. Got the yakima skybox 21. Amazing. Opens from both sides unlike a Thule and is a nice carbon-fiber look. In kelowna for a few weeks and it was awesome on the highway. No noise and no movement. The yakima mounting adjustment mechanism is epically good.

[cam_wmh]

I've used a few.

Had an old Yakima, while driving in gale force winds near Lac des Arcs, the clam top blew apart.
Since then used a Thule Hyper. It's awesome. And expensive. And awesome.

[CarlLester]

My wife caught the camping bug last year and thought she needed one of these (or a larger vehicle) to haul a bunch of kids stuff for camping. She does not pack light. Anyway, after looking around some, I ended up getting her a Sportrack rooftop bag from Canadian Tire for under a hundred bucks. I won't go on and on about how awesome it is because it really isnt. However it is functional, it did/does just what she needs it to do and for the price i paid it doesn't matter if it lasts long. And the added benefit is it is easy to store, the box is not much larger than a shoe box. The reviews I read expressed concerns about it not being waterproof, etc. but we got around that by strategically packing things inside the vehicle if they could not be allowed to get wet. Anyway, it's a cheap alternative.

[calgarygeologist]

This is obviously not a box but I prefer these open carriers/trays/baskets.



Thule use to make one called the Expedition Safari which had very nice lines and looked very attractive on the roof of a vehicle.

[squiggs96]

I bought the Sonic XL cargo rack last year, and I love it. It's great for skiing to throw everything in, and still have all the room inside the vehicle for five people comfortably. I bought a Thule bike rack at the same time, and it's nice to have one key for all the locks, as they sync them for you. I looked at the Hyper, which they said was more popular, but it wasn't worth the extra cost for me ($1,200 vs. $800). I'm told the Hyper is less noisy, but I haven't heard my Sonic at all. I've used it skiing multiple times, weekend trips to Kelowna, and just moving places around town. It still works like brand new, and hasn't caused any scratches. I can take it from my storage area, and put it on top of my vehicle in about 2 minutes by myself. The locks are easy, and the clamps are secure. It's easily one of my better purchases.

I had to buy cross bars too, as my X5 only had the running bars on it.

[Josh]

I have 2 Skybox 18's (one on my tent trailer and the other for my car). While it does make noise, its largely the rooftop bars that make the most noise. I switched from the standard round yakima bars to the whispbars and the difference in noise in the vehicle was night and day!

[InglewoodFan]

Originally Posted by Josh

I have 2 Skybox 18's (one on my tent trailer and the other for my car). While it does make noise, its largely the rooftop bars that make the most noise. I switched from the standard round yakima bars to the whispbars and the difference in noise in the vehicle was night and day!

Uh oh, I didn't need to hear this. I've been running the round bars for three successive cars (13 years now) and quiet would be better. But cheap me doesn't want to spring for whispbars when mine are still working.

I've had my yakima skybox for almost 5 years, works just fine. I like having it on the wagon to keep the minions' stinky lacrosse gear in so it doesn't smell up the car. Plus when we go anywhere with the dogs, they get the back so luggage etc has to go up top. Loading from both sides is a nice feature to make sure the whole thing gets effectively filled.

[sevenarms]

Anyone used a hitch cargo box?