Roof Boxes.....what to look for?
Discussion
Steve Kimberley said:
Tbf, it's tough as old boots, so no probs carrying whatever you like within reason. I overload it and really have to lean on the zips, and it worries me not a jot. Really good zips and stitching.
No probs marking the roof as it sits rigidly on roof bars (my last three cars will bear witness to that).
I had a rigid box for years. Much prefer this for its convenience with regard to storage and being able to just throw it in the boot when emptied.
Good value too.
Thanks No probs marking the roof as it sits rigidly on roof bars (my last three cars will bear witness to that).
I had a rigid box for years. Much prefer this for its convenience with regard to storage and being able to just throw it in the boot when emptied.
Good value too.
just ordered one.vikingaero said:
Here's a really good site I buy from with lots of helpful advice:
https://www.roofbox.co.uk/roof-boxes/
The Best Buy roofboxes are often not the most commonly available such as Thule.
I've bought my last five roofbar set-ups from these. Can't fault them.https://www.roofbox.co.uk/roof-boxes/
The Best Buy roofboxes are often not the most commonly available such as Thule.
Recently bought Cruz Airobars, which I'd recommend. The previous ones were all square/rectangular section (two Thule and two Cruz) and were bleddy noisy by comparison. The Airo ones are virtually inaudible on my Avensis wagon's roof, so just live on there now.
Bonefish Blues said:
toastyhamster said:
Anybody tried the roof bags? I've been looking at boxes, even on ebay as mentioned they are quite pricey, I could get a new bag for the cost of a secondhand box and I really only need it for the kids beach stuff, the rest we can cram in the boot.
Yes, I bought a massive one last year for all the soft stuff that takes up so much room but is quite light. (This one IIRC: https://www.amazon.co.uk/G4Free-Waterproof-Carrier...Works very well, but some tips if you go down this route. Buy the mesh matting to protect the car's roof. Fit roof bars to front and rear of the bag so it doesn't creep backwards (ask me how I know
). If it looks like rain, I would make sure that things were in bin bags or similar (I used cheap eBay Dry Bags) as I wouldn't trust the waterproofing - we had no rain, but I took the precaution anyway.Lots of space for cheap, and with the bonus that it folds down into something like a fat handbag for storage, rather than the pain that is storing a top box.
The roof boxes seem very expensive for a couple of bits of moulded plastic with some hinges and a lame lock. I can believe people hiring them out.
Steve Kimberley said:
vikingaero said:
Here's a really good site I buy from with lots of helpful advice:
https://www.roofbox.co.uk/roof-boxes/
The Best Buy roofboxes are often not the most commonly available such as Thule.
I've bought my last five roofbar set-ups from these. Can't fault them.https://www.roofbox.co.uk/roof-boxes/
The Best Buy roofboxes are often not the most commonly available such as Thule.
Recently bought Cruz Airobars, which I'd recommend. The previous ones were all square/rectangular section (two Thule and two Cruz) and were bleddy noisy by comparison. The Airo ones are virtually inaudible on my Avensis wagon's roof, so just live on there now.
we go camping a couple of times a year- so sadly I had to buy a roofbox as like you, we seem to need to take the house with us. tbh, just got a deal from halfords- bars/box and its been absolutely fine.
prices second hand seem to be ridiculous- it was a about as cheap to buy new as it was used.
just think about length in terms of still being able to open boot lid- eg on a little hatchback for instance. I also think there are not supposed to overhang the front windscreen.
Oh and they ruin yr mpg- normally I'd be at 55/56 on a run, down to 45/46 or so.
prices second hand seem to be ridiculous- it was a about as cheap to buy new as it was used.
just think about length in terms of still being able to open boot lid- eg on a little hatchback for instance. I also think there are not supposed to overhang the front windscreen.
Oh and they ruin yr mpg- normally I'd be at 55/56 on a run, down to 45/46 or so.
The biggest I could find was the black Halfords one. It's 2m long x almost 1m wide.
It only opens on the passenger side which is OK but there have been times when I'd have preferred access on both sides, particularly when fitting it to the car. You see the "hinge" side is virtually unreachable from the open side which means my son has to climb inside to help me fit it. That was OK when he was 8yo but now at 13yo he's the tallest in the house and struggles to move around inside it.
It came with wide U bolts to go under the roof rails and up through holes in the box to plastic handles on the inside. This all worked perfectly at speeds up to 125mph (tested in Europe) on top of my old ML.
My GL came with Mercedes's branded (Thule made) roof rails that were very slightly wider than the U bolts, so I have had to alter the mounting to use the T-track system. This meant buying a 1m section of 40mm wide X 3mm deep aluminium which I cut into 300mm lengths to spread the loading above the front holes, and 4x T bolts, wide penny washers and nylocs.
Sum = £9
This works perfectly and with my electric screwdriver will take no longer to fit and remove than the old system. The GL's Merc roof rails are neater than those I had on the ML as they do not stand higher than the fore-aft rails.
Did I say anything about it being huge?
It only opens on the passenger side which is OK but there have been times when I'd have preferred access on both sides, particularly when fitting it to the car. You see the "hinge" side is virtually unreachable from the open side which means my son has to climb inside to help me fit it. That was OK when he was 8yo but now at 13yo he's the tallest in the house and struggles to move around inside it.
It came with wide U bolts to go under the roof rails and up through holes in the box to plastic handles on the inside. This all worked perfectly at speeds up to 125mph (tested in Europe) on top of my old ML.
My GL came with Mercedes's branded (Thule made) roof rails that were very slightly wider than the U bolts, so I have had to alter the mounting to use the T-track system. This meant buying a 1m section of 40mm wide X 3mm deep aluminium which I cut into 300mm lengths to spread the loading above the front holes, and 4x T bolts, wide penny washers and nylocs.
Sum = £9
This works perfectly and with my electric screwdriver will take no longer to fit and remove than the old system. The GL's Merc roof rails are neater than those I had on the ML as they do not stand higher than the fore-aft rails.
Did I say anything about it being huge?
Edited by Watchman on Wednesday 1st August 20:25
I’ve got a Thule Motion 800 that cost less than 200 quid on eBay. A few years old but in good condition, so definitely worth looking for a used bargain. I’m part way through France en route for a few weeks camping, and the box is invaluable to hold all the sleeping bags, mats, chairs, awning, groundsheet, carpet, Cadac stove, pillows etc - basically everything bulky but light.
MPG seems ok so far; about 600km at 130kph gave 28mpg (sorry, mixing my units!) which compares well with the normal 30mpg motorway economy in the UK without the box. It’s a new Cayenne 2.9 twin turbo with 440bhp and only 1500 miles on the clock, so I can’t complain about that!
MPG seems ok so far; about 600km at 130kph gave 28mpg (sorry, mixing my units!) which compares well with the normal 30mpg motorway economy in the UK without the box. It’s a new Cayenne 2.9 twin turbo with 440bhp and only 1500 miles on the clock, so I can’t complain about that!
Watchman said:
It only opens on the passenger side which is OK but there have been times when I'd have preferred access on both sides, particularly when fitting it to the car. You see the "hinge" side is virtually unreachable from the open side which means my son has to climb inside to help me fit it. That was OK when he was 8yo but now at 13yo he's the tallest in the house and struggles to move around inside it.
You can get small ‘step hooks’ that wedge onto the door latch to give you more height. For example, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tophie-Vehicle-Doorstep-F...Only know this ‘cos one kept popping up in my fb feed on Kickstarter, making me think ‘mmmm, useful!’
mikeiow said:
Watchman said:
It only opens on the passenger side which is OK but there have been times when I'd have preferred access on both sides, particularly when fitting it to the car. You see the "hinge" side is virtually unreachable from the open side which means my son has to climb inside to help me fit it. That was OK when he was 8yo but now at 13yo he's the tallest in the house and struggles to move around inside it.
You can get small ‘step hooks’ that wedge onto the door latch to give you more height. For example, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tophie-Vehicle-Doorstep-F...Only know this ‘cos one kept popping up in my fb feed on Kickstarter, making me think ‘mmmm, useful!’
Ordered..!! Thanks for the heads up.
Watchman said:
mikeiow said:
Watchman said:
It only opens on the passenger side which is OK but there have been times when I'd have preferred access on both sides, particularly when fitting it to the car. You see the "hinge" side is virtually unreachable from the open side which means my son has to climb inside to help me fit it. That was OK when he was 8yo but now at 13yo he's the tallest in the house and struggles to move around inside it.
You can get small ‘step hooks’ that wedge onto the door latch to give you more height. For example, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tophie-Vehicle-Doorstep-F...Only know this ‘cos one kept popping up in my fb feed on Kickstarter, making me think ‘mmmm, useful!’
Ordered..!! Thanks for the heads up.
We’ve had an Exodus 360 from Halfords for 3yrs and very pleased with it. We went for this as it’s the half width of roof version, allowing me to put my bike on the roof rack on the other side of the roof.
https://www.halfords.com/motoring/roof-bars-roof-b...
Really pleased with the capacity (two of us plus toddler and all associated tat). We also went for this over a soft Thule roof bag as I was concerned about one of them getting slashed at motorway services etc.
It’s most impressive feat so far was surviving a low speed impact with a height max bar in a multi-storey when the missus ‘forgot’ it was on! I expected it to be toast, but it just dented rather than cracked the plastic, I was able to pop it back into shape with only minor scuff marks.
Loads come up on eBay but frustrating for me they were never nearby so we eventually went new.
https://www.halfords.com/motoring/roof-bars-roof-b...
Really pleased with the capacity (two of us plus toddler and all associated tat). We also went for this over a soft Thule roof bag as I was concerned about one of them getting slashed at motorway services etc.
It’s most impressive feat so far was surviving a low speed impact with a height max bar in a multi-storey when the missus ‘forgot’ it was on! I expected it to be toast, but it just dented rather than cracked the plastic, I was able to pop it back into shape with only minor scuff marks.
Loads come up on eBay but frustrating for me they were never nearby so we eventually went new.
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