Roof cargo box

I am looking for a cargo box for the roof of my BMW X5. I will need to put skis and snowboards in it as well as general cargo. I was wondering if anyone have a suggestion on a good quality unit that was hopefully affordable.

I have a Karrite - 16cu ft and long enough for 200 cm skis. Works great and was about $150 less than a Thule or Yakima. Boxes are pretty expensive to buy retail but they last many many years so are a good investment. You can look around for a used one, but they go fast.

In reply to Aspen: Thanks for the reply i will look at one of those. I have been looking on craigslist but it seems like people seem to keep them.

I have always liked them but when I put one on my expedition getting stuff out of it was a real PITA due to the altitude. Other than that I have nothing to add.

I have a Karrite-Voyager that I put on a Harbor Freight trailer. It works, but everything about it is not as good as my parents old Yakima.

I've sold them for years (working at a ski shop), about a half-dozen brands. I'd say go with Yakima or Thule (or Packasport if you have $$$). They are good aero, many size options, good latch mechanisms (most models open on both sides), and quick install/removal mechanisms, and come with locks.

I would not suggest one of the more old-school boxy ones. They DESTROY fuel mileage and make a ton of wind noise.

We use a Yakima SkyBox 16 (IIRC) and it's been great for the 5-6 years we've had it.

^^ +1 We had a rocket box for a long time until we upgraded to a vehicle that could fit all of our E36 M3. You can't go wrong with Thule or Yakima, and you can usually find them for a pretty good price on CL.

^^And they're not all that expensive new either. Try to hit up a warehouse or preseason sale at a ski shop. We had one last week where boxes were discounted.

Thanks for all the replys. I was measuring the height of my truck vs the opening of my garage and I only have 10" so I am not sure if it will work or not. I think most of the boxes are taller than 10" and I don't want to park outside all winter.

cdowd wrote: Thanks for all the replys. I was measuring the height of my truck vs the opening of my garage and I only have 10" so I am not sure if it will work or not. I think most of the boxes are taller than 10" and I don't want to park outside all winter.

This is one big reason why I find station wagons more appealing than SUVs. I can easily drive my wagon with box into the garage and I can load and unload without a ladder. You may want to look into a regular ski rack for the roof or some sort of hitch rack then.

We were able to get a "scratch and dent" Yakima box for about 60% of its original price at a dealer. It had a couple of small scratches. Once you take the box off and put it on a few times they'll all have a few small scratches. It allowed us to buy a new box from the dealer for a used box price...

I got my Thule box used on craigslist for $5 missing it's key. May you be as lucky!

cdowd wrote: Thanks for all the replys. I was measuring the height of my truck vs the opening of my garage and I only have 10" so I am not sure if it will work or not. I think most of the boxes are taller than 10" and I don't want to park outside all winter.

No, 10" won't even come close.

But why leave it on all the time? They take 5 minutes to put on and take off. I do it by myself, they're not very heavy, just a bit cumbersome to maneuver. Once you have the mount points adjusted the first time, it's even easier on subsequent installs.

I hang mine from the ceiling of my garage basically over the hood of the car when it's not being used, so it's out of the way.

Aspen wrote:

cdowd wrote: Thanks for all the replys. I was measuring the height of my truck vs the opening of my garage and I only have 10" so I am not sure if it will work or not. I think most of the boxes are taller than 10" and I don't want to park outside all winter.

This is one big reason why I find station wagons more appealing than SUVs. I can easily drive my wagon with box into the garage and I can load and unload without a ladder. You may want to look into a regular ski rack for the roof or some sort of hitch rack then.

you must have a tall SUV. I'm 6' tall and have no problem lifting it over my head and putting it on top of our 4Runner. And I'm not a muscle-man or anything, lol....