Roofbox. How useful??

[edition]

Hi,

Just wondering if any of you use a roof box and wether they are any good.....

Seen a 300litre one and thinking it might be a good idea as boot space is abit tight in my car...

Thanks in advance.

[mike9009]

I use one on my Mini for family holidays. Used it twice so far and is ideal for the job - but does feel a little expensive for something I use so infrequently. However it is cheaper than changing a car that I enjoy.

Would be a good idea to pick one up second hand - as I suspect most are not used that frequently anyway.

Mike

[StuB]

Bought a long thin Thule years ago for skiing. Use it loads now, with a 2 year old & family holidays. Lasted well so far. Thin one is hopefully better aerodynamics too.

[paulmoonraker]

Great for family holidays. Just bundle everything in and go. Avoids loading the inside of the car up with crap. I used one on my STi, which looked comical

[littlebasher]

If you have a tall car, getting stuff in and out can be a right pain

I needed a stepladder when I put one on my old Sedona

[Lefty]

We've got a 650L Thule Atlantis 900 and it's ace. Used it regularly on a golf and forester with no issues. Very handy things for family driving holidays!

[nadger]

Bought one about 4 months ago in anticipation of our 2nd child coming along (we also have a large dog which means we can't load the boot Up as much!). However what with the little man's arrival I haven't actually used it yet! However we're off to her heijdebos centre parcs in feb so im confident we'll need it then! I got mine second hand and it's massive! It could certainly pass as a coffin for me!

[sjg]

You can rent them if it's just for occasional use - that's what I've done for the occasional week to drive to the alps for snowboarding. £40 or so for a Thule roofbox that would have cost £350+.

Check your car's roof load limit too (it'll be in your manual), it can be really low for some cars which may make a big one pointless. You normally want to stick to lighter things up there anyway, not least because you'll be lifting them there. Equally you won't want anything too valuable left in there, given how flimsy the locks (and material surrounding them) are.

[autofocus]

Hi there,

I have just come back from a weeks holiday. We have a Citroen C1 and with 4 adults a roof box was a must.

I hired one from a local Thule agent and it was superb. Cost me £80 for the week which was expensive but given that I did not have the £450 to buy the box and the bars it was cheap really.

We got all the luggage in the roof box and only put one small suitcase in the boot. It was dead easy to use and opened both sides for easy access, the only down side was a whistling a speed for the bars/box as the wind hit it.

Dropped it off yesterday and am probably going back to buy it as an ex-hire box at the end of the season.



Regards

Tim

Edited by autofocus on Sunday 9th September 18:09

[Searider]

OP

What is your car?

Would be useful for this and the other thread you started.

[Rutter]

Are you planning on running it all the time as your mpg will suffer when it is fitted.

[Bluebarge]

autofocus said:

Hi there,

I have just come back from a weeks holiday. We have a Citroen C1 and with 4 adults a roof box was a must.

I hired one from a local Thule agent and it was superb. Cost me £80 for the week which was expensive but given that I did not have the £450 to buy the box and the bars it was cheap really.

We got all the luggage in the roof box and only put one small suitcase in the boot. It was dead easy to use and opened both sides for easy access, the only down side was a whistling a speed for the bars/box as the wind hit it.

Dropped it off yesterday and am probably going back to buy it as an ex-hire box at the end of the season.



Regards

Tim

Edited by autofocus on Sunday 9th September 18:09

You can get a decent 300l roofbox and bars for that car for under £200 from online suppliers (www.roofbox.co.uk). Which makes £80 look v.expensive. Do not buy Thule because it is the only make you have heard of. There are v.many good quality boxes out there that don't get advertised in lifestyle magazines and are consequently much cheaper.
http://www.roofbox.co.uk/roof-boxes/roof-boxes-sho...

[s3fella]

Get whisper bars, you can leave them on all year round and they are silent up to 120 on my car, (in Germany)

[LouD86]

I run one when I go camping, purely because I can put all the things that may get wet before going home in there. Tent, groundsheets, chairs, it all fits nicely.

My parents used one on their truck for the awning and beach stuff when we went on caravanning holidays, I just inherited their old one

[sparkyhx]

great to boost the boot size of a small car and can often be the difference between using a small car and buying something bigger 'for the extra luggage space'.

However - the only down side (tall cars/short people excepted) is where to put the damn thing when its not on the car.

[paulmoonraker]

sparkyhx said:

great to boost the boot size of a small car and can often be the difference between using a small car and buying something bigger 'for the extra luggage space'.

However - the only down side (tall cars/short people excepted) is where to put the damn thing when its not on the car.

Hang on wall of garage

[rsv gone!]

I should look in the car's handbook for the weight capacity. Lots only recommend up to 75kg on the roof.

Having the weight that high certainly won't help the handling.

[The Nur]

rsv gone! said:

I should look in the car's handbook for the weight capacity. Lots only recommend up to 75kg on the roof.

Having the weight that high certainly won't help the handling.

(Imagines fully loaded family cars with roofboxes attacking the Stelvio)

[Gadgeroonie]

i have one on the wifes car and its very very useful for hildays and carting stuff around

however - she never lets me take it off so it must be killing the mpg

[Hugo a Gogo]

Ideally you should only put bulky, light things up there

when I used one on my Focus I didn't notice a dramatic effect on fuel consumption