Roofbox advice......

A snowHead

Hi

's

Looking at purchasing a box and in particular looking at the Thule Spirit 820 or Spirit 780.

We have found lots of very helpful advice on all aspects of roofboxes and have checked all the technical aspects etc but still hard to picture what we will actually fit inside, especially the models above.

Ideally would like to pack with x2-3 pairs carving skis, x2 ski boot bags, bedlinen x4/towels - am I being realistic in getting any more kit/bags in? Not necessarily heavy things bearing in mind the weight limit.

The box we choose will also be used in summer when dog will be in the car.

I know it will also depend on the fixings we choose too.

Thanks in advance for any advice Very Happy

A snowHead

Lou, ... what type of vehicle do you intend using this box on ... ? It's important - especially with a big box.

... plus there is a good site for purchasing these ... I know I bought a box & snowchains from them some years back ... will try to dig it out & post later

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

BernardC, thanks. VW Passat estate - the weight etc all checks out. We have been using www.roofbox.co.uk which seems pretty good. Just hard to 'visualise' what we will get in!

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Lou,
I don't know which model mine is but it is not the full width one. After four pairs of skis and poles there is only room for loose objects though not bags of stuff and probably not boots though I have not tried. Seems to fit loads of stuff in the summer. Have had it about nine years now and still going strong.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Lou, ... My box was approximately 375 litre capacity and the one time I used it was for a Ski drive to France. Landrover Discovery, including 4 people, their luggage and food for self-catering for one week. In the roofbox I put 3 prs skis, 3 prs boots and pretty much most of the luggage for four people. However, my passengers were warned not to bring excessive luggage and to pack it in smaller plastic/soft bags. These 'mould' better to the box shape and can be squeezed into odd spaces utilising as much as possible of the actual cubic capacity. The food, etc which was heavy went into the boot of the Discovery. You will be okay with the height of the Passat - I could have done with a 2-step stepladder for the Discovery - which I have now to get to ski racks thanks to Yoda, .... Laughing

Do bear in mind that you will have to store the box - they are quite bulky and awkward. The best solution if you have garage height is to get a pully system and suspend it from the ceiling.

You'll need to Register first of course.

If you're after a big box look at these. They are fiberglass rather than plastic and are great. I have the 670L moby dick XL and have had 30pairs of skis in it (without bindings) and 2 snowboards.

Warning though, with the exchange rate they are not cheap.

http://www.box2000.com/aktionen.asp

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I slalomed skis on a swiss motorway last season after a roof box sprang open in front of us from a swiss car (not immediatly in front thankfully). It may well have been an old roof box ( I was too busy looking in my rear view at the owner of the ski's and car running all over the motorway to collect his belongings to notice) but since I saw this I also add a strap to the Thule 820 roof box I use. It seems very secure anyway but I guess you just don't know. Your target of items to fit in seems realistic, we use ours a lot in resort with up to 7 pairs of ski's and poles if we are ferrying friends and their kit about. (for clarity,we don't put our friends in the box but sometimes we threaten the children with it Cool

)

After all it is free

Thanks all, just the sort of advice needed.

Frosty, hmmm, the thought had already crossed our minds re the children that's why we are going for the long version to accommodate growth spurts wink

A few years ago we (4 of us) drove over to Les Gets with a borrowed roof box a top a 1600 vauxhall Cavalier, the effect on the mpg was harsh and we had to use the crawler lanes on the motorway hills Embarassed

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

boredsurfin, definitely not good on the mpg, so I'm hoping we get away this summer without ours on the roof, as we won't have any sprogs with us, only the dog. Have got a new carrier for the bikes too, which fits on the back.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Lou,
These folks prices are meant to be competetive, I don't know about the comparison in prices.

http://www.skidrive.co.uk/index.php

snow reports

Just be careful about the weight limit - depending on size of box it is probably around 90KG.

We have an older Thule box - long and thin. In this we get 2 pairs of skis, plastic sledge, all the ski clothes (2 adults, 3 kids) and a largish hold-all and loads of odds and ends.

I would recommend a trial run at packing your roofbox - as depending on how you pack can affect what you put in. For example, I don't put the skis in the ski-bag, but lay them flat on the bottom of the box.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

We normally put light but bulky stuff in the roofbox, cyclet helmets etc, and new bedding for the apartment will be filling it next month if we need it. Hoping to manage without though.

A snowHead

An aero shaped box is a must. Check you get the right fittings too to fit to your box, as theres the claamps that go around the bars, or the T shaped aero fittings which are brill if you have thule aero bars.
And check the max speed you can do with it on. If you exceed it, you get a "lifting" phenomenon and the steering goes light. I think my Thule box was 80 mph..

A snowHead

I think which car you are fitting it on makes a great difference too. I've got a fairly cheap one which is not that aerodynamically shaped. On a Vectra hatchback it sounded (and felt) as if it was about to take off. However my next car was a Renault Laguna estate with roofbars. On that there was virtually no wind noise and the effect on mpg was negligible.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Lou, Frosty, I am shocked that you would even joke about putting children in the roofbox.

Everybody should realise that children have flex points which allow them to fit well in a conventional backseat, whereas skis, being straight and long, would be a struggle to fit in the space released by said children (the problem is compounded if you like long fat skis). Efficient use of space therefore precludes the solution you proposed.

Unless you were to switch to snowboarding, of course, but that would be morally wrong.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

I agree with Colin B, on my Passat variant, with a Trailer tent on tow, I achieved 33 mpg. It was worse on my 92 Passat Saloon I had.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

horizon,

You'll need to Register first of course.

We have a roofbox on a VW Sharan and we still manage to get 40mpg on the long run to the alps (diesel)

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Boris, how long and to where? That's roughly what we do now, 40mpg or less, diesel VW Passat minus roofbox.

After all it is free

55 reg Mondeo 2.0 TDCI estate, borrowed a roof box 3 years ago and I really did notice the difference in MPG and the handling of the car, compared to using ski rack which when driving you don't even know it is there.

I went last year and went back to using my lockable roof mounted ski rack (proper type mounted on bars,not one of the magnetic ones used on hire cars), which in my opinion is far more useful and user friendly than a box when you get there.

All of which is irrelevant if you do not have the luggage capacity of a Mondeo estate

MPG about 38 with rack but thats at a steady 85mph, could easily get this to 45+ if I drove slower.

I previously used a 53 reg Mondeo TDCI 130, and got roughly the following:

Light load, drive at 65mph - 54mpg
Light load, drive at 80-85mph - 50mpg
Heavy load, 80-85mph (and sometimes up to 100mph+) - 46-48mpg
Heavy load plus roofbox, 80-85mph - 42-44mpg

Current Kia Sedona 2.9 CRDI does:

Light - 38mpg
Loaded, 80mph - 36mpg
loaded with bikes on rack, 80mph - 32-34mpg
loaded, with roofbox, I'll report when I get back from the Dolomites (going on Friday!)

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Kel,

snow reports

Lou
6 months ago I was considering of asking for this benefit to be withdrawn, as I drive 45k miles a year mainly business miles.

I do not really use this perk to its full advantage. The last thing you want to do at weekends after you have been away all week and drove a thousand miles, is drive another couple of hundred miles for free, just because you can. Therefore I do not feel guilty when I exploit it for the odd week or so.

The main benificiary is Mr Darling who kindly takes 350 points off my tax code for personal fuel as benefit in kind, this is on top of the 400 points he has already taken off for the car in the first place. Taking this figure it assumes that I use £3500 of diesel per annum for personal use, even at £6 a gallon I use nothing like this.

So for anyone who think company car drivers have it cushty. It ain't what it used to be, the revenue taxes you at £7,500 per year, benefit in kind on your average "rep mobile" Twisted Evil

I am sure this was a roofbox thread Puzzled

You know it makes sense.

Kel, I'm not sure if you think I was having a go? Not my intention, I know very well that having a company car is not a huge perk thanks to taxes. I was only commenting that the fuel must be a help at the moment.

Back to roofboxes, I think we are going to go for the Thule Spirit 820. Thanks to all for advice Very Happy

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Lou

Not at all, but can see why you might have thought that as I did go on a bit.

A snowHead

Bump update (because I don't want to be one of those irritating people who seek advice and don't follow-up Toofy Grin

)

We have used our Thule Spirit 820 several times now and in particular for two skiing trips, which is what we bought it for.

We have more skis now but basically we managed to fit in x4 skis x4 sets poles, two helmet bags and an IKEA bag with bed linen & towels for 4.

Approx 38mpg at about 85mph, with full Passat estate, diesel. Normally about 40mpg for that journey without roofbox.

IKEA bags = good for packing in roofboxes Very Happy

A snowHead

Lou,

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

T Bar, no wonder it took us two days wink

Help!!

Roofbox advice......

snowHeads Forum Index >>> Equipment Reviews/Questions