Racks or a Box?

[Happy Feet]

Divas,

I am about to put the ski racks on the car for the winter. Every year I wonder if I should buy a box, or keep using the racks. What do you use? Pluses and minuses? I have Thule bars, and am not interested in changing the system as I have bike racks for the summer.

PS: The snow is great in New England!

 

[w.ski]

Bought a Thule box last year, and love it. Got to baby those skis; don't want them getting road crud on them!

 

[Sheena]

We just use our rack, which is fine for us for now. We just through our skis in the ski bag and load them on the rack that way to prevent getting road crud on them.

 

[Severine]

We just use our rack, which is fine for us for now. We just through our skis in the ski bag and load them on the rack that way to prevent getting road crud on them.

We've done that when we used ski racks. But over the summer, our BIL gave us a box and so far, I'm liking that much better.

 

[Happy Feet]

OK, I am convinced. What box did you buy? I was just on the Thule site, and there is a wide range of features and prices.

 

[perma-grin]

I went with a box about 8 yrs ago and never looked back. We did a packasport, they are fibergass construction. We use it all year round for travel. Fiberglass can can be painted to match your vehicle and are not heat sensitive like abs plastic is. But my brother has a Thule and he uses it all year too. We didn't notice the pastic being effected that much when it hauled his golf clubs to Florida last spring. Supposedly the Plastic boxes degenerate quicker than the fiberglass ones do. But we take ours off and on in the summer depending on when we need it anyway (we put kayaking and camping supplies in it)! When it's not in use it stores gear hanging from the rafters in the garage. So for us Fiberglass is an advantage. On the down side fiberglass cost twice as much as plastic boxes of the same size. How big you go depends on your vehicle and how much you want to carry. My mini van handles a lot differently with the size box we have up there, than my Avalanche did. Sometime going over the Mackinaw bridge with it up there is a little scary. If I had known that I would be driving a much smaller lighter vehicle when I bought the box I probably would have went a little bit smaller in volume. ( 1st Astro van, then Avalanche, now Mommy van!) The two bigger vehicles handled the bigger box much easier. Your vehicle kinda determines size and how it's most convinent to get into your pod. A car is no big deal but standing on the bumper of a bigger vehicle with ski boots on sucks! Somebody always forgets something up there. Mine only opens from the rear, some of the Thules give you multiple opening options. I would recomend going just big enough so that if the kids or Hubby is making you crazy you can put them in the box and get them out of your hair! Just kidding! Lol! Not that I haven.t considered that, lost on our way to Jay peaks! Oh! And if you have a higher vehicle figure out a system to remind yourself that the box is up there. I was always amazed at the number of customer's that hit their garage doors, or my personal favorite the snowboard rep ( will remain nameless) but "HE" got stuck in a parking ramp with his box on the truck at a regional show. Had to let some of the air out of his tires and back it out of there, scraped up the box pretty good though!! Way to funny! That said you will luv your box.

 

[tradygirl]

We have the evolution 1800 (they don't make it anymore) and I like it so much better that our old rack. We've put 5 pairs of skis in it with no problem. Plus, it's multifunctional - you can use it for extra storage on road trips. I thought it might be too big, but we've filled it to capacity many times. Like she said^^^^ the Thule boxes open from either side of the car, which can be nice. I tend to shove my box to the farthest edge of the rack on the driver's side so I can get into it easier (I have a Honda Element).

Go with the box.

 

[w.ski]

We have the Atlantis 1600.

 

[abc]

My skis got the ultimate babying: they travel like passengers, INSIDE! ;)

Although I have a rack for kayaks and can in principle accept ski attachments, I just don't have any motivation to put the skis up there! But then, I don't go with 5 pairs of ski for a weekend trip, so maybe that's why...

I also don't put my bikes up there either...

 

[Bravosarah]

We have the Thule Cascade 1100. I've been very happy with it, we use it year round. It's great for skis and poles. In summer we put our duffle bags in there when we go camping so there is plenty of room for coolers in the trunk. It's skinny enough to put our bikes on the roof too!

Besides, you can't post stickers on a rack!

 

[SkiNurse]

I have a Thule basket w/ a faring...so that's where my stickers go!

I use racks over the box. The racks are easy to get on & off..which I have to take my racks off before work cuz otherwise the height of my Explorer w/ basket + racks does not allow me into the parking garage at work! Believe me, I've tried!

 

[Jilly]

Box. Keeps the skis clean. Also can load other things in there. I've put skis, poles, clothes and laundry in it. Hubby hates it, so it doesn't get used as much. And since we have an Equinox, skis can go inside. Used racks years ago, but like the box better. For those who use bags with their racks, check the top of your vechile. Any scratches??

 

[persee]

I love the Thule box... problem is that the only garage the pathy will fit it with it on is my own. I'll need to go to a parking garage on Thursday and so the box will have to come off, which is kinda a pita.

So I love box, but might end up with a rack at somepoint to not have to constantly remove it.

 

[SueNJ]

I bought a Thule box for my SO a couple of years ago, and we either use that, or keep the skis/snowboards inside the vehicle if there's room. We've got an SUV that we bought to tow our boat this past summer, and unless we've got 5 people in the vehicle, we can fit skis and stuff inside by folding down the 1/3 part of the back seat.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Ever put a box on an SUV in the garage before taking note that it just might not clear the garage door? Good thing I can't take the blame for that one!! DH gets that honor. Fortunately, the garage door could be disconnected from the opener and raised that extra 1-2"! Son's car heading west, so not an issue. How to manage SUV's w/boxes and garage doors?????? Still stumped. I have one that will just not get in/out with a box. Rack it is....

 

[persee]

Hehe. This is why our garage now has 8ft doors! When I had my CR-V we realized that there was no way that it was gonna make it in the garage with the box on. Luckily the space in our garage didn't allow for putting the box on my car (I have the narrower space) in the garage so there was no "ooops" opportunity. So we wanted new doors and REALLY wanted door openers (I was sooo sick of getting soaked hopping out of the car to put up the door in the rain before pulling in :mad: ). This meant that instead of staying with the 7ft doors we had we went to 8ft. My Pathy even fits through with the box on.

Unfortunately I have a meeting this week that will require parking garage so the box must come off :(