 Poster: A snowHead
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We are driving to the Alps this year so I have bought a roof box for our skis etc. dumb Q 1, is there a preferred way of packing? strapping down? Dumb Q 2, apart from skis and pole what else do you put in there??
cheers Jason
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Put light stuff in the roof box. Decide how watertight you believe it is to guide you on what and how well packed things need to be - but ski clothing, bedding, etc are good. Most boxes have straps inside to stabilise the contents.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Bedding good but wrap it well. Check your car's safe roof load limit. Often surprisingly low.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I have a thin rubber mat in the base of our roofbox which stops the skis/etc sliding around and eliminates the need to strap them down when partly loaded.
I manage to get 6/7 pairs of skis and poles, one bootbag (inc boots, helmet, gloves, goggles) and a separate rucsac (containing assorted race gear) in it - I'm suspect this exceeds the car's stated roof loading, but not quite sure what problem this can theoretically cause - and I admit to occasionally having had another double/triple ski bag on the roof at the same time.
One trick on maximising internal space of the car is to use the spare wheel well: many cars come with wells which will take a much bigger wheel than is often supplied (or not as the case may be), and some have double-floors - promoted as a benefit but they just create unusable wasted space.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Overloading roof can create stability problems. More of a problem in skiddy situations or cars already tending to be top heavy.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yes that makes sense. I'll make sure I put plenty of heavy stuff low down too (as per my suggestion of using wheel-well space) to counteract it 
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Light but bulky stuff in the roof box, like ski trousers etc. Put them in a bin liner for waterproofing.
I have a 2008 RAV4, I think 60 or 70kg is the roof limit.
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Skis, snowboard (my son's  ), all ski/snow boots, salopettes/jackets all wrapped in water proof bags and helmets. For a family of 3 this normally takes up most of the box, but this dependant on the size. This also helps when you get to resort to ski on the day and its all available to hand...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Personally I'd leave jackets out and keep them in the car cabin, in case you have a breakdown when it's -10C and snowing outside. Agree with the others though.
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So long as it is cold it is a good stash for food brought out from the UK. A frozen turkey made it out for Christmas with us one year. Nicely defrosting by the time we got to Chatel
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We normally take a coolbox full of frozen food in the boot - hardly defrosts at all during the journey, and defrosts only slowly over the next week or so. Biggest issue with the Xmas turkey is whether we actually have a proper oven big enough to put it in.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Oven size is an issue. When we refitted the kitchen in our apartment a full size built in oven went in to replace the useless freestanding thing that was only any use for warming croissants
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@DJL, exactly what we did too.
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You know it makes sense.
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I agree with everything above, put any clothes/towels/bedding in bin liners or other waterproof bags. If it's only being used for skis and boots then can be a good place to put the snow chains without taking up space/making the inside of the car damp once used.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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From memory then this winter my roofbox contained 14 boxes of dog food pouches, one pair of skis and poles, several board games, a carrier bag full of veg, a ski jacket, a mop, a roll of Xmas wrapping paper and two large boxes of Bonio dog biscuits.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Whatever you do make sure it is properly closed. Driving to Chamonix a few years ago my mate didn't close his roof box properly and lost his ski jacket on some motorway somewhere.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I always pack holdalls and then pack them into the roofbox. I have a recurring nightmare of the thing bursting open and distributing our hard earned skiwear evenly over a vast length of autobahn. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Ikea bags are brilliant for putting in the roof box.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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When I was a teacher a curious class once enquired what my ski box was when iit was sitting on the roof of my car in the school car park. I told them I did low budget funerals for those without much money when they died and there was body in it at the time. One of the great joys of teaching in the depths of rural Norfolk was they all totally believed me.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@cameronphillips2000, they are called "Kindersärge" here in my part of upper Bavaria (Oberbayern) aka Children's coffins! I gave mine away to a certain holidayloverxx, a Thule top of the range 250 litre one. That had a maximum load of 50kgs, independent of what the car it was being used on said. It was also mounted on Thule roof bars fixed to my then Volvo estate (940 GTC 2.5 litre Turbo diesel with top specs). The roofbox book still said no more than 50kgs evenly distributed and secured.
[edited to add the stuff I forgot to include last time around! ]
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Mon 4-01-16 22:15; edited 1 time in total
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Car handbooks will give a load limit for the roof but remember, that value invariably include the roof bars and roof box so those values should be subtracted from the upper limit to give you the weight you can load into the box.
Tie downs within the box should be used not just to steady the items within but to prevent any cargo becoming a missile if it breaks free from the box if the car is involved in a collision.
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