Why don't i see any Thule or Yakima boxes on Overland rigs?

[patsfan]

Just curious why I don't see a lot of thule or Yakima boxes on Expo rigs here?

I have a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with a Gobi rack, and I'm planning a long family road trip. So naturally I'm trying to plan my loadout and these boxes seem like good candidates, they are waterproof and lockable.

Has anyone use these while Offroad? If so how did it hold up and would you recommend using them?

Tia.

 

[rayra]

Too pedestrian for the brand-conscious fetishists. Stick an ARB / YETI sticker on it and double the price and it will sell.


But honestly, they seem like an excellent way to add ~15cu', but they're kind of spendy. And if you have a vehicle large enough to mount one properly, you probably have enough cubic storage already, if you use it efficiently.

 

[fireball]

We use ours on long trips when we need the storage space. They don't look super cool, but it's nice to have all the added dry storage. We couldn't fit the entire family/dog/camping gear/etc. in the 100 series without the big "attic" storage up top.

 

[Christophe Noel]

I'm a little hyper sensitive to this topic as I've used cargo boxes for 20 years. They just make so much sense. I get so annoyed by all the pushback by most overlanders. However, I do understand that they do look better on some vehicles more than others. A Skybox on a Defender 110 would look a bit mismatched. But, I am a fan and I'm exerting what little influence I have to make a sea change.

This box looked great on this Jeep. I love this box, btw. One of my favorites of the last few years.
http://expeditionportal.com/field-tested-yakima-showcase-15-cargo-box/

And I turned Brian McVickers onto the cargo box.

http://expeditionportal.com/field-tested-little-passenger-seats/

As for using them off road, I do it all the time. Most boxes allow the cargo inside to be lashed quite securely. Most people who damage their boxes do it by overloading it with either items that are too heavy, or placing them in the box incorrectly. Or, by lifting themselves up to the box by yarding on the open lip of the box. Not smart. But, used with some common sense, they will last for years.

As for which brand is best, Yakima or Thule, that's a tough call. I've used an equal number of both, which is a lot of them, and they're both great.

 

[Switch]

Here's one!

And to answer your question: Nobody uses Thule or Yakima cargo boxes for expedition applications because they'd fall apart if they had anything in them and were subjected to the kind of vibration they'd get off road.
[edit] OK some people use em with no problems per the previous two posts [/edit]

So why do I use one?

Well, sometimes I just need more capacity than the bed can hold. And I bought it for my skis anyway...

But I just said "they'd fall apart if they had anything in them and subjected to the kind of vibration they get off road.". (In bold face type, even)!!!

Yeah, I still think that, so I didn't take any chances with the $150 Thule cargo box I found on craigslist. I just needed to reinforce it with some 1/8" ABS plastic sheet I had on hand...

Like all Thule boxes, the bottom has ribs for strength:

The ribs are about 1" deep so I boxed the entire rib layout with 1" wide 1/8" ABS plastic. Then I sandwiched the bottom of the cargo box between two layers of 1/8" ABS plastic sheeting using ABS Cement and aluminum screw posts.

Here's the bottom:

And here's the inside:

This shows the 1" boxing that's barley visible from the side now.

I added a 2nd layer of 1/8" ABS plastic where the box rests on the rack cross members so the Thule cargo box bottom is about 3/8" here to distribute the shock of vibrations.

This cargo box weighed about 35 lbs before and about 50 lbs after.

It has held up for 7 years now with mixed desert and winter use. So I'd say find one cheap, spend an afternoon making it trail worthy and enjoy!

 

[Art Vandalay]

Put me down as someone who vibrated a Thule box to pieces on a trip from Seattle to Prudhoe Bay and back about 20 years ago. Lucky for me I noticed as I was loading my 4Runner on the ferry in Haines for the trip south, and from there duct tape and bailing wire (literally) was enough to get me home. Still, that trip included 4000 miles of dirt/washboard so I didn't feel too bad. The suggestion to add reinforcement at the attachment points, etc. looks like a winner. Now I have a Packasport which, being fiberglass, I'm confident will hold up better.

 

[outback97]

Thule Sidekick has been great for adding a bit of weather protected space for the lighter weight, bulky items. We needed a short box so we could still access the built in cargo bin on the roof.



Can't say I'd describe our vehicle as "overlanding rig" though. It's for camping trips

I like that it's lightweight and easy to remove. No reason to drive around with it up there when not needed.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Not sure if the newer boxes are just more well made, but after driving thousands of miles of backroads with my boxes, I haven't had a single failure. I do think what you put in it, and how you do it, makes a huge difference in the longevity of your box.

 

[pugslyyy]

Works really well actually...

 

[fireball]

We've had no problems with our big Thule box pictured above. We load it with lighter weight items - our clothes bags, extra shoes, towels, sleeping bags, etc. Works just fine.

 

[pugslyyy]

We've had no problems with our big Thule box pictured above. We load it with lighter weight items - our clothes bags, extra shoes, towels, sleeping bags, etc. Works just fine.

yeah also great for things like those folding camping chairs - bulky but not a lot of weight, just toss 'em in.

 

[goodtimes]

I'm happy with mine. Not only is it light, relatively inexpensive (new they're half the price of a quality roof rack), holds a huge volume of gear, & is easy to put on/take off - but it also goes a long way towards keeping you from being mistaken for one of those overlander people.

IMO, you should treat them the same way you treat any external load - keep it light, lash it well, & check it often.

I check mine at least once a day (paved roads), and multiple times if the roads are rough. That includes both the load inside the box, and the box mounting points as well.

It literally only takes 20 or 30 seconds to check - a bit longer when/if you need to tighten something down. Just like any storage device/system, keeping everything tight is an important part of maintaining its service life.

 

[Clawhammer]

I had one vibrate itself apart one time... It popped open on I25 between Denver and FoCo. My duffel came out and got hit by a semi, scattering my boxers all over northern Colorado.

That's why I don't use one.

 

[patsfan]

Thanks for all the detailed responses, I'm now sold on the idea of these boxes.

Is there anything I should look out for while searching for a used one on Craigslist?

 

[PIC4GOD]

The problem with roof top boxes is support. If you only use two bars and overload it, it will break. Next time you see one on a car on the highway watch as you pull up to it. Even on smooth tarmac it vibrates and pivots. Put a full rack underneath it for support and you'll see much better results. After all a roof box isn't much different than an Autohome RTT which I have on a flat Bajarack with zero issues over some really punishing terrain and thousands of miles.