Cargo Boxes - Why you do. Why you don't

[Cee-Jay]

Cargo Boxes - Why you do. Why you don't
If we were to be honest with ourselves, the majority of our travels could probably be successfully accomplished in a crossover SUV.

This definitely applies to me. I put my search for a proper 4x4 on hold last summer when I realized my completely stock crossover (Mitsubishi Endeavor) can get me to most of the places I want to go; Colockum, LT Murray, Naneum Ridge, etc.

I love the way beefy metal racks look, but I decided an inexpensive roof box made more sense for my purposes. I'm usually in the dessert, which means a) dust/sun protection for gear is a major plus, and b) risk of tree limb puncture is almost non-existent. I figured I could fit more stuff at lower cost and with less weight increase using a box.

I picked up a Sportrack Aero, which is an entry level product made by Thule if I recall correctly. The plastic is somewhat thin and flexible which is great because it will bend a little to fit my oddball factory bars, saving me a few hundred bucks on new crossbars. Although it does a good job in the rain it is not close to air tight, but two minutes and a roll of duct tape keeps the desert dust under control.

The Aero is not strong enough for heavy items, but that's okay because the roof is generally not the ideal place to put heavy stuff anyway. I fill it up with sleeping bags and mattresses, camp chairs, aluminum camp table, etc.

So one more vote for crossovers with roof top cargo boxes. Maybe I'll install curb feelers and a baby on board sign this summer to round out the dorky family guy look.

 

[SSF556]

I run a Thule...it stores my OzTent and all the extras that go with it.....

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[HenryJ]

Still have mine.

 

[gophere]

Yes to the cargo box for ski trips and highway rides.Love the ease of use
I do not use them alot offroad, have cracked one on a tree and the one I have is not very stiff.




sent from montana, usa

 

[AeroNautiCal]

Given the vast range of sizes of the roof top boxes, I'm surprised that someone hasn't modified one to be a sleeping pod (after dumping the contents into the vehicle).

 

[E.J.]

Given the vast range of sizes of the roof top boxes, I'm surprised that someone hasn't modified one to be a sleeping pod (after dumping the contents into the vehicle).

That reminds me of the time my 10 year old niece asked me what our box was. I told her "That's where we keep our Dracula".

 

[AeroNautiCal]

That reminds me of the time my 10 year old niece asked me what our box was. I told her "That's where we keep our Dracula".

I'm somewhat older and I think that's a great response, and your post made me think of this.

 

[4RunAmok]

Because they're ugly, and I sleep up there!

 

[1911]

I bought a Thule box for a trip to the beach 4-5 years ago, and have never used it since. Don't really know why; it's just easier to load stuff directly to the Gobi rack than to put the Thule on and then load it.

 

[1911]

Made me laugh; thanks for posting it!

 

[E.J.]

Very funny stuff right there.

 

[Inyo_man]

We use a "Load Ranger" Yakima cargo box for surf board transport up and down the coast.
Although I've never used it off highway travel. We are often driving over miles of wash-board road at high speeds, and I'm terribly afraid of the vibration just rattling the thing right off the roof. The plastic box is just too flimsy IMHO for desert runs. They would most likely work well for most other applications, but I've always tried to find solutions that were vibration and noise free. The cargo boxes seems to rattle and it's difficult to keep gear from shifting inside the box. I prefer dry bags and/or hard (pelican type) cases for roof top storage- they lash down tightly and don't shift or rattle at all.

 

[toymaster]

I use a cargo box. I needed a place just to throw in cargo and add some security and allow me a quick way to reduce weight for some trails. My cargo box has its own axle and roof rack.

Hey, maybe you meant roof rack cargo boxes. :coffeedrink:

 

[magentawave]

Did you ever build one? Just asking cuz I'm going to build one too.

The only thing keeping us from going this route is the cost and durability of the box. It would kill me to spend a lot on a box and have a tree limb kill it. I'm actually working on a design that will cost a bit to build, but should be waterproof and more durable than plastic or fiberglass. I'm building a new rack and plan to integrate them together with the box being attached using tractor pins.


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[Riptide]

I have my Thule Atlantis 1800 on my 100 LC. The thing I love about that box is that the mounting system is super fast; the clamshell grips down on the crossbars pretty tight. It pretty much rides up there all year long. I generally only put the lighter, softer stuff up there; sleeping bags, clothes, mostly. Skis in the winter.

The bomb is the Thule Go bags they made for a few years. They came as a set of four huge rectangular cube-shaped bags, pretty heavy-duty, with a rubber-coated base, that all fit very nicely up in the box. One was even shaped to fit the sloped nose of the box. They had grab handles on the ends of the bags to be able to get them out of the roof box very easily. Unobtanium now; glad I bought two sets when I did.

I haven't bashed the box yet, but it seems to be made of reasonably tough stuff. Overall, worth the 500 bucks I paid for it years ago.

Conversely, on my Suzuki Samurai, my Pelican box weighs 30 lbs empty. I'll probably have an aluminum roof box made that weighs about a third of that, with more space...