Rooftop Cargo Boxes

[WeCruising]

I got the INNO cargo box and love it. Did a 5K mile road trip including light off-roading ( white rim road in canyon lands national Park). Also went into a covered parking lot (7'' clearance), i was over by half inch, and the only damage I got was a light scratch.

https://www.rei.com/b/inno/c/cargo-boxes-baskets-and-bags

It is symmetrical, so you can mount which ever side you want it open. It has two hinges and two latches for closing and locking. It also come with toolless memory clamps. I bought an extra set and used 6 clamps.

Anything special to get mount the box to your rack? I have a FE rack so it is not apples to apples. Trying to determine if a lift is needed or not.

Thanks!

 

[chris_in_phx]

Thinking about adding rooftop box to the LC - though not fully committed to the idea. I see a lot of pros for our use case, but also some cons, and wanted to see if the group had any input to add to our thinking.

There are three of us - two adults and an 8-year-old kid. We did a fair amount of camping last year, mostly weekends at state parks around Ohio. We also took a week long trip to the northern tip of Michigan's LP. Hauling capacity in the LC was fine for weekend trips, but was a challenge for our Michigan trip. With the plug-in cooler, tent, luggage, and other camping gear, we had to Tetris everything in place, and use the digital rearview mirror to see. If we had a wet tent to deal with at any point, we might have had a problem. For this summer, we have been kicking around the idea of a two-week driving trip to the west coast, car camping in some national parks along the way. We could maybe get by as-is, but it would be nice to have a little more room.

I haul bikes on the hitch with my Kuat rack, so a roof box seems like the best option for adding cargo capacity. I've had good experience with Thule racks in the past for hauling bikes up top (and occasionally lumber) on previous vehicles, and would be open to Yakima as well. I have factory roof rails, but no crossbars - so those are an added expense. I'd definitely like a lockable hardshell carrier, it would be nice for it to be reasonably secure so we aren't too worried about our stuff if we are parked somewhere for a few days.

On the con side, I have concerns about MPG impact. We normally average 23-24 mpg on long trips - anyone have experience with what kind of impact we would likely see? I assume more noise is inevitable, but can deal with that unless it's completely excessive. I would likely only have the box and crossbars installed on the truck when they are needed. How annoying are these to install and remove? It's also way up there, I'd be the only one that could reach to load and unload. We also might run into clearance issue in parking garages and drive-thrus.

I also want to think about it in terms of long-term value. The box would have use in the future beyond our trip this summer, including for our weekend camping trips - but it's a fairly big expense. If it really kills the mileage and is a pain to install, we're more likely to deal with a full truck or just stay in hotels. Further in the future, we've also kicked around the idea of some kind of camper (most likely a popup or something efficient to tow), which would probably negate the need for a roof box.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

What did you decide?

I have the Thule Motion 3 XL and it holds a decent amount of stuff for us (also 2 adults/1 kid)

 

[chris_in_phx]

Not a cargo box, but I really like the Pakmule, I got last summer. Big, low and out of the wind. Very well made no wobbles. Two ice chests and a big rubber maid tote. Might be worth a look. It needs the tow hitch obviously so no bike racks etc.

Hey 6 … which pakmule did you get? does it clear your rear gate? Did you get a riser and/or a swing out adapter? Thx

 

[mrCharlie]

What did you decide?

I have the Thule Motion 3 XL and it holds a decent amount of stuff for us (also 2 adults/1 kid)

We're holding off for now. Most of our camping this year will be shorter/local trips, so I don't think we'l need the capacity.

 

[WeCruising]

What did you decide?

I have the Thule Motion 3 XL and it holds a decent amount of stuff for us (also 2 adults/1 kid)

How did you mount your box? I have the factory roof rack, so I am trying to figure out if the Thule will mount or need an adapter

 

[chris_in_phx]

How did you mount your box? I have the factory roof rack, so I am trying to figure out if the Thule will mount or need an adapter

i mounted it on a sherpa rack and used their risers to create two raised cross bars and put the box on that.

In not sure how it would mount on the toyota oem roof rack.

Because of the recessed mounting areas on the thule you need risers. I already tried on the sherpa without and it doesnt work.

 

[FifthToyota]

For myself, I didn't need extra storage space on my roof 100% the time. I installed a modular roof rack and just tie down gear & bins to the roof when extra storage is needed. MPG takes a hit, but it's only temporary, and I don't have to worry about height clearance when I'm not hauling stuff up top.

 

[WeCruising]

i mounted it on a sherpa rack and used their risers to create two raised cross bars and put the box on that.

In not sure how it would mount on the toyota oem roof rack.

Because of the recessed mounting areas on the thule you need risers. I already tried on the sherpa without and it doesnt work.

I am getting serious about picking out a cargo box. I like the Thule XL low and the Inno that other users posted. Because both the Inno and Thule are longer than the factory rack it is going to overhang one way or the other. I'm leaning toward the Thule because I think the shape of it will look much better overhanging on the factory rack.

 

[WeCruising]

For myself, I didn't need extra storage space on my roof 100% the time. I installed a modular roof rack and just tie down gear & bins to the roof when extra storage is needed. MPG takes a hit, but it's only temporary, and I don't have to worry about height clearance when I'm not hauling stuff up top.
View attachment 66812

I mean, that works too! Great idea

 

[JHMSparky]

Here is my setup.

• Stock Rails
• Thule Motion 3 XL Low Roof Box
• Thule WingBar Edge 86 cm roof bar x2
• Thule Edge Raised Rail

Can't comment on MPG, but can say wind noise is minimal and was able to haul 4 pairs of skis, poles,View attachment 59386View attachment 59387 and a snowboard during our latest trip.

I’m loving our Thule low-profile box. I just got it painted to match the roof color- hoping this will keep it from cooking everything inside.

 

[HBcruiser]

That’s pretty sweet that you painted it. I just got mine as well for our mini trip and thinking of wrapping it. The guy at the store said I might have trouble installing it with the FE rack I have but after removing two bars it was perfect. LOVE THE LOW PRO

 

[shwazz714]

That’s pretty sweet that you painted it. I just got mine as well for our mini trip and thinking of wrapping it. The guy at the store said I might have trouble installing it with the FE rack I have but after removing two bars it was perfect. LOVE THE LOW PRO

I got a Yakima cbx16 and was thinking of wrapping it too. I don’t like the piano gloss black

 

[Prob]

That’s pretty sweet that you painted it. I just got mine as well for our mini trip and thinking of wrapping it. The guy at the store said I might have trouble installing it with the FE rack I have but after removing two bars it was perfect. LOVE THE LOW PRO

Can you elaborate on the fitment issues? I've got a buddy giving me a FE rack and I have a skybox 16. It's all supposed to come together days before a long road trip. Would love to get in front of any challenges.

 

[JoeDirt]

That’s pretty sweet that you painted it. I just got mine as well for our mini trip and thinking of wrapping it. The guy at the store said I might have trouble installing it with the FE rack I have but after removing two bars it was perfect. LOVE THE LOW PRO

Which specific Thule Low Profile did you go with? The XL? Which two bars did you have to remove? I’ve held off out of concern about that length of the overhang in the front just acting like a sail and creating significant lift on those front claws.

 

[HBcruiser]

Can you elaborate on the fitment issues? I've got a buddy giving me a FE rack and I have a skybox 16. It's all supposed to come together days before a long road trip. Would love to get in front of any challenges.

You probably won’t have issues with the skybox as it is a flat bottom. The Thule Motion Low has a recessed bottom that contours around the crossbars to maximize storage so I just had to remove two of the bars which took a millisec. No biggie.

 

[HBcruiser]

Which specific Thule Low Profile did you go with? The XL? Which two bars did you have to remove? I’ve held off out of concern about that length of the overhang in the front just acting like a sail and creating significant lift on those front claws.

I went with the XL. Not sure if you have the FE rack but there are several mounting points for the crossbars. I just removed two that got in the way. I don’t plan to keep it on my roof and the Thule mounting brackets are so easy to remove/install.

I’m not sure how much lift it creates but I just drove it to Yosemite and didn’t feel any different. MPG was the same and noise wasn’t noticed until I actually thought to listen for it. But I’ll say this, we all know how bad the storage is on this car and the cargo box is a lifesaver on trips.

 

[shwazz714]

I have a cbx 16 and fe rack and it fits not problem. I moved one cross bar back to further mounting mount and the box slots on that cross bar and second from front.

I then purchased an extra cross bar so I also have all 5. Can post pics if folks want - I think it looks good. Will use it for first time this week when we road trip from San Diego to Santa Barbara

 

[wjax]

I’m loving our Thule low-profile box. I just got it painted to match the roof color- hoping this will keep it from cooking everything inside. View attachment 67052

Very nice! Are those OEM rails and crossbars you have it mounted to? Any drilling or other mods needed to mount?

 

[chris_in_phx]

I’m loving our Thule low-profile box. I just got it painted to match the roof color- hoping this will keep it from cooking everything inside. View attachment 67052

Qq - do you leave the thule cross bars on all the time…and do they whistle?

 

[cruiser_ss396]

Anyone mounted roam Boxs, or similar to the OEM cross bars using the T bar slots (channel with rubber) ? I am actually looking at the Decked systems Honcho 80.

Just not sure how strong the mounting might be on the cross bars using the t bolt system??

Honcho 80

Crank up the volume: rugged, 80L weatherproof storage serves to hold longer tools, outdoor gear or as the ultimate bow case. High-impact polymer construction. TSA approved locking. Modular Stable-Stack System. Available with either dividers or Pick and Pluck Foam. Choose your option above.

decked.com