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I have em all roofbox, rearbox as above and trailer. We usually take trailer, but this year the cost of tolls in France and eurotunnel cost with trailer has meant we leaving it at home and going with car, roofbox and rear box this is stilled classed as normal car size on eurotunnel and the tolls.

atko

We have a Roof Box.475 Lts ( Exodus quick fit )on our Focus Estate, We put all the soft stuff in it,like sleeping bags,air beds,clothes for 4 of us then we put our four fold-up chairs,its about full now !!. So all the tent and things that go with it,can fit in the car.

Then its a great drive to the camp site, No speed restrictions,No parking problems or reversing one's too !! and some camp sites Charge for Trailers.

It takes mins to put on the car & take off,gets put in the camping cupboard when not in use,don't have to check the bulbs,tyres etc,etc.

As for the cost well,you will have to have a tow bar fitted,for a trailer,and buy roof bars for the roof box,so I think its about even here.

As for me well,when its holiday time all I want to do Is Get there,so if it means outside lane then I can,or overtake without ant worry about the trailer swinging around,as for Drag well the car is full up,so hard to tell if its drag or just loaded up ??

But for us Its A Roof Box Every time.

Hi Tidburyboy, I'm sure at this point you're nonethewiser, it's a pretty subjective question and to be truthful you won't know the honest answer for yourself until you have tried all options for yourself, so I'm sorry to be no help either.

However, 18 moths ago I did buy a trailer off ebay to give it a try (buy 2nd hand, I'll explain why in a moment). It was great, no more stuffing pillows and slepping bags through 3 inches of open window to use up every last cubic mm of free space. Weekend camping jaunts were great, loads of extra secure space to store food & drink (and it kept it cool, the beer that is), which meant more space in the tent. BUT, I did live on my nerves worrying that the trailer was going to somehow seperate from the car (I knew it wouldn't, but that little voice kept nagging me..."What if....?")

Anyway, I did a number of trips last year with no problems and 2 earlier this year, but none were significant distances (100 miles or so). June this year we decided to head for Croyde Bay (250 miles) surfing, well bodyboarding really and someone offered me the loan of a Thule roofbox. I decided to give it a try.

I sold the trailer on ebay last Sunday and from the proceeds will be buying a roofbox.

I'm not dead set against trailers, it was great BUT.... for me the roofbox is the better option. I have a big gas guzzzler (4X4) and didn't notice a massive difference in consumption when driving at sensible speeds, only 1 child now (the other 2 have grown up and camping isn't "cool") so loads of room and a midsize roofbox did the trick. Can drive up to 70mph, use lane 3, use any space at services not have to drive around looking for 2 together or use the HGV & Coach area. There are lots of little considerations you have to bear in mind with a trailer that you don't with a roofbox apart from REMEMBERING the roofbox is up there when entering car parks!

Why a 2nd hand trailer? They hold their value. I bought mine 18 months ago (out of season) off ebay for just under £300 (Daxara 127 with Erde ABS hard top) and sold it last weekend on ebay for £351 (so still a profit after ebay take their costs and commission). Another sold the same day as mine for £470, it was identical in spec apart from being 2 years younger, but was down south where they are all "RICH"! Having said that, roofboxes hold their values quite well too, 2nd hand on ebay are selling for almost the NEW price at Halfords when they have "roofboxes at up to 50% off".

My advice, try all the options, if you buy 2nd hand you'll get most of your money back if not all of it when/if you re-sell (even the towbar).

I don't think you'll regret either option, it's all about which suits your circumstances best. Good luck.

just changed from roofbox to trailer this year.

First trip with the trailer in a couple of weeks so hard to compare yet. Luckily i have somewhere secure to store trailer with all our gear in so no more stressful trips to the loft every time we go which is a big plus.

If a trailer is 60mph and with roof box 70mph , then there isn't really a great deal in it for time.

Going to keep hold of the roofbox for now just in case.

Got some spare Merc B class roof bars though to sell on...... unless i can figure a way to fit them to trailer to carry the bikes!!

Both

(and I've just bought extender sides for the trailer too)

Trailer... For all the reasons already given... Don't worry about the 60mph limit... If you add up the time it takes to pack the car pre-trip, and un-pack when you get back... Then that is certainly longer than any time lost due to the 60mph limt...

I cruise at just over 60mph... Tis no problem... Lane 3 is no different to lane 2... They are both overtaking lanes... I don't think you have to slow down any more often in lane 2 than you do when you are tonking it in lane 3?

We travelled Derby to Devon last half term, towing the trailer cost us 30 minutes longer on the journey than the other family we went with who didn't tow... I'm 100% sure it took them longer to pack the car and roofbox... We just hook up and go...

Also, when at the site... You don't have to travel around with a roofbox on your car, the trailer just gets left onsite neatly tooked behind the tent, for us, used like a garden shed...

Roofboxes have their merits, but the trailer route was the best way for us.

If you choose a trailer, get one bigger than you think you need...

Quote: Originally posted by valbarley on 11/7/2010

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Saw one of these on the motorway yesterday, was pretty impressed

http://www.roofbox.co.uk/allprods/Thule_BackUp_rear_storage_box_no_900.php

 

I would go for trailer above roof box - purely because i leave the trailer full of stuff so it saves me packing it all the time, plus it holds loads more

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This is the same load carrier that we've got only we haven't got the hard box we've got the Thule bag, which I can definitely tell you is watertight.  We went for the bag cos when not in use it folds down into its own storage bag which takes up to next to nothing in space in our garage.