Ski cargo box

[crgildart]

I used to take mine off after ski season but now leave it on year round. Works great for camping, chairs, fishing rods, etc..

 

[x10003q]

We have a Thule Atlantis 1200/685. It is a lower profile box, but it easily holds 6 pairs of skis. We have owned it for about 10 years with no problems.

 

[hbear]

Can't go wrong with most brands.....it's a plastic box; pricey plastic box but plastic box none-the-less.

I like the Yakima brand, mainly because I find their lid structures to have more rigidity to them vs. the Thule ones. I still use the Thule Aero Bars however.
Figure out how many skis you will pack in their and find a size that works for your ski lengths and car size.

 

[cantunamunch]

FWIW, with only very slight modifications, a Sport tube fits right onto Thule square bars

 

[crgildart]

FWIW, with only very slight modifications, a Sport tube fits right onto Thule square bars

 

[Muleski]

Going to chime in again. Lots of ways to fill this bill. My first ski box, was made of marine grade plywood in the early 70's. Since then, been through a lot of variations. Like the very first Yakima Rocket Box. Almost all continue to get better. No question.

If you have never checked into a Packasport, do. Check out their website, I first saw one about 25 years ago, in it's biggest size, used by a rep. We bought our first shortly thereafter. That box has be used on a variety of cars, SUV's and a couple of trucks. Looks like new.
It has transported a dozen pairs of skis across the country at least 15 times.

They are made of fiberglass, lined with carpeting, with top quality hardware. I have used ours with both Thule and Yakima crossbars. These boxes are aerodynamic and we find them remarkably quiet, even at 80 mph plus. Weight has never been an issue.

My brother also has a couple. He has chosen to have one sprayed to match the color of his car. Looks pretty amazing. Another is on the top of the cap on a truck, when making long trips.

The cost a bundle {$1K} but boy do they last. They are watertight, and I would venture to say that they are pretty hard to break into. Nothing is impossible.

I have had one on a bunch of wagons: Audi, Volvo, VW. Have had one in our Suburbans, Land Cruisers, and on both Tacomas and Tundras.

We have three of the system 90 size. Used to have the huge 115 at one point. Sold it to a college team.

I have zero affiliation with them. Just appreciated when somebody builds a great product. I have a lot of friends who now own them and there is no going back.

BTW, first thing I have done after unpacking ours is to peel off the decals. And just like a car or boat, I wax them once in a while.

www.packasport.com

Worth checking out the website. Ignore the high end cars in the website. I saw one this weekend on a Sienna. And it looked great!

 

[Kent]

If you have never checked into a Packasport, do.

Thanks for the tip. Thanks to all for the feedback.

 

[John O]

@Muleski do you find that the rear opening combined with the hydraulic struts on the packasports make it difficult to load/unload skis? It always looked to me like it'd be a pain as compared to the side loading Yakima/Thule boxes. However I've never actually used a packasport so I don't know, it's just something I'd been curious about.

 

[Muleski]

@Muleski do you find that the rear opening combined with the hydraulic struts on the packasports make it difficult to load/unload skis? It always looked to me like it'd be a pain as compared to the side loading Yakima/Thule boxes. However I've never actually used a packasport so I don't know, it's just something I'd been curious about.

Has pro's and con's. The hardware is very good. So the latches and the lock work. I think the gas struts, which are similar to any high end car hatch struts are great as they hold the box open. Access from the side, working around and the struts has never been an issue for me. So that's all good.

The "con" is that you do need to be able to reach the latches on the back, and if it's locked, the lock itself. And you need to be able to close it. Depending on the vehicle, it can be a reach. Has never been an issue on any of our wagons, as I could easily reach.

On our Land Cruisers, they have a tailgate. Perfect. So do the trucks. We have had two Suburbans which both had the rear "barn doors". For the SUV's and Trucks, we also have a flat step that fits into the trailer hitch receiver.

So, I can see where it could be a challenge. And with a car covered with dirt, road salt and other snow, and "crap", even more so. For that reason I have seen some Packasport owners with small step stools, etc.

The last non Packasport that we bought was a Yakima for our daughter's 2009 Outback. With that design and her 5'5" height, it was easier for her to have he side locking deal. She would not have loved reaching over the bumper and closed hatch with a filthy car. Turns out she almost always carried skis in the car anyways, so she sold it!

But, yeah, depends on the car, for sure. I have literally driven from Maine to Alaska with 12 pairs of skis, at 85-95mph a lot of the way with zero issues. The things are very solid.

 

[crgildart]

Forester is also a little taller than most non truck SUVs. We bring a step stool/ladder and a bath mat for use when we have a full load of skis and kids. Use the step stool to sit on and bath mat on the ground for booting up in the parking lot then use the step stool to stand on when rifling through the gear in the cargo box. Toss the step stool and rug in the back then hop the shuttle bus from the remote parking lot ready to ski.

 

[hbear]

I use a step stool as well, and just throw it in the box when done.

Way easier than climbing on door ledges, wheels, etc. Also pretty much eliminates my jacket getting dirty from the vehicle.

 

[BS Slarver]

^^^^ @Muleski
Hard to ignore those cars here. Funny how they always show the Audi eurowagon in the shots as aerodynamics and a quiet ride are the key. Thule aero bars and box - silient at blistering speeds!

 

[BGreen]

I have an old big Thule. Not sure of the model, maybe Explorer 2100 if that is a thing. It's silver. It works. Not sure I would recommend one way or the other. My sister had a Yakima, a gust of wind shredded it just north of the Canadian border. Look for a model where there is enough overlap between top and bottom shells that wind coming from any angle can't get in it. Any box that can't take a 100 mph cross wind you don't want. Rare, sure, but they happen.

 

[Swede]

Do you have Packline over there? Norwegian made glassfibre box. Not the cheapest but it's a nice, sturdy (and good looking as far as roof boxes go) design.

https://www.packline-roofbox.com/car-brand/subaru/

 

[Muleski]

Do you have Packline over there? Norwegian made glassfibre box. Not the cheapest but it's a nice, sturdy (and good looking as far as roof boxes go) design.

https://www.packline-roofbox.com/car-brand/subaru/

I don't think they are distributed in the US. I have seen a couple of them here, and many in Europe. I think it's VERY similar to the Packasport sold here. Fiberglass, high quality. And yes, costly. See my experiences in our je thread above this.

 

[Dwight]

@cantunamunch you might of inquired about a box that easily can be loaded from the side. This isn't it, but could help people.

https://www.creamdemo.com/products/multifunction-car-rooftop-doorstep

 

[cantunamunch]

@cantunamunch you might of inquired about a box that easily can be loaded from the side. This isn't it, but could help people.

Lol, I didn't think anyone noticed that question let alone remembered it. It related to slide-and-swivel-down loading like used to be available on old Barrecrafters racks and is now used on some kayak racks.

Thanks for the link, looks fairly clever.

 

[Andy Mink]

You might want to take a look at Inno boxes. Some interesting shapes. I don't have one of their boxes but have been using their truck bed rail system and am pleased. It has my old Thule Evolution box on it.

 

[skidog]

@cantunamunch you might of inquired about a box that easily can be loaded from the side. This isn't it, but could help people.

https://www.creamdemo.com/products/multifunction-car-rooftop-doorstep

Just a heads up. Please be aware that creamdemo/rooftop istep have a policy that no order can be canceled once it is submitted. As of a couple of days ago, my step was processed via Singapore and it could be a couple of weeks before I would see it. I tried to cancel the order and learned that their policy is that they cannot cancel an order; STORE POLICY. Whoever heard of such a thing? I ordered on Sat, and tried canceling on Tues, once I learned how long it would take and that it was $10 less expensive on Amazon...and from Amz it would show up in 2 days. creamdemo has still not shipped it. I highly recommend avoiding this company and just get the product on Amazon. If you have AMZ Prime, you will save $10 on the step compared to creamdemo's $19.99 + $4.95 shipping.

 

[crgildart]

Folding step stool in the back under the boot bags or between them works a lot better for managing gear up top... and you can sit on it while booting up in the parking lot,