
Top 10 Carriers and Cargo Boxes for Cars
Topics
- 1 Top 5 Cargo Boxes
- 2 Thule 682 Sidekick Rooftop Cargo Box
- 3 Rightline Gear 100S50 Sport Jr.
- 4 WeatherTech 60001Racksack Cargo Carrier
- 5 Thule Atlantis Series Cargo Box
- 6 Keeper 0723-1 Water Proof Roof Top Cargo Bag
- 7 Thule Force Cargo Box
- 8 SportRack SR7018 Vista XL Rear Opening Cargo Box
- 9 Yakima RocketBox Pro 14 Cargo Box
- 10 Yakima SkyBox 21 Carbonite Cargo Box
- 11 RoofBag Explorer Water Proof Soft Car Top Carrier
- 12 Car Roof Boxes Video Buying Guide
The roof mount cargo box is an improvement on the old roof racks but the idea is the same. Get your goods on the roof of the car to save space inside the car or if there is not enough space in the car. The car roof cargo box is particularly useful if a person has a small car for day to day commuting into the city and at the same time use it for holidays or weekend camping trips where a lot of extra luggage is required. The modern cargo boxes are well constructed and the main aim is that it will keep your goods dry as well as not create a lot of wind resistance which generally increases fuel consumption.
Features
The main features that need consideration when you are considering buying a cargo box are the durability of the material, the size of the cargo box and how well it will suit the type of vehicle that you are driving.
- The dimensions of the cargo box need to be considered to make sure that you are able to put enough luggage in and if it will be long enough if you want to carry equipment such as golf clubs or skis.
- The durability of the material and if it will protect your luggage from rain or snow.
- The accessibility and how easy it will be to pack once it has been secured to the roof of your vehicle.
- The security of your luggage, whether the roof mount cargo box is able to be locked and how strong the locking mechanism is.
- Which types of roof racks it will be compatible with and how flexible the mountings are to make it easy to install on different types of roof racks.
Top 5 Cargo Boxes
1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | 4th place | 5th place |
---|---|---|---|---|
Thule Force Cargo Box, Black | SportRack Vista XL Rear Opening Cargo Box (Black, 18 Cubic Feet) | Yakima - RocketBox Pro, Multi-sport Rooftop Cargo Box for Cars, Wagons and SUVs, 14 (adds 14 cubic ft. of storage) | Yakima - SkyBox Aerodynamic Rooftop Cargo Space for Cars, Wagons and SUVs, 21 (adds 21 cubic ft. of storage), Carbonite | RoofBag Waterproof | Made in USA | 1 Year Warranty | Fits ALL Cars: With Side Rails, Cross Bars or No Rack | Car Top Carrier includes Heavy Duty Straps |
![]() 195 customer reviews | ![]() 319 customer reviews | ![]() 124 customer reviews | ![]() 287 customer reviews | ![]() 996 customer reviews |
16.1 pounds | 28 pounds | 7.7 pounds | 75 pounds | 8 pounds |
54 x 25 x 12 inches | 63 x 38 x 19 inches | 39 x 32 x 18 inches | 90 x 36 x 20 inches | 48 x 38 x 18 inches |
Drilling fixed mounting points is not included. For cars equipped with pre-existing mounting points or for roof racks that attach to door jams. Verifying product compatibility with vehicle. Mounting customer-supplied accessories to pre-existing roof rack. Quality service by a handpicked local expert; Backed by Amazon's Happiness Guarantee. | Fits SportRack Roof Rack Systems, square, round and most factory racks. ABS construction that is durable and UV-resistant. Rear opening for easy access away from traffic. Quick release hardware mounting system for quick on/off. Includes lock to secure contents in the box. Please check the fit for your vehicle in the fit guide located in the Product Details area. | Aerodynamic design to reduce drag with forward mounting hardware for improved hatch clearance making it great for small vehicles. Perfect for SUV, trucks, and wagons, quick-dial mounting hardware fits round, square, factory and most aerodynamic bars and is perfect for hauling gear for up to 3 campers. Dual-sided opening and push button security allow easy access on either side of your vehicle and ensure your lid is secure and your gear is safe with included SKS lock cores. Quick-dial mounting hardware fits Yakima round, square, factory and most aerodynamic bars. | Room for everything; Takes even the biggest families road tripping. Perfect for hauling gear for up to 5 campers; Great for snowboards and skis up to 215cm. 21 cubic feet; Also available in 12, 18, 16 and Lo sizes. Fits Yakima round, factory, aerodynamic and square bars. Integrated SKS Locking System. Integrated SKS Lock System. | Works on bare roof, cross bars, side rails, or baskets. Heavy-duty construction - 3,000 lbs-strong Seatbelt-Style Straps secure carrier to any car, at any highway speed. Size 11 fits any car, SUV or van. Size 15 fits SUVs, vans and full-size sedans. |
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Thule 682 Sidekick Rooftop Cargo Box
The Thule 682 is ideal for those camping trips or if you need to pack your sporting equipment. The dimensions are length 55″ width 24″ and height 24″. It has a nice sleek design so that there is as little wind resistance as possible. The Thule 682 car roof rack cargo box has a side opening for easy loading and unloading and fitted with 2 locks to secure your luggage. It requires to be assembled but will fit most factory roof racks, round bar, and Thule roof racks. The Thule has an almost tool free mounting system making it very easy to mount and take off the roof rack.
The Thule 682 roof rack cargo box is on the small side but it is well designed and waterproof ensuring your luggage will not get wet. Being small it does not increase the fuel consumption significantly and is perfect if you need extra packing space to go on a short trip. Even though it feels flimsy, once it is mounted it is sturdy and under $300,00 a good buy.
Rightline Gear 100S50 Sport Jr.
This aerodynamically designed cargo bag is made from PVC mesh and Hydrotuff Materials and with the dual seam technology makes the Rightline Gear completely waterproof. It has a packing capacity of 9 cubic feet which is designed to fit on compact cars without roof racks. It can also suitable for bigger cars with roof racks. To secure the cargo box on the roof without a roof rack run the straps through the open doors or you can use the specially designed window clips but these need to ordered separately as they are not supplied. The roof of the car is protected by a roof pad so that no damage is done to the car’s body works.
The Rightline Gear Sport Jr comes in very handy when you need to go for an extended holiday or camping but the reviews advise that it is packed tightly because it tends to flap around if half empty. This roof top cargo box is priced under $100,00 and well worth the money.
WeatherTech 60001Racksack Cargo Carrier
Expands to hold a capacity of 13 cubic feet and is constructed of durable water repellent polyester with a rubber felt bottom to protect the finish of the car. It can be strapped directly to the roof of the car but requires side bars to strap it onto. The WeatherTech is supplied with the straps required to fasten it to the sidebars and it is fitted with roll and wrap tabs to stop any flapping. One of the advantages of having this type of cargo box for car usage is that afterward it can be folded up, packed into its bag and stored using very little space.
For the occasional holiday, this type of cargo box is ideal and good value for money but if you are a person that goes on frequent trips and need to carry extra luggage a hard material type of cargo box will probably be more suitable. WeatherTech has an excellent reputation and the WeatherTech Racksack Cargo Carrier is everything that they promise.
Thule Atlantis Series Cargo Box
The Thule Atlantis can be used as a cargo box for SUV vehicles or for cars but take note that the full length of the cargo box is 74″ long (1,87m) and compact cars will probably be too small for this cargo box. It has a big storage capacity of 16 cubic foot and because of its length is great for packing snowboards and golf clubs. It has a very easy tool-free mounting system onto the rack and is compatible with Thule rack, round bar, and most factory roof carriers. It is waterproof with dual side opening making it very easy to pack.
Even though it is a big cargo box it travels well with very little driving noise. More importantly, it does not increase the fuel consumption considerably which makes it perfect for frequent use even if you only need to pack a few items in it to give you extra space in the car. It is more expensive than the polyester type cargo boxes but well worth considering.
Keeper 0723-1 Water Proof Roof Top Cargo Bag
The Keeper is a 15 cubic foot soft-sided roof top cargo bag that is water proof. It is designed for those people who would like to go on frequent adventure trips and will fit any roof carrier. It is designed to be strapped to the roof carrier 4 ways for extra sturdiness and if your vehicle only has side racks special attention needs to be taken when securing it to the roof. The cargo bag is constructed from a robust waterproof material and will protect your luggage from the elements such as grit, wind, rain and sun. Being made with soft sides allows a person to pack in strange shaped items and after use folds up tightly and easily stored.
The straps required are attached to the Keeper waterproof cargo bag and it is advisable to buy a protective roof mat to protect your car which is not supplied. But with it being easy to install, store and is waterproof it is a good buy at under $55,00.
Thule Force Cargo Box
The Force range of cargo boxes come in various sizes and are aerodynamically designed to negate any impact on fuel consumption. The design of the Thule roof cargo box is designed with diamond textured Aeroskin Shell and is made from durable 5 layer ABS plastic. The design allows a person to leave the cargo box mounted the whole year round and it will have no significant noise when you are traveling. The Thule Force Cargo Box has dual side opening for ease of packing from any side of the car. The lids are supported by two lifting arms and fitted with oversized sure-lock technology.
It comes with the Thule tool-free mounting system which makes it easy and quick to mount and dismount. Depending on the vehicle you have there is a range of Thule Force cargo boxes to choose from to make sure it is the perfect fit for your car and with all the extra advantages of this design makes it good value for money.
SportRack SR7018 Vista XL Rear Opening Cargo Box
The SportRack Cargo box is durable and UV resistant which has a rear opening which is very useful when there is a lot of traffic about. The SportRack cargo box is easy to mount and is big enough to carry sporting equipment such as skis, snowboards and other gear required for a day out in the snow. It is waterproof and from the reviews, it will protect your luggage from any grit or the wind even during long journeys. The SportRack is well designed and does not create any noticeable wind resistance or increase in fuel consumption. It will fit most factory manufactured roof racks and only takes about 5 minutes to mount.
Even though it is fitted with a lock it looks a little on the cheap side and when the box is opened it is wobbly but it is sturdy when closed. Care must be taken when you close it because at times it is not fully latched when you turn the key. The SportRack SR7018 is reasonably priced and well worth the money.
Yakima RocketBox Pro 14 Cargo Box
The Yakima RocketBox is an aerodynamically designed sports rack cargo box that is ideal for SUV, trucks, and cars. It will fit most factory, square, and Yakima round roof racks. It can be forward mounted without creating drag for smaller vehicles and still allows the back hatch of the vehicle to open smoothly. It has quick dial mounting hardware and is easy and quick to mount. Both lids have SKS lock cores ensuring that your luggage will be safe at all times. The Yakima RocketBox is long and can accommodate skis up to 180cm but take note that some ski designs of that length will not fit if you cannot lie them diagonally.
Once it is mounted on the roof rack it sits nice and level which is ideal for reducing wind drag but you might feel a bit more than normal wind interference if there are cross winds. You might see an increase in your fuel consumption but generally at under $400,00 the Yakima RocketBox Pro 14 is a good buy.
Yakima SkyBox 21 Carbonite Cargo Box
The best cargo box if you need to carry a lot of luggage and this cargo box can carry camping gear for up to 5 people. With its capacity of 21 cubic feet, it is perfect to take skiing equipment and will allow skis up to the length of 215cm. The Skybox range of cargo boxes can also be supplied in smaller sizes depending on the vehicle that you have. It fits most factory-made roof racks, Yakima round, square and aerodynamic bars. The Yakima Skybox is one of the better cargo boxes to have but the 21 cubic foot is quite heavy and could need up to 2 people to lift it onto the roof rack. Once it is on the roof rack it is easy to secure and does not cause any excessive noise when you driving
The Yakima Skybox 21 is better than other models with its dimpled surface, sleek look and secure locking system makes it very good value for money.
RoofBag Explorer Water Proof Soft Car Top Carrier
The RoofBag Explorer is the best cargo box to buy because of the versatility that you get from using rooftop bags. You do not need any type of roof rack or sidebars to secure it and if you have a compact car it also comes in a smaller 11 cubic foot size for that purpose. The RoofBag Explorer is supplied with all the straps that you need to secure it to the roof of the car including the protective mat. Make sure when you order sure that you tell the supplier whether you are securing it to a roof rack or directly onto the roof to ensure they send the correct straps.
The straps are rated at 3000 lbs to ensure that the RoofBag stays securely fastened to the roof of your car. It is waterproof and will keep your luggage dry even through long periods of rain. The main reason why the RoofBag Explorer waterproof soft car top carrier is rated as the best cargo box is the versatility it offers and the incredible price of under $100,00.
Car Roof Boxes Video Buying Guide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4yU-NY4GqY