Roof Boxes

[Lefty 200 Drams]

I know nowt about em but was looking on the halfords website. Eff me, why are the Thule ones so dear? Are they really that much better than the halfords/exodus brands or are they brand-name over function?

Ta for any advice.

Lefty

[V6Alfisti]

Have to say, I haven't used a Thule one but they do look impressively sturdy.

We bought a big black cheapo one from a local factor for around £50-60 (around 5-6 years ago), expecting it to last just a couple of years, but despite abuse it is still looking like new.

In fact it's this one http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/A214-AB-Black-Autoplas-Roofb...

[MarkwG]

If you're likely to use it a lot, then I can recommend the Thule: they are as sturdy as they look: a friend of mine took my first into a multi-story, forgetting he was in a Vitara...it held on until the jeep was on the bumpstops, then the top plastic let go with a bang. The locks still worked, & the hinges, & the contents would have been fine. I replaced it with a bigger one, which has been as good as gold ( & not lent to previously mentioned friend...) Compared to the alternatives, it's paid for itself, the ones I've looked at just don't give the same feeling of robustness. The Thules also have some useful features, like the opening both sides, I've not seen elsewhere.
I used to hire one, a few years back, if it's a one-off that may be worth a try? I think it was www.snowchains.co.uk

[Lefty 200 Drams]

Thansk for the answers chaps. Looking at a Thule that was £700 at halfords but shopping around has resulted in ~£400 - bit more like it!