Continuing the recent trend of organising my life around a dog we don't yet own, I need to give my FL VRS hatch some attention. I've got pretty much everything I need now (hatch bag, boot liner, dog guard, various other bits and pieces, Vent Lock left to order) and have just fitted a set of Thule aero bars. As I'll be effectively giving up the boot, I'm considering having a roof box on permanently.

 

At the risk of sounding like a ponce, I'd like something reasonably good looking - and quite like the look of the Halfords Exodus 470 in gloss black (or even gloss white - these seem quite rare though).

 

Has anyone got experience of the Exodus 470 on a Octavia hatch? Does it fit/snag the aerial/allow the boot to open etc. etc?

 

Any advice appreciated.

 

Speaking of Vent Locks - some rough boot measuring has ended up with me thinking the 6 inch version would be best but I'm not 100% positive this would give a small enough gap for dog-to-be (which will be a male golden retriever) to not escape the boot - anyone got one? If so, which size?

 

 

I used a KAMEI Husky XXL roof box on my Octavia estate. It's a pretty big roof box at around 2 meters long and it fitted on the Estate just fine. It did touch the aerial at the back, but I just unscrewed the aerial and set it at a lower angle.....I think the hatch has a slightly shorter roof than the estate but your FL probably has a shark fin or shorter aerial than my old 2006 Estate....either way it is likely that you'll be able to fit most roof boxes on......my Husky XXL box has fore and aft sliding mounts so you can adjust it's position as necessary.  

 

I used the roof box for the same reason as you......my dog was in the boot. But I actually only needed to use it when going on holiday......I was able to live without it 99% of the time. So I'd recommend you wait until you get the dog and see how you get on.

 

If you do find you need a roof box on all the time, consider one of the half width designs. The Halfords Exodus 470 is a full width box and will reduce your fuel consumption by around 15%. This fuel consumption penalty will be reduced with a half width box. The other consideration is that most roof boxes have maximum speed rating (my box is limited to 75mph) and they produce a bit of noise at high speed....although aero bars should reduce this.

 

Have a look here: http://www.roofbox.co.uk/ Loads of different choices!    

Thanks for the info. I think we'll end up using the box a fair bit - mine is the designated family trip/day out/holiday car, and with 2 children in the back in quite bulky Recaro child seats, there's not a huge amount of storage space for the inevitable baggage. 

I managed to pick up an 'as new' gloss black Exodus yesterday for a decent price (including bars and feet, which can be sold on) and the size looks pretty close to what I was hoping for - will stick a picture up when I've got it on the car.