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Roof box recommendations

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi all.

My car is a 2013 ford focus 5 door hatchback.

I'm looking for recommendations for roof bars and roof box.

The roof box must be able to take a couple of cabin bag style suitcases and also 1/2 pairs of skis. One pair is 165 and the other 181.

Are the long roof boxes that can take the 181 skis too long for the car. (I'm happy to only take the slalom style skis)

If appreciate some suggestions.
EG are Kamei or Thule just overkill or are they worth it. Also is dualside opening worth it?

I will use it only to drive up north of Scotland to family and take my skis.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Can't recommend a roof box/roofbar combi as there are so many, but I can recommend the Roofbox Company. I've used them a number of times and their service is excellent as is the product quality.
https://www.roofbox.co.uk

PS I have Thule as my ski carrier, the extra cost was worth it to me.
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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?
Kamei Corvara the best imv, and definitely worth it. Mine just opens on one side, can’t really see attraction of dual opening. Not cheap but solid and built to last.


Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Sat 10-04-21 14:24; edited 1 time in total
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Have both an older Thule Alpine and a newer Kamei so difficult to compare like for like however went for Kamei as it seemed better value for money was a lot easier to mount and easier to shut when full.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
It’s an ideal eBay purchase - so many people buy them, use them a couple of times, then change their car and need a different setup. With a bit of patience you can find some real bargains - mine is the genuine merc box with bars that retails for a few hundred quid, and cost me £50.

That way you can get a high end make for low end money.

I also have a cheap roofbox company setup for the other car, and whilst it does the job and was great value, it’s more faffing to take on and off vs the merc (= Kamei) one. More screws, bolts and bits of plastic.
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@GlasgowCyclops, Are the long roof boxes that can take the 181 skis too long for the car?

Don't worry about that, I run a kayak shop and two 15 ft kayaks are legal on a Smart car!
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Kamei Corvara for us. Easier to put on if there's only one of you to do it too. Has stood up to several thousand miles of trips to Alps and back. The cheaper one we bought split in high winds. I think we got from Roofbox Company.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I am also on the hunt for for a roof box so can't comment on that but I bought thule (116 or 118cm?) aero bars. They actually fit a multitude selections of cars with different feet adapters (fit both my cars 1 series and 911).
Unless I got a bargain I don't think I would buy a specific bar set up for a car that will be useless when you change cars.


Last edited by After all it is free Go on u know u want to! on Sat 10-04-21 20:31; edited 1 time in total
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Another fan of the Roof Box Company - I had a very helpful guy on the phone for quite a while once, as I crawled around my sitting room trying to sort out a problem with my roof bars.
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I won a Roofbox Company voucher for a roofbox in the Snowheads raffle in December 2015, and bought a Kamei Delphin which has been a real workhorse for us and is still going strong. See https://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php/car-specific-accessories/kamei_delphin_340k_gloss_black_box_left_opening_no_km347_0_81347_41_/Qx%40w%2C6M42VAwp3%40Rb%7B~cC4ure5JnX5

We decided to go for one which opens on the right rather than the left - at home it will be loaded in a driveway, but as we bought it for ski trips it will spend a lot of time being opened from the drivers side and if we have to do that on the road, I wanted that to be from the kerbside rather than from the road side.
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Yet another fan of roofbox here. I was trying to order a box but for some reason was getting a glitch so phoned them. They said rather than buy the one I was looking at they had a Kamei Husky M cancelled order (didn't show on their website at the time) in their warehouse for £175 ready to go and they threw in some other bits.

I think we squeezed 5 or 6 pairs of skis, including preachers, rangers and directors (some were quiverkilled), in the box on to an EOSB plus lots of kit

Have since had some Atera SIGNO RTD 110cm aero-profile aluminium bars when I changed cars, also at a very good price.
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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.
Another vote from for a Kamei box. I've got their Delphin model. Whatever box you use I'd recommend getting 'aero' profiled bars.

Roofbox.co.uk are to go-to supplier in the UK. Their customer service staff are excellent and they'll tell you the longest box you can use on your make/model of car that still allow the tailgate to fully open.
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Roofbox have delivered us stuff overnight at short notice at no extra charge. They are so good. We've had several sets of snow chains, a couple of bike racks and a roof box.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Dual opening is well worth having if you will be opening and closing in windy spots - ie up a mountain.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Hi @GlasgowCyclops, a few observations on the back of so many helpful comments already from others.

On my last two roof boxes it was the box itslef that pretty much determined where the roofbars had to be located on the car (plus or minus a few inches) so they were a standard distance apart, irrespective of the car you put the box on. My first box went first on a hatch and later on an estate, same roof-bar spacing.

Agree with @snowdave, that eBay is a great resource for this if you are patient, know what you want and are prepared to travel to pick it up. My own experience is from the seller side of things but the buyer of my old box did his research, travelled from Bristol to London to pick up and got exactly what he wanted for, ahem, £50.

Plus 1 here recommending Roofbox.co.uk which is where I got my new box, a Hapro. Really handy site to be able to compare dimensions, fitting types, all sorts. I'd recommend going as wide and long as you can and not constrain size to 'just, only just, big enough'. It is SO much easier being able to throw stuff in and not have a Chinese puzzle to solve to make it all fit. I imagined that dual opening would be a 'nice to have' but in fact, it's a 'very very very nice to have'. Final point, I noticed that the new Hapro box had a strange stippled finish. I then also noticed how much quieter it was on the motoway than my old box. Then realised I was getting 3-4 mpg more with the new box on motorways than the old one despite it being 50% wider and taller.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Handy hints - buy a cheap exercise mat, 5mm thick about £5-6 and line bottom, cut to shape around lock arms. Stops rattle when skis inside. Also put skis in flat and stack rather than back to back, makes better use of space. Plus ski boots get very cold up there - not fun arriving straight into a car park in Alps and trying to get boots on! When stopping over en route, ideally leave in carpark near hotel room - thieves target parked overnight vehicles with roof boxes.


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 11-04-21 8:18; edited 1 time in total
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@bobski62, the stippled finish is probably the "shark skin " effect. `
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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?
I have a Thule Alpine 500 and have had it strapped on to smaller than a Focus with no problem ,,,its very reassuring to be able to see the front when you are driving ..you know its still there ..I have had 3 pairs of skis ( 2at 190)helmet and boots in it along with the poles plus other soft stuff and had no problems apart from the fact that they can be a bit of a bind to close if too full ..they just wont lock!... all the Thule fitments are available ie new locks straps etc and you can pick them up used for quite reasonable prices on the bay I paid £70 for mine about 5 years ago ! and it has maaged several trips to the Dolomites and back ..
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My box has a lot of flexibility on where it attaches to the cross bars. You do have to make sure the bars are far enough apart to give reasonable support (ideally 25% and 75% along the length) and also make sure it is far enough forward to allow the tailgate to open (or suffer a lot of faff).
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Another vote for Kamei. We have a Delphin 340 (from Roofbox.co.uk - as good as everyone says above, I wouldn't even bother looking elsewhere). The Delphin is really robust and you just pull the lid down to shut it - no need to line up locks or anything. It helps when you try to squeeze one more bag in! The bar attachment system works well too, i can get bars and box on the car in less than 15 minutes, on my own. Got it over ten years ago, and it's done trips all over the UK, and more recently to Denmark, Norway and various parts of Sweden. If i washed it, it would pass as nearly new.
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DJL wrote:
and also make sure it is far enough forward to allow the tailgate to open (or suffer a lot of faff).

I found that with mine on a small car ..my solution was to undo the rear bar from the car and the whole thing would tilt up when the back was opened ..a bit of a faf but it saved a lot of trouble
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I should add that I will use it to go from home to MILs house and unload everything. So access during a trip is not required.

Normally when we go up we have bags, guitar, cat basket etc etc and it is the usual baggage Tetris every time. Taking skis is the bonus Happy

I just realised I have an Ariel in the middle of the roof (at the back) and need to see how to remove that Happy
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
GlasgowCyclops wrote:
I just realised I have an Ariel in the middle of the roof (at the back) and need to see how to remove that Happy


If its like mine it just unscrews by hand but might be flexible enough to leave in place.
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One disadvantage of the wider boxes like mine is that putting the roof bars on first and then plonking the box on top and fitting it seems like a sensible move, but when it comes to reaching the furthest U-bar to unscrew it and then screw it tight again requires either Inspector Gadget extending arms, or some form of booster step or ladder especially if your vehicle is fairly tall to start with. Standing on a step ladder and then leading sideways to effectively crawl inside the box to reach is a feat of balance and dexterity which some will not manage. And of course you have to get down and walk around to the other side to remove it and fit it under the roof bar and back into the box.

Instead, I put the bars on the garage floor, fit the box to the bars and tighten everything up without the high wire act, and then with two people we lift the whole thing into place. OK, you have to know that your bars will adjust widthways to fit for whatever position you use, or have them all the way forward and back and know that this works for your vehicle, but it is significantly easier. If I had the storage space and didn't use the bars for kayaks and other things, I would leave it all permanently assembled.
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Have a Thule box which must be at least 15 years old now. Still going strong so that speaks for itself - one of the plastic ‘nuts’ that tighten it onto the roof bars cracked a couple of winters back but it still tightens and works fine...
Can’t remember the exact size but fits 5 (6 at a push) pairs of fattish skis (or in summer a whole load of camping/kids outdoor fun kit...). Have always run estates (Octavias, 406s etc), but see plenty round here on medium& small hatches..
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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length of the car plus being an estate, plus positions of the clamps, plus lengths of my skis (not old school, but still 190s!) limited the roofbox options a bit for our old Subaru. Was a bit of a balance to find one long enough that still let the boot open properly - might be similar on a focus. Main thing was the range of adjustment on the clamps that allow it to be forward enough.
We ended up with a Thule one which has been pretty good, then bought an F150 that means it does get used as much.
For those with SUVs is height an issue? Here estate cars - or wagons are becoming quite scarce. Friend with a Tiguan made sure to get the super low profile one so as to avoid issues with underground parking
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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.
To reach the box (if you have a tall car ) I have some plastic steps that fold up flat ..they come in differnent size from somewhere like Dunelm..
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@stuarth, my car is 1.69m so with roof bars added and then the box it becomes 2.2m and so doesn’t fit in most underground or multi-storey car parks which are typically 1.9-2.1m

I also found one car park in Germany advertised as 2.3m where that was the floor to concrete beam height, but they’d then helpfully fitted speed bumps plus strip lights under the beams. I hit the first one at low speed, without removing it... Embarassed
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Another vote for roofbox company.

I ended up with Atera bars, and wide long box for my V60 (Hybrid, boot full of batteries).
Dual side opening was a draw, and well worth having, I was throwing the pushchair in it most of the time.
Managed Chamonix (summer trip) and back with it, minimal roof noise, dry, and secure at in excess of 100, mph not kph.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
GlasgowCyclops wrote:
I just realised I have an Ariel in the middle of the roof (at the back) and need to see how to remove that Happy

Would have thought it would just screw off.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
We have Atera roof bars iirc and a Kamei Corvara box. All purchased from roofbox.co.uk.

The box is dual sided opening which can be useful to gain access to specific items or to help pack if your putting quite a bit of stuff in or simply because of access restrictions.

On ours the front arm has become somewhat floppy so we have to use a stick to hold the top up when packing. I think we could probably get a replacement but just never got around to it.

In general the box is easy to put on and has held up well over several ski and camping trips.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Markymark29 wrote:
thieves target parked overnight vehicles with roof boxes.


Not just thieves Laughing

https://www.fr24news.com/a/2020/09/i-was-returning-from-france-by-car-when-i-discovered-a-sudanese-refugee-who-was-hiding-above-my-car.html
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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?
Had some Halfords Exodus a few years ago, but have since upgraded to Thule and found them exceptional. Currently have the Dynamic model which is great for
my family skis, would definitely take 181's and possibly longer. Dynamic I have found has been great, dual side entrance and real sturdy on our trips to Austria and Italy.
Roof box is on atera roof bars which I would also rate.
All are on a 2017 Ford Mondeo estate, so would assume would not be out of place on a Ford Focus.

There are some roof boxes on ebay where I got my most recent roof box purchase......
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thule-dynamic-800-M-Car-Roof-box-320-Litre-75kg-Load-Capacity/402700855350?hash=item5dc2d76836:g:OJUAAOSw2F9gDMgA

Has anyone else noticed that there are no recommended speed ratings on roof boxes, always reluctant to go any faster than 85mph or 130Kph when travelling through Germany, but always see other vehicles with roof boxes travelling a lot faster than me!?. wink
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@Simon94, any recommended maximum speed would have to take into account the attachment of the box to the bars, _and_ the attachment of the bars to the car.

For my car, the manual says this:
Quote:
Do not drive faster than 75 mph.
The permissible roof load is 75 kg for vehicles without roof railing and 100 kg for vehicles with roof railing. The roof load is the combined weight of the roof rack and the load.


My manufacturer-badged bars are rated at 75KG, and probably weigh 5 Kg each. My Kamei Delphin apparently weighs 16Kg empty, and takes a maximum load of 75Kg. There is no speed indication in the details. I've never weighed it, as most of what goes in it is soft and squishy apart from skis and poles, so we're typically not on the limit.

With about 50Kg loaded, all of it stayed attached while I was sleeping in the passenger seat, and also after I woke up and pointed out to my co-pilot that doing 110mph with a roof box attached was not a great idea, which was why we'd agreed that 90 was about our compromise agreement limit Embarassed I hasten to add that this was on an unrestricted and quiet section of autobahn between Ulm and Munich, on new winter tyres, and with brake pads and discs which had been replaced about 2000 miles before, but it still was neither big nor clever. rolling eyes

Given the aerodynamic shape of modern roof boxes and bars, the risk is not so much of them being ripped off, but of them generating enough downforce to overload the bars and damage the car roof.

Also beware of snow and ice buildup on the front on the box, as the very alarming sound of something very solid going "ping, ping, clunk, clunk" down your roofline is bound to make you pull over to make sure that wasn't something vital to keeping the box attached.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
We have Kamei 520 and it's awesome. Swallows 184cm long skis and all the kit easily. Love both sides opening.
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Quote:

My car is a 2013 ford focus 5 door hatchback.


We had a 09 Focus with the fixed mount-points for bars and were very happy with the basic square profile Cruz bars we got from RoofBox. Had 4 bikes on them and they were certainly very stable - even surviving me doing the classic idiot move of forgetting the height of the damn thing and driving into a height restriction!

Obviously if you've got fixed mounting points rather than roof rails of your Focus then you're going to need to make sure that the box you buy fits the distance between where the bars will fall.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
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@ousekjarr, reminds me of the last time we drove down to Val D'Isere - in my company BMW 520d my stint had happily had the cruise set at 140kph happliy wafting along. After I had a kip I woke to see my mate driving at 170kph! "Oh I must have accidentally knocked the cruise off" said he Evil or Very Mad

I have a Thule Ocean 500 which is the half width one, and gets 186 skis in easily. It's mounted on Thule Aero Bars (not the newer wing ones) all bought off ebay for a total of about £100 - just had to buy a new footpack for the fixed roof points on the beemer. All brilliant and easy to fit (rail/slot system). As said above, if you can do your research, know what you want, stuff comes up on ebay all the time.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
ousekjarr wrote:
Given the aerodynamic shape of modern roof boxes and bars, the risk is not so much of them being ripped off, but of them generating enough downforce to overload the bars and damage the car roof.


From the shape of my roofbox, and most others I've seen, I worry more about the aerodynamic lift that they generate rather than downforce (they are, simplistically, a wing), rendering the car unstable at high speed.
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Not sure if it's an age thing, prevalence of speed cameras, my wanting to be efficient on the fuel for environmental/cost reasons or general safety awareness but I tend to stick to within a few mph's of the speed limit on motorways these days or if in Germany just go what I would normally go. And especially with the bars and box on.
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@snowdave, the shape of a roofbox is pretty much the same as the shape of a car, but in miniature, so if it was the case that the shape caused lift then cars would be taking off regularly. The part you are missing is the angle of attack - if the roofbox is mounted with the axis off the horizontal such that the front is higher than the back, it will indeed generate a small amount of lift. If it is lower at the front than at the back, it will generate downforce. Most cars and most modern roofboxes are designed to avoid either of these by having the roof rails level at the recommended mounting points, which is precisely why they are marked, so that you can get the box horizontal both to minimise drag and to avoid any excessive forces.

Roof boxes are more likely to generate downforce than lift, because downforce is typically wanted while lift is typically not. That's part of the design.
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