Best Roof Box Guide 2021

Car roof boxes for a healthy trip: Getting late for the trip you were supposed to go just to fit in your luggage?

Get free of the hassle of loading/unloading luggage on the free-up space at the back of your back seat when you already have a real estate on the top of your car. 

Best Roof boxes serve the best for an awkward gear that takes up a lot of space but isn’t that heavy. This includes clothing, sleeping bags, and daily use products.  Roof boxes vary widely in accordance with its price, footprint, weight capacity, security, and waterproof-ness.

One more thing that It’s very worrisome to make room for the patients inside the car if they have a broken leg or hand again if done then how they would manage to get out of the vehicle and have a worry-free day. One great thing about disabled people is that they can use wheelchair carriers for their cars.

Types Of Roofbox

Beginners Guide For Roofbox

Best Roof boxes are completely trustable and durable. If you want to go out and worry about nothing in terms of the carriage then this would be the option for you to choose. This will increase the room or space inside the car or vehicle and will give the most fitted and comfortable position for a loose healthy journey.  

Roof boxes vary greatly in terms of shape and size. Some are narrow whereas some are long. Irrespective of its shape and size we generally look for something which is small, aerodynamic as well as lightweight and has the capacity to hold everything in terms of weight and size. 

Best roof boxes make a room for the skis, sleeping bags, and extra luggage which doesn’t have room to fit, in your car. Sometimes it happens that we look for something which is extended in size to carry everything big and small we want to, this while affects the gas mileage and create a room for betterment. How about we remove the boxes and attach it when needed. 

Roof Box or Roof Bag?

BEST ROOF BOX GUIDE

What’s the difference between Roof Boxes and Roof Bags? Roof boxes are an excellent addition to your car that adds luggage space in seconds. Roof bags work in much in the same way, but they aren’t as sturdy since roof bags are made out of fabric rather than metal. Roof boxes can also be modified slightly to perfectly fit specific cars, whilst roof bags often don’t offer this option.

The Pros and Cons of Roof Boxes vs Roof Bags

Roof Box Advantages – More secure – being made out of metal means that your goods are more protected from thieves or bad weather if you’re traveling across the country, for example.

Roof Bag Advantages – Cheaper – Roof bags are estimated to be around a quarter of the price of roof boxes. Roof Bag Disadvantages – Less secure – Roof bags aren’t made out of metal, which means that they won’t offer the same protection from thieves or weather.

Roof BoxRoof Bag
fitted perfectly to specific types of cars or people’s tastesLess flexible
Roof boxes are made out of metalLess Storage capacity
More DurableLess Durable
customized slightly to fit the contours of specific carsLess Customization option
sturdier than roof bagsLess Sturdier
  • Better waterproofing and protection from the elements: when the boxes are made of either plastic, fiberglass, or sometimes metal it blocks the water from getting intruded and destroying your packaging. 
  • Security: Securities inboxes are more as you can lock them which is not possible in terms of bags. 
  • Durability and security: sustainability inboxes is way more than bags as there is no chance of ripping out. 
  • Better gas mileage: better gas mileage in terms of boxes as it can be turned to the desired shape which is not possible in terms of soft bags. 

How Permanent a Solution Do You Want?

When you are out on a trip and you are looking for dining on the way, you would want to leave your roof boxes on your vehicle if just you know that they have proper security, hard-sided, weather-proof option just to make sure that your luggage is safe.

Sometimes it happens that because of the hardy structure of the boxes it becomes quite a task to attach and detach your roof boxes and prevents any kind of wrinkles on the body of your car. 

How Big Is Your Vehicle?

The size of the vehicle is not a matter with the best roof boxes when the rooftop is strong enough to support the weight of your luggage in those boxes.

It’s always fancy to install a proper roof rail or cross-bars so that it becomes easy to attach and detach any box.

But it is always preferable to attach as much as load a vehicle can hold depending on the characteristic of the vehicle in use. The max weight you can carry is usually determined by the roof’s weight limit, rather than the box; even if your box is rated to 300 pounds, if your roof is only rated to 150, you can only load 150.

Do You Need to Access the Box from Both Sides?

best roof box guide

This greatly varies on the characteristics of the boxes, sometimes the most expensive boxes open or are accessible from both the sides, others which are big enough open from one side only and even the models which are in-build have these characteristics of one-sided. 

How Much Weight Can Your Roof Hold? 

You’ll need to subtract the weight of the box itself from the weight limit of your vehicle’s roof – since some of these models come in over 50 pounds, this can be a significant consideration as a trade-off between durability and weight capacity.

Wondering how much can you fit in a roof box and still drive safely? Or the weight of the materials your roof rack can carry? Or what is all that stuff on your roof actually doing to your fuel economy? Well, we’re here to help!

Weight Capacity: What is The Limit?

The short answer: there isn’t one.

Most roof boxes will have a stated load capacity which is a guide to how much weight it can safely carry – often it’s around 100kg. But this isn’t the total weight of your car, it just means that if you put 100kg in the box, you’re unlikely to damage anything. The actual total weight you can carry will be significantly higher than this figure. There are two big variables here: what gear your vehicle is in and the height at which the box sits above the roof line because both affect aerodynamics. So before we get started with examples, let’s look at height first…

Height Effect on Aero Drag

As a general rule of thumb, try not to sit a box higher than around 200mm from the roof line if you want to keep aero drag low.

This is because the higher it sits, the more turbulence and drag will be created, which can lead to increased fuel consumption and in some cases even stability problems. It always varies depending on how high your roof actually is so best practice would be to measure from your bonnet/hood to see where 200mm roughly corresponds with – if you have a very high roof you might need to sit it slightly lower than this though.

The good news is that if you’ve got an SUV or 4×4 then most of these come with fairly tall roofs already so this isn’t likely to be really much of an issue, but do check just in case!

The weight capacity of each vehicle varies greatly from the other vehicle. It is directly proportional to the characteristic approach of the vehicle with the weight-bearing.  

Is security an issue? Do you need to leave stuff unattended on your vehicle

As mostly all the roof boxes have lock system it is generally not an issue to leave the kinds of stuff unattended on your vehicle, but you need to check if that the top locks down.

Most, if not all, high-end options come with some form of locking mechanism, but this varies widely in terms of quality.  

The quality of the boxes is directly proportional to the lock durability and security. So when you go out and have any confusion regarding the security just as a piece of advice carries a substitute locking system and to secure your luggage, you can try out best roof racks.

Buyer Guide For Roofbox

Selection Criteria: How We Ranked Our List of Top Picks

Ease of installation: 

Most boxes can be snapped on and off your car roof rack quickly. Locking options can add a layer of difficulty, and some frames can require two people to install it without scratching the roof of your vehicle safely.

The ease of installation highly depends on what’s already on your car, and but in general, we like to opt for options that are highly recommended by the users. 

When you are out for a trip, and you get no place but to park the car in a high leveled area with garbage loaded you would always want to take your roof box off the roof rack. 

Roof Box Weight & Capacity

It highly depends on the quality of the best roof box. But mostly the lighter boxes are highly preferable and can hold a lot of luggage and do not exceed the weight limits of the car.

The lighter ones are highly preferable in terms of carriage, meaning it can be easily lifted and taken off when needed. 

Some of the examples will make it more relevant: for instance, Thule Motion XT is one of the best roof boxes, and the weight is 42Ibs and can hold up to 22cubic feet. Like this, another one is the Thule force XL review.

Footprint and Available Space

The design of the rack is a factor of both its aerodynamics and what dimension of gear can fit with it.

Skis, snowboards, poles, golf club carriers, and other relatively lightweight but awkwardly shaped gear can be challenging to fit inside a vehicle or on top of it.

If you are a travel person and who loves to camping then here is the great choices for you and your family or friends i.e. camping roof boxes.

There are different types of shapes and sizes, depending on the interest of the material to be carried.

For the above-noted list, we would prefer a long cargo carrier or roof box, and on the other hand, for other things, we may need a different type of shape and size.

The shape and size ultimately vary in the interest of the item to be carried by the user. 

Security feature:

We always recommend high-security products which help to have proper safety and satisfaction on the mind of the user. It would not only keep the luggage safe but also the car safe. 

Compatibility:

Every car will fit in some racks, but not with the same size. Even if the model is equal, the size won’t be depending on the characteristic of the car used.

In this case, we always recommend using the best fit rack for the vehicle, which summons up to all like best-fit possibilities.

This will help the users in versatile ways and would be of utmost use. 

Can I Buy a Used Version?

We always tend to go for any upgraded version. May it be a rack or a roof box or any other product, we generally tend to buy a fresher from the marker then replace the old one with the crisper.  It helps us to keep with the new functions and trends. 

Buying a used product is not bad if it has been properly in the areas of locking mechanisms, open/closing mechanisms, and weatherproofing seals, like these, tend to go first. If everything is entirely up to the mark, then you are good to go. 

Weather Pro

If you’re going to be leaving your rack on top of your vehicle long-term, you should expect it to be exposed to the elements.

Some of the low resistive options like soft-sided bags can get profoundly affected in case of extensive exposition to extreme weather conditions.  

Most racks should stand up to UV and water damage, but they do vary substantially in terms of how waterproof they are – some will be fine in a light rainstorm, but have seams that will leak over time, which can damage the contents.

Roof Box Capacity Versus Volume

There are two things to consider when you purchase a roof box: how much gear it can hold and how much volume it will take up on top of your vehicle. You need to ensure that both are acceptable before deciding whether or not to purchase a particular model.

Roof Box Capacity

Roof boxes are storage options designed to fit on the roof of a vehicle. The dimensions of these boxes vary depending on the type of vehicle it is being installed onto, but they are generally between 60-110 liters or 18-34 cubic feet. Roof box capacity is calculated by multiplying the height, width, and depth togetherets.

The most common measure of a cargo box is its capacity expressed as cubic feet (or liters). As with any product size, max holding capacity comes from finding the right balance between space and portability – if it’s too big then few people will want to carry it around every time they use it, but if it’stoo small, it’s not useful for many purposes. To help you choose the right box, we’ve put together this guide to roof box capacity.

4-10 cubic feet – A small cargo box that fits just a few grocery bags or some sports equipment is great for things like driving to work on your own, but not much else. These are rarely used by car sharers either because they’re too small for most of what people need (e.g., transporting groceries or bulky sports equipment), or their low weight makes them fiddly to carry around when empty.

12-16 cubic feet – This size of cargo box is popular with car sharers who make frequent use of their vehicle. It may only hold enough stuff for anafternoon of grocery shopping, but it’s also light enough to take off the car easily.

20-30 cubic feet – This is the box that most people would consider “big”. It holds enough for a weekend trip (or an afternoon of serious grocery shopping), and often comes with extras like waterproof liners or rain deflectors to make sure you don’t get anything wet if it rains while your stuff’s in the box.

32-36 cubic feet – If you need to carry around more than two weeks’ worth of groceries (and probably even if you don’t), then this is the biggest cargo box commonly available. They’re big enough to fit three full sets of golf clubs head-tohead, or four sets side-by-side without the clubs touching, and have plenty of room for other bulky items. They’re usually much heavier than smaller boxes, but a lot easier to take off a car roof when they’re full.

40+ cubic feet – These storage containers are so huge they could hold your whole wardrobe if you packed them right, but most models have reduced side walls as well as reduced headroom to make sure that fitting one on top of a typical small sedan isn’t an impossibility. The biggest box we’ve heard of was over six feet tall and nearly seven feet wide – it would comfortably fit two adults lying down inside!

Common FAQ’s For Roofbox Selection

Will a Best Roof Box Affect My Fuel Economy?

Yes- how much it affects will vary directly with the vehicles height, the height of the rack and how it’s shaped and how much weight you carry.

Adding anything to the top of your car increases the front area. Even if it’s aerodynamically shaped, it’s never going to be as well-engineered as your vehicle, which has been extensively engineered and tested in wind tunnels.

If you have a large rack and have a small vehicle you can expect a better mileage. But never mind even if you decrease the weight or the size it will have little impact on the vehicle for sure. 

A little efficiency is lost in the process of carrying the luggage from one place to another. 

How Much Can a Best Roof Box Actually Carry?

To be exact it varies widely with the product in use. As space, size or shape is increased the amount of carrying capacity increases. Not only has this is widely varied with the type of vehicle in use because each vehicle has a different capacity to hold carriage. 

 The biggest boxes can carry around 22 cubic feet; the biggest soft sided bags may have a little more “give” when it comes to packing them full, but they can generally hold less weight

Will a Roof Box Damage My Vehicle?

Probably it won’t. It can, though, if you install it improperly, overload it, or aren’t careful when lifting it on or off. If supposedly you install roof racks on the vehicle and you are not careful then it can cause some damage but alone the roof box won’t do any harm to the vehicle. 

How Can I Tell if A Box Will Work with My Existing Roof Rack?

If you have rails (front-to-back) and crossbars (side to side) hardware in place, you’ll be fine.It’s fairly easy to install your own roof rack, or cross bars, if you already have rails, but you’ll need to do some DIY work with a kit.

Also, it’s worth keeping in mind that factory-installed rails typically have a lower profile than anything you can add after the fact.

Even high-end aftermarket crossbars from Thule, Yakima, Inno, etc., need a mounting clamp on top of the crossbar, which makes them sit higher, which can be an issue both for fuel economy and if you need to squeeze into a garage with low clearance.

Does Name Brand Matter?

Yes and no. Thule and Yakima are definitely the big names when it comes to most gear accessories, and do tend to offer the best quality. In addition, they do often look better than alternatives.

Thule especially tends to be very expensive, so whether springing for the name brand is worth it for the reliability to you depends on your needs. Other brands offer similar functionality but without all the features.

Inno, Malone, and other brands are less known brands in the market but have quality products. 

Common Issues with cargo boxes?

There are a few issues that you may confront on the off chance that you’re not cautious enough. Here are the absolute most recalled issues:

Broken Keys: On the off chance that you utilize a ton of power, you can wind up breaking the key. Recall cargo boxes list have tough lock frameworks.

Running into things: Always remember that your vehicle is in normal two feet higher with a cargo box on top. The exact opposite thing you need is to run into a low stopping design or carport.

Over-burdening or loading: Try not to attempt to constrain it, If your cargo box is completely filled. Something else, the cover will not be bolted as expected and you can even harm the structure.

Best Roof Box Guide
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