Roof Boxes – A Buyer’s Guide Who doesn’t love a good road trip? Hitting the open road, eating at small mom and pop diners, seeing the world. It can make for a great story for you and your travel partners to reminisce about for years to come.
Another cool thing is that you can bring whatever you want with you. But storage space is no doubt limited. So, how can you make the most out of that space so that nothing gets left behind? With a roof box, of course.
That said, not all roof storage boxes are the same. There are a few that stand a cut above the rest, providing greater ease and storage capability than the rest.
If you are the type of traveler who likes to pack heavy, you need a roof box that will stand up to the task. The Motion XT XXL holds a whopping 22 cubic feet of storage, allowing travelers to bring just about anything they can think of with them.
It also has outer handles that make gripping easier as well as lid-lifters to allow for opening from either side even when you wear gloves. Despite its huge size, this roof box is more than easy to use. With a total load capacity topping out at 165 pounds, you won’t have to leave anything even remotely important behind ever again.
On the flip side of that coin, not everyone is looking to bring the kitchen sink with them. Some travelers pack lighter, opting for as different an experience from home as they can get. That said, not everyone wants to use up valuable interior cabin space storing their stuff.
The Rocketbox Pro is just 58 inches in length, meaning it can’t take on larger items such as snowboards or skis. If you’re not headed to the slopes, that should be perfectly fine. The storage ranges from 11 to 14 cubic feet, allowing for more than enough space.
This is the perfect roof box for hitting the road for shorter trips. After all, it might be great to have access to all you need while travelling, but it can also feel cumbersome. Pack lighter with the Rocketbox Pro.
As mentioned in the previous section, some people are looking to grab their skis or snowboards and hit the slopes. But what are you supposed to do if interior cargo space is limited? Thankfully, there are longer storage boxes out there to accommodate.
The Shadow 16 has just 13 cubic feet of storage, but it is long enough to hold up to eight skis, six snowboards, or a pair of surfboards (for those on the West Coast). It even has a memory mount system so you can move the box on and off your roof without ever having to deal with frustrating mounting hassles.
What if you aren’t going terribly far or won’t be gone for that long? A cargo box may seem like overkill in that instance. That is why a cargo bag is perfect. Despite weighing just 3.5 pounds, Thule cargo bags can hold up to 13 cubic feet.
Even better, the cargo bag can attach to any factory-issued racks or even raised rails. That means no costly bar kit to purchase or fiddle with. This heavy-duty bag is meant to stand up to wear and tear while securing the load. All while reducing friction and noise as you drive. Completely ideal for single-person trips where cargo is on the lighter side of things.
