Hi there.
Having just bought a larger tent along with a ridiculous amount of camping equipment, we have run out of space in the car (Citroen Picasso C3) and are looking to purchase a large roof box which doesn't cost the earth. We got a bargain on the roof bars last week in Lidl's (£26.99) and they fit fine so just need the box.
Have looked on Gumtree for a local second hand one but nothing going. I see previous forums have recommended the roofbox online site, and Halfords also seem to have a sale on right now.
Any advice welcome, thanks.
IMHO, it is worth paying more and buy one that can be opened on both sides, especially if the car is as big as the Picasso.
When I was using my cheapo 415L roof box on top of my MINI, I needed to use a gripping aid in order to retrieve items from the far side of the box.
DK
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I know they cost alot new, but you can get some good bargains on there (all different brands)
I also agree that opening both sides is a real bonus. I hadn't thought about it before, but when we packed the roof box for our last trip at home we used one side, but when we got to our campsite we needed to open it the other side. Might be worth considering.
We borrowed a Thule Atlantis 200 a few times which was great but couldnt afford one of our own.
Instead we bought a Mont Blanc Vista 450 from Go Outdoors and its brilliant - just as good as the Thule even though you cant open it from both sides. We have a Zafira so its a stretch to reach inside it but it would be with any roof box.
The Mont Blanc coped with thundershowers without leaking and is easy to fit. I wouldnt pay the extra £85 or so for the Thule Atlantis myself.
Hi, kamei husky xxl for us, 510 litres, won auto express best buy award for 2010/12 for around £250
http://www.roofbox.co.uk/roof-boxes/kamei-roof-boxes.php
Volume - 540 litres
Weight - 17kg
Bar fittings - 80mm wide U clamp fits most load bars
Security - Key cannot be removed until locks are properly engaged, 3 locks operate from single key point
Technical Spec - Opening size 42cm
Side opening for ease of loading
I have managed for years with a roof box that only opens one side, it can be a bit of a pain, particularly when faffing about to get the hinges to let it shut, but I wouldn't really fork out that much more for both sides opening myself. However, after the day I had to retrieve my (mercifully new and clean) knickers from 'white van' man's windscreen wiper while he and his cabmate wept with laughter, boy do I wish it was impossible to remove the key from mine before it is locked!
It's a halfords one and has been in service for 11 years, has been used and abused, left on the car for months, had new holes drilled in it to fit on smaller cars etc. No idea how much it cost, but i reckon I've had my money's worth!
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Having read up quite a bit before buying one, we eventually invested in a Kamei Corvara. Not the biggest box on the market (75cm wide x 190cm long), but I had visions of trying to fit bikes on the roof too at some point in the future so wanted a medium sized box rather than the largest one we could get.
The general advice I found online was that you get what you pay for. Some boxes will start to rattle a bit after a while, some use thinner plastic etc.
You can quite often find the same box with either left, right or dual opening. Dual opening is typically more expensive. Ours is dual opening and I don't think we'd be able to reach both sides of the box if it wasn't. We have a Toyota Rav 4 which is quite tall anyway so we also had to buy a folding step stool just to be able to reach the box (we take the stop stool with us which is handy as an extra place to sit (for short periods) and we need it to be able to repack the box when we come to leave the campsite.
One thing to consider is how often you plan to fit / remove your roofbox. Ours has a quick fit system so it only takes about 10 minutes to fit / remove and we store it in the garage when we don't need it.
I'm sure I found other reviews previously, but some useful info can be found at the following links:
Bought Halfords Black Gloss Exodus in sale 470lt ??? was £180, easy to attach, we do use camping chair to stand on to reach to pack and unpack. waterproof and very happy with it.
Also have trailer, had to get roofbox as big daft Labradoodle has taken over the hatchback boot lol
------------- I'm working class, I do what I have to do, to get by.
Thanks so much for all the advice folks. Well, after all my deliberating and window shopping in Halfords, our lovely neighbour has just given us their roof box which they no longer needed. So I guess I've just saved a couple of hundred pounds, delighted!
Now, what else could I spend the money on, ha ha! Might just treat myself to that aerobed after all!
Quote: Originally posted by clairehope on 17/6/2012
However, after the day I had to retrieve my (mercifully new and clean) knickers from 'white van' man's windscreen wiper while he and his cabmate wept with laughter, boy do I wish it was impossible to remove the key from mine before it is locked!
That was so funny I spat my tea out with laughter and it went all over my laptop screen