Firstly Happy New Year fellow Briskodians.

 

Any hints and tips on what to look for when buying and using a roofbox?

 

As our rescue Border Terriers have taken over the available boot space and Mrs Cakemonster is a triathlete, I need more space. Dogs in boot, bikes on towbar rack, we can just about manage with luggage on the back seats, but we're also likely to need to camp at races, so roofbox it is. 

We already have a set of Cruz Airo bars (so I can use T track adapters) and I've been looking at something like either the Thule Pacific 200 (410 litres from The Roofbox Company) or the Exodus 470 litre from Halfords. 

 

Any pictures of your boxes fitted to an estate would appreciated. 

 

Maybe I should've had a Superb estate....😄

 

 

 

Cant directly help as I currently have the Thule Wingbars that fit between the rails on my 2015 pfl VRS estate.

 

What I did discover was that these rails will only take a narrower roof box and not a full size (large) one as the plastic end caps push the T bolts in when you re-attach them so I'm stuck with the possibility of only running a medium sized box.

 

Just returned from Germany with two adults, two teenagers, one border collie (crate in boot) and the brother in-laws borrowed large roof box and old style roof rails - don't think we'd have had enough capacity with only a medium sized one

I've got the same bars and borrowed my father's Thule which from Googling may well have been a Pacific 200 or at least looked quite similar. Not sure I got any pics but will take a look. He has the Powergrip (I think) adaptors which weren't advised for aero bars so I bought the T-track adaptors from The Roof Box Company. Was a good setup for us taking extra stuff on holiday, I liked that the box could be opened either side (although I'm sure that's fairly standard these days).

 

EDIT: No great photos but I think it is a bigger model anyway. Looks very similar though and was well made, fitted into the Cruz bars no problem and no complaints about The Roofbox Company.

Edited 3 January, 20206 yr by uchuff

2 hours ago, uchuff said:

I've got the same bars and borrowed my father's Thule which from Googling may well have been a Pacific 200 or at least looked quite similar. Not sure I got any pics but will take a look. He has the Powergrip (I think) adaptors which weren't advised for aero bars so I bought the T-track adaptors from The Roof Box Company. Was a good setup for us taking extra stuff on holiday, I liked that the box could be opened either side (although I'm sure that's fairly standard these days).

 

EDIT: No great photos but I think it is a bigger model anyway. Looks very similar though and was well made, fitted into the Cruz bars no problem and no complaints about The Roofbox Company.

 

I'm beginning to think the Powergrip fixings are more of a marketing exercise, they make fitting really easy if they fit your bars, (not aero ones) but like they take up loads of room in the box. The T-track kits are around £25.

 

I've used The Roofbox Company a couple of times and agree, can't fault them. 

@Cakemonster one thing to look for is how easy it is to reach the roof box fixings. I have the Exodus 470 with the staples that loop under the roof bars and lock by way of a gripper inside the box. It’s a royal PITA trying to reach the right rear fixing and lock it tight as the box only opens from the left side. I’m 6’3” and struggle to reach by myself standing on the rear left door sill. I usually need help.

 

A box that opens both side would be better. 

I have a Kamei Delphin 340 from the roof box company. It swallows loads to be honest, taking two under tens away camping the bedroom pretty much comes with us! I can get two bikes on with this using  thule pro-ride 598 carriers for trips to Centre Parcs.  

 

From what I found out the Thule boxes come up smaller in volume than the Kamei. My box uses the standard T-track onto Thule Aero bars and would agree that the powergrip version takes up more space inside, the standard T-track on the Kamei takes very little inside. 

 

I can understand that the power grip would be easier on a much taller car but as the Octy is low,  its easy to reach into the box to do up the T-track nuts inside and the are plastic winged type so really easy and don't hurt you fingers at all. 

 

Also something to note is the Kamei has two red protrusions that you pull down the lid over and then you lock it in two places. When I looked at Thule boxes they use a single locking point and when you turn the key it then engages the locking points along its length. Y

 

With the Kamei you can really squeeze the  lid down over red protrusions and then lock it which is easier than faffing around with trying to get the key to turn and lock it down if something is too big and holding it away from the locking points. 

 

hope that's of some use. 

 

 

Edited 3 January, 20206 yr by paulski

12 hours ago, BigEjit said:

@Cakemonster one thing to look for is how easy it is to reach the roof box fixings. I have the Exodus 470 with the staples that loop under the roof bars and lock by way of a gripper inside the box. It’s a royal PITA trying to reach the right rear fixing and lock it tight as the box only opens from the left side. I’m 6’3” and struggle to reach by myself standing on the rear left door sill. I usually need help.

 

A box that opens both side would be better. 

 

Good point, hopefully at 6'5" it shouldn't be too bad, as long as the belly doesn't get any bigger...

 

12 hours ago, paulski said:

I have a Kamei Delphin 340 from the roof box company. It swallows loads to be honest, taking two under tens away camping the bedroom pretty much comes with us! I can get two bikes on with this using  thule pro-ride 598 carriers for trips to Centre Parcs.  

 

From what I found out the Thule boxes come up smaller in volume than the Kamei. My box uses the standard T-track onto Thule Aero bars and would agree that the powergrip version takes up more space inside, the standard T-track on the Kamei takes very little inside. 

 

I can understand that the power grip would be easier on a much taller car but as the Octy is low,  its easy to reach into the box to do up the T-track nuts inside and the are plastic winged type so really easy and don't hurt you fingers at all. 

 

Also something to note is the Kamei has two red protrusions that you pull down the lid over and then you lock it in two places. When I looked at Thule boxes they use a single locking point and when you turn the key it then engages the locking points along its length. Y

 

With the Kamei you can really squeeze the  lid down over red protrusions and then lock it which is easier than faffing around with trying to get the key to turn and lock it down if something is too big and holding it away from the locking points. 

 

hope that's of some use. 

 

 

 

I like the look of the Kamei, seems to have some good features for the price. Do you have any pictures with it on? 

I'll offer it on later and post up for you so you can see. 

Here you go. 

Cheers  @paulski 🍻