Cargo Box Guide – If you are thinking about going out with your families or friends for a road journey, you have to make sure that you can take everything you need to maximize the happiness of your vacation time.
However, what is your solution to your must-bring luggage or stuff? You can use a trailer or a cargo carrier to add extra storage to your vehicle, and we recommend you choose hard-shell cargo boxes for your family.
There are many different brands and sizes of roof boxes on the market, so you have to read some info to know how to choose a cargo box that fits your vehicle and your needs.
There are many articles about cargo boxes from different perspectives, and you can find content about finding cargo boxes for specific car models.
Are Cargo Boxes Worth Buy?
How often do you use a roof box? What kind of lifestyle do you have? If you travel a lot in your car with your family, a roof box is quite useful in your life. However, if you do not like road journeys, roof boxes are useless for you. We assume that you are an outdoor enthusiast, and we will list several benefits of having a roof box.
First, cargo boxes can load many items on the top of your vehicle without occupying the interior space. As a result, you and your passengers can stretch your arms and legs during driving time. We recommend you put some often-needed stuff in your car for use on roads. At this time, you should decide what size of roof boxes fit the size of your family, and you have to approximately calculate the amount of stuff you will bring on a road trip to determine what load capacity you need for your things.
Second, a roof box can do many things for you other than loading stuff for your road trips. On our site, we have published an article about common reasons for using a cargo box. You can read it to generate more ideas about the usage of cargo boxes.
Third, roof boxes have a wide range of prices from several hundred to almost a thousand on the market. In general, three hundred dollars can generate a high-quality roof box for you. If you want to use a roof box at a high frequency, you can invest in an expensive one with better features and outstanding quality.
Fourth, the brand matters a lot in buying a roof box. Thule and Yakima are two popular brands of cargo boxes. The Thule company’s products are expensive with lots of great features, and the Yakima group is producing cargo boxes for smaller cars with affordable price ranges.
Do you need a Roof Rack?
What type of vehicle do you have? An SUV, A sedan, or a Van? Why do you need a roof rack? If you want to know how a cargo box mounts on a roof rack, you can read an article on our site to get familiar with the installation steps. A pair of crossbars mount on the top of your car, and they can hold a variety of cargo carriers, cargo boxes included. Without rack bars, you can not use cargo carriers, except cargo bags.
Additionally, roof racks have many different sizes and models: round, square, aerodynamic, narrow, and broad. Thus, you have to choose a roof rack to make a roof box work for you. You can use our Car Guide to navigate to a post for finding roof racks that work your vehicle.
How long to fit a cargo box– an article from our site tells you more about roof racks and how to install a roof box on crossbars.
Are Cargo Boxes Safe to Use?
Most cargo box manufacturers treat safety as the priority in their blueprints. The most expensive one is always the best one. If it is not the best one, it fits all the advanced needs of customers. On our site, we have an article that talks about this topic in detail.
For safety reasons, we do not recommend you use a cargo bag as a roof carrier. Although cargo bags are cheap, they are not as sturdy and durable as hard-shell cargo boxes. Besides, thieves can use sharp tools to cut or open your cargo bags in minutes without creating any sounds. However, if you do not use a cargo carrier at a high frequency, you can consider investing in a cargo bag as a temporary option.
On the other hand, hard-shell cargo boxes are popular on the market because of their sturdy, waterproof, aerodynamic, and durable characteristics. Additionally, they have an integrated lock system that protects the container all the time. If you like, you can even add a new lock system to the box. You can use a drill to make holes in the roof box and install an extra lock for extra security to your content.
We highly recommend you consider the Goplus cargo box as your first try. Thule pulse cargo boxes are also a highly-recommended choice for you.
The cargo box is waterproof
Yes, it is. All of the cargo boxes are 100% waterproof. When you travel in extreme weather like snowing and storming, there is no chance for the water to get inside. Thanks to the smart engineers for using high-density material and applying hermetic designs.
You can use your roof box in any weather condition. If you are not sure what you can do with a cargo box, we have ideas for you.
The cargo boxes are noisy?
Yes, they are creating wind noise while your car is in motion at high speed. However, there are solutions to decrease or terminate the wind noise with other accessories.
Many people complain about their cargo boxes make too much noise on the highways. Most of the roof boxes on the market have an aerodynamic design that decreases the wind noise to a tiny level. Although the aerodynamic shape of roof boxes works effectively for many people, there are still many complaints.
Are cargo boxes useful?
When you ask yourself this question, you may consider investing in a roof box or not. We have no idea about what you may think to do with a cargo box, but we can show you some general purposes that most people want to achieve with their roof boxes. The first thing is first. What is a roof box? A roof box is also a cargo box, a car roof box, a car rooftop carrier, and a rooftop storage box, and with so many names, a cargo box can do many different jobs for people. In general, cargo boxes can carry stuff on the roof of your car from location A to location B. What stuff?
Snowboards, Skis, fishing Rods, tents, golf Clubs, luggage bags, backpacks, boxes, food, equipment, gear, clothes, shoes, tools, and more; thus, do you need one?
For people, who need one, cargo boxes are useful, but they are useless for people who don’t like the outdoor life.
How much stuff can you fit in a Thule cargo box?
Thule cargo boxes are popular on the market with a range of interior space volumes from 12 to 22 cubic feet, and you can load almost anything into them for your outdoor journeys. However, you cannot transport these elements and stuff by using a cargo box: people, pets, hay, bricks, construction metal frames, axes, chemical materials, alcohol, and explosive liquid.
What can you put in a cargo box?
Cargo boxes have different sizes, and you can load almost everything into the roof box according to its actual interior dimensions. In our opinion, you can put these essentials in a cargo box: tents, clothes, shoes, food, sleeping bags, luggage boxes, pillows, backpacks, toys, tools, inflatable rafts or boats, golf clubs, fishing rods, snowboards, skis, football, basketball, camping equipment, and many other things. Consequently, you have to follow your demands to choose a cargo box that can transport all you want to bring on a road trip.
What is a good size roof box?
First, there are many different-sized cargo boxes on the market, so we cannot say which one is good or bad. A proper-sized cargo box has to allow the user to mount other things beside it on the car roof, so half-width or 3/4 width is a good choice that may free s part of the car roof for setting other things which you cannot load into the cargo box like kayaks, bikes, and other long gear.
Do cargo boxes damage your car?
Cargo boxes don’t hurt your car, but they may do so if you haven’t correctly installed them. Thus, we highly recommend you read the installation guide several times to generate an accurate knowledge base for doing so. When your cargo box is not properly installed, it may lose connection with the roof racks; consequently, it may slide off the car roof when it is in motion. On the highways, a not accurately installed roof box can cause a severe accident.
What is the best position of a cargo box?
When you install a cargo box on the roof racks, you have to do it right. What is the best position for setting a roof box? Most cargo boxes have adjustable clamps that you can slide forward or backward in the pre-drilled holes on the bottom of the box. According to manufacturers’ advice, a cargo box should not block the fully open hatchback and view through the windshield. Besides, a roof box should also avoid interfering with the roof antenna. Thus, the best position is where that meets the above conditions.
Do you need crossbars for a cargo box?
Yes, you do. A cargo box requires to connect to roof racks for transporting items on the roof of your car. Without crossbars, a cargo box has nowhere to stand on the car roof, so you have to buy a car rack system for using a roof box.
Are cargo boxes waterproof?
Yes, they are. Most cargo boxes are made of ABS plastics, so they are sturdy, waterproof, durable, and UV-resistant. Most waterproof cargo boxes provide high-quality seal construction that keeps moisture outside the box in extreme weather like storms or heavy snows.
What are the best cargo boxes to buy?
When you want to find the best cargo boxes, you must need one for your family. However, it is hard to say which ones are the best because they are different in sizes with various features. We have a list of the best cargo boxes that may have what you want to find here. You can refer to the page to check if those cargo boxes fit your tastes.
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