Q5 and Thule roof box
Discussion
Fair point 
For example, at the moment we might go away for a long weekend with our young child, so the usual clothes, toys, bags of this and that, food, pushchair etc all piled up in the back-crammed in, a right old mess.
So I'm thinking the more we can chuck in a box on the roof the better. So my instinct is that the bigger the better but having never owned one I don't know if there are any unforseen disadvantages to the biggest possible.
For example, at the moment we might go away for a long weekend with our young child, so the usual clothes, toys, bags of this and that, food, pushchair etc all piled up in the back-crammed in, a right old mess.
So I'm thinking the more we can chuck in a box on the roof the better. So my instinct is that the bigger the better but having never owned one I don't know if there are any unforseen disadvantages to the biggest possible.
If you'll ever want to carry skis or snowboards then get one that's long enough. Likewise if you might want to carry bikes, a kayak or something as well as the roofbox then narrower is good.
Motion looks like a more useable shape to me. Bear in mind that load capacity tends not to change with volume (normally 75kg tops) so the big ones can be hard to use the extra space unless it's all light and bulky stuff. You also want to avoid having too much "spare" space as you don't want stuff sliding around. Ideally you'll have some squashy stuff (like sleeping bags) to pack out any gaps and keep it all snug.
Halfords usually have a selection to look at. There's also plenty of places to hire them from, which always made more sense to me than owning, but I've only ever needed them for drives to the alps with skis & snowboards and don't have somewhere to keep one.
Motion looks like a more useable shape to me. Bear in mind that load capacity tends not to change with volume (normally 75kg tops) so the big ones can be hard to use the extra space unless it's all light and bulky stuff. You also want to avoid having too much "spare" space as you don't want stuff sliding around. Ideally you'll have some squashy stuff (like sleeping bags) to pack out any gaps and keep it all snug.
Halfords usually have a selection to look at. There's also plenty of places to hire them from, which always made more sense to me than owning, but I've only ever needed them for drives to the alps with skis & snowboards and don't have somewhere to keep one.
Driller said:
For example, at the moment we might go away for a long weekend with our young child.
Two of you and a toddler? The Q5's got a pretty big boot anyway, so I'd try and just pack according to the available space: Use this as the excuse to replace any bulky stuff with lightweight and compact shininess! Crap expands to fill the available space, given a chance, and NOT having a roofbox allows you to nip this in the bud.If you've plans for a bigger family or are going camping for a fortnight, that would be a different matter...
sjg said:
If you'll ever want to carry skis or snowboards then get one that's long enough. Likewise if you might want to carry bikes, a kayak or something as well as the roofbox then narrower is good.
Motion looks like a more useable shape to me. Bear in mind that load capacity tends not to change with volume (normally 75kg tops) so the big ones can be hard to use the extra space unless it's all light and bulky stuff. You also want to avoid having too much "spare" space as you don't want stuff sliding around. Ideally you'll have some squashy stuff (like sleeping bags) to pack out any gaps and keep it all snug.
Halfords usually have a selection to look at. There's also plenty of places to hire them from, which always made more sense to me than owning, but I've only ever needed them for drives to the alps with skis & snowboards and don't have somewhere to keep one.
Thanks very much for this advice, exactly the kind of thing I was looking for, especially the weight limit. I'll go and see some to get a better idea of size, cheers.Motion looks like a more useable shape to me. Bear in mind that load capacity tends not to change with volume (normally 75kg tops) so the big ones can be hard to use the extra space unless it's all light and bulky stuff. You also want to avoid having too much "spare" space as you don't want stuff sliding around. Ideally you'll have some squashy stuff (like sleeping bags) to pack out any gaps and keep it all snug.
Halfords usually have a selection to look at. There's also plenty of places to hire them from, which always made more sense to me than owning, but I've only ever needed them for drives to the alps with skis & snowboards and don't have somewhere to keep one.
silentbrown said:
Two of you and a toddler? The Q5's got a pretty big boot anyway, so I'd try and just pack according to the available space: Use this as the excuse to replace any bulky stuff with lightweight and compact shininess! Crap expands to fill the available space, given a chance, and NOT having a roofbox allows you to nip this in the bud.
If you've plans for a bigger family or are going camping for a fortnight, that would be a different matter...
Believe me, the boot is not that big. Once you start packing things in space gets used up quickly. Stick in an electric ice box and consider there's a bulky baby seat taking up a place and a bit, you're soon struggling.If you've plans for a bigger family or are going camping for a fortnight, that would be a different matter...
Besides, it's a Q5 FFS, if we wanted to be economical on space we would live in a 1 up 1 down and drive a mini
Dynamic looks pretty much like our older model Atlantis 780
Think this is the equiv now:
http://www.skidrive.co.uk/boxes/product_detail.php...
We can get all our OTT packing in for a 2 week holiday - could get a Bugaboo in component form in there, plus a folding high chair. For weekends we tended to use whichever seat in the car (usually front passenger) to stick the high chair in and not bother with the box. It kills economy and limits speed.
Assuming you'll have T section mountings on your bars it's worth spending a few quid extra on the specific fittings as you do away with all the clamp fittings which take up loads of space in the box.
Picked ours up used on ebay after seller had used it for a 2 week trip to Spain!
Think this is the equiv now:
http://www.skidrive.co.uk/boxes/product_detail.php...
We can get all our OTT packing in for a 2 week holiday - could get a Bugaboo in component form in there, plus a folding high chair. For weekends we tended to use whichever seat in the car (usually front passenger) to stick the high chair in and not bother with the box. It kills economy and limits speed.
Assuming you'll have T section mountings on your bars it's worth spending a few quid extra on the specific fittings as you do away with all the clamp fittings which take up loads of space in the box.
Picked ours up used on ebay after seller had used it for a 2 week trip to Spain!
Driller said:
...Stick in an electric ice box...
Err, Why? Or am I going to get too much information...(I remember it being a squeeze taking our 18-month daughter to in-laws one xmas. But that was with three of us, two dogs (and their paraphernalia) and a full complement of Christmas presents, in an X-Type estate...)
Or flog it and get a Q7. You know you want to
I bought a used one of these off ebay: http://www.thule.com/en/gb/products/carriers-and-r...
Very handy as it folds up and is stored in my loft.
Its about the size of a travel cot when folded up.
Very handy as it folds up and is stored in my loft.
Its about the size of a travel cot when folded up.
silentbrown said:
Driller said:
...Stick in an electric ice box...
Err, Why? Or am I going to get too much information...(I remember it being a squeeze taking our 18-month daughter to in-laws one xmas. But that was with three of us, two dogs (and their paraphernalia) and a full complement of Christmas presents, in an X-Type estate...)
Or flog it and get a Q7. You know you want to
Anyway you seem to think you know what's best for me (IE I don't need a roof box, I need a Q7) so I won't argue with you!
Well would you believe it, Audi make these things? Got a 400L one which fits perfectly (no surprises there). Really pleased with it. It certainly makes a massive difference to the amount stuff we can carry, the car no longer stuffed to the brim when we go away.
Apparently there's no need for the T-channel fittings anymore as they all have "claw" fittings which fit directly around the roof bars, makes it easier to get on and off too.
Surprisingly the Audi box was a good bit cheaper than the Thule equivalent.
Apparently there's no need for the T-channel fittings anymore as they all have "claw" fittings which fit directly around the roof bars, makes it easier to get on and off too.
Surprisingly the Audi box was a good bit cheaper than the Thule equivalent.
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