Roof Box vs. Ski Rack

[marge]

As for getting it on the car, I put mine up from the back. I can lift it (it's heavy) but once you get it on the roof rack rails it's a breeze. I've found that to be MUCH easier than putting it on from the side. Once up, I adjust it from the sides.

Yes, I would be concerned about the drag. I think you really have to go someplace where you can try it out. Why are front rails so much higher on your car?

I have a hatch too. I have a Dodge Journey which is not a big car but I had PLENTY of room for the 1600. Now, a lot longer one I'm not sure of but it depends on how much room you can hang over the front.

 

[altagirl]

I totally agree on the convenience of a box for longer trips - it's also nice even in summer when we go on bike trips because you can stuff it full of luggage and leave more room inside the vehicle. It's more of a hassle to open and close than our regular racks though, so we don't use the box on a regular basis. (And when I have my Element I just throw my skis inside for normal trips to the mountain).

You can leave your skis in the box overnight and not have to worry about the camber getting messed up and theft is something we never, ever worry about.

I just wanted to comment on this because I totally would have thought the same thing in the past... but my husband and a friend of ours both bought some of the PM Gear Bro skis. They loved the first year's models and bought second sets the next year. But they came out seriously over cambered that time. After determining that they were miserable to ski with that much camber, our friend stuck 2x4's between the tips and tails and pulled them together in the middle (basically reverse cambering them) and duct taped them that way and left them for the entire summer and fall. Cut the tape loose at the start of the next season and... they popped right back. (And I'm talking - these suckers could suspend a good sized person off the ground - that much camber).

Maybe it's more of an issue with a foam core ski - those do tend to lose their camber over time and feel dead and floppy with a lot of use, (makes me wonder though if it's movement back and forth that breaks it down more than a single long compression)... but anyway... just thought that was an interesting aside. Hehe - apparently camber is a lot harder to kill than you'd think - or at least it is when you want it to go away.


Obviously that doesn't do anything to prevent theft - boxes are safer since you can't tell if they are empty or full... but I personally wouldn't worry about the camber of the skis.

 

[NbyNW]

Second, because of the position of my factory roof it will actually force the box to be tipped up a bit in the front which will increase drag. Not sure how I feel about that. And there is the possibility that the box will interfere with the hatch of my car.

Did you have a salesperson/technician look at the roof of your car? It seems like there should be a way to mount a box level.

Re: the hatch, I drive an older Audi station wagon and we mount the box a bit forward so that it doesn't interfere with the hatch or the antenna. I can see the front of the box when I'm sitting in the drivers seat. But I don't mind as long as the box is stable and safe and balanced.

 

[2ski2moro]

Robyn, I have a solution, IF you have a trailer hitch on your car. Do you?

 

[Shannon D]

I just wanted to comment on this because I totally would have thought the same thing in the past... but my husband and a friend of ours both bought some of the PM Gear Bro skis. They loved the first year's models and bought second sets the next year. But they came out seriously over cambered that time. After determining that they were miserable to ski with that much camber, our friend stuck 2x4's between the tips and tails and pulled them together in the middle (basically reverse cambering them) and duct taped them that way and left them for the entire summer and fall. Cut the tape loose at the start of the next season and... they popped right back. (And I'm talking - these suckers could suspend a good sized person off the ground - that much camber).

Maybe it's more of an issue with a foam core ski - those do tend to lose their camber over time and feel dead and floppy with a lot of use, (makes me wonder though if it's movement back and forth that breaks it down more than a single long compression)... but anyway... just thought that was an interesting aside. Hehe - apparently camber is a lot harder to kill than you'd think - or at least it is when you want it to go away.

That's really interesting. We found that if we left our skis in a traditional clamp rack overnight, in the morning, the camber was totally flat. After they warmed up a bit, the camber would bounce back, but it was a little concerning. Now I want to try this on one of our old (not even worth selling) pairs of skis.

Robyn - re: interfering with the hatch. Our box had the same disclaimer. Like NbyNW, we just push it as far forward as possible and it touches, but not by much. Seems like your gut is telling you to go with a rack. Follow your instincts.

 

[altagirl]

That's really interesting. We found that if we left our skis in a traditional clamp rack overnight, in the morning, the camber was totally flat. After they warmed up a bit, the camber would bounce back, but it was a little concerning. Now I want to try this on one of our old (not even worth selling) pairs of skis.

Robyn - re: interfering with the hatch. Our box had the same disclaimer. Like NbyNW, we just push it as far forward as possible and it touches, but not by much. Seems like your gut is telling you to go with a rack. Follow your instincts.

Interesting! Maybe it is that those stubborn skis are a wood core. It does make me want to do some experimenting (on some old stuff that we don't use anymore...)

 

[Robyn]

The guy at Rocky Mounts is the person who alerted me to the issue of the rounded roof rack (which is that way due to the shape of the roof and they are factory cross bars).

I don't have a hitch but given the number of pile ups around here in the winter I have no interest I a hitch rack.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and input. Lots to think about.

 

[OregonGirl]

I bought a Yakima Skybox about a month ago and I love it. Pretty easy for me to put on myself (5'3") on a Volvo SUV. It helps that it opens from both sides also because I would not be able to reach all of the way across the inside to latch the far side. The latches are really easy.

We have used it for a lot more than I thought. The dog loves that she now has more room in the back of car because all of our bags can go up there when we go away on weekend trips.

I bought mine at rack attack and the guy said that the slanted angle on the back of the box was designed to accomodate most raised hatchbacks. Our Volvo has a hatchback and it doesn't touch the box when it's up.

Good luck in your search!

 

[bounceswoosh]

I have a Yakima Powderhound (4-pack?) on my Subaru Outback. I've thought about getting a box, but they're awfully expensive when you already have the rack ... anyway, there have been times with multiple skis when we've had trouble getting the lock to catch properly. Not just me at 5'5; my 6' husband has had trouble as well. It may have had to do with the cold. It could be that we just need to clean or lube the mechanism.

As for hatches, if we mount our skis with the tips forward, they don't interfere with the hatch. If we mount them with the tips pointing toward the back of the vehicle, we have to wait to open the hatch till after the skis are down. We've never had problems with our skis getting too dirty while driving, but we usually keep the skis in the car. We only use the rack a few times a year.

It seems to me that if you would have to mount and unmount a box all the time to fit into the garage, a rack would be more convenient. You could leave the rack attached, and the box would take up a lot of storage space in your garage when it's not on the car.

 

[altagirl]

It seems to me that if you would have to mount and unmount a box all the time to fit into the garage, a rack would be more convenient. You could leave the rack attached, and the box would take up a lot of storage space in your garage when it's not on the car.

That's a good point. I don't park in our garage at home, but I do have to remember to avoid parking garages and anything low hanging when I have the roof box on my car (which isn't very often). I forgot once and luckily was going slow enough that it just scraped up the top of it and I could back out...

 

[pinto]

Pinto, that doesn't sound like a good story.... :Cry:.

Actually, it ended up being a great story, our own Christmas miracle! I can't remember if I ever wrote a thread about it? I know I've told a couple of people in person, maybe I'll make a thread if I didn't already.

 

[geargrrl]

No real discussion of a box set up not fitting into the garage. I don't know about you-all, but having to clean snow off the car all the time doesn't sound like a lot of fun to be. I do however totally get concept of getting all the stuff out of the car and into the box. For me, it would be a trade off I think... how much do I want the car emptied out and is it enough to want to scrape the ice off the windshield every morning?

 

[altagirl]

No real discussion of a box set up not fitting into the garage. I don't know about you-all, but having to clean snow off the car all the time doesn't sound like a lot of fun to be. I do however totally get concept of getting all the stuff out of the car and into the box. For me, it would be a trade off I think... how much do I want the car emptied out and is it enough to want to scrape the ice off the windshield every morning?

Yeah - to me the box is only practical when I have a car full of people - which means long trips, not day to day use.

Though getting into our garage (box or not) isn't really a possibility. It should just be called "workshop with oversized door".... I'm brushing snow off my car regardless.

 

[Robyn]

No real discussion of a box set up not fitting into the garage. I don't know about you-all, but having to clean snow off the car all the time doesn't sound like a lot of fun to be. I do however totally get concept of getting all the stuff out of the car and into the box. For me, it would be a trade off I think... how much do I want the car emptied out and is it enough to want to scrape the ice off the windshield every morning?

Yes, this is definitely part of the equation. Even if I only put it up the once or twice a month that I want to use it I might have to park outside the night before which would mean A) scraping off snow/ice and B) loading the car the morning of. I've become quite accustomed to loading up the night before which significantly reduces the number of forgotten items.

Part of the reason I would get the Yakima Fat Cat 6 if I went with a rack is to allow extra room for fat skis and because it has an articulating hinge which allows for easier closing. It also has 6 inches more space than the Big Powderhound (which supposedly allows for 6 pairs of skis). The other reasons would be it has a lower profile for reduced drag and it it better looking imho.



However, looking at the car in the garage last night there is a chance it would fit. I'll need to do some measurements this weekend since I pull in at an angle (the drive is uphill). I'm pretty sure I'd be okay in most if not all parking garages. Pinto has a much taller car and a box which lightly scrapes in Vail so I think I'm safe.

 

[Jilly]

Though getting into our garage (box or not) isn't really a possibility. It should just be called "workshop with oversized door".... I'm brushing snow off my car regardless.

My car/SUV hasn't even been in the garage! Hard to move the table saw and whatever else DH has up and running.

When we walk home from skiing, we pass through the parking area for the Lodge de la Montagne at Tremblant. There is always some big honkin SUV outside because it doesn't fit into the parking garage. Who designed these places? Not skiers!

We used to do the same thing wrt short or long trips. The box went on for the long trips or if many people were travelling with us. As of right now, we sold the box as we're at Tremblant only and the skis only travel with us when major repairs need to done at home.

 

[altagirl]

My car/SUV hasn't even been in the garage! Hard to move the table saw and whatever else DH has up and running.

The funny part is that even if we added a second two car garage, that wouldn't change the situation any. It would just mean he could buy more tools and workbenches and more things to work on...

I do at least demand that the outdoor parking space under the big pine tree is mine. So if I park just right, I don't really get any snow on the car to clean off.

 

[pinto]

Geez, I lost my garage spot to a GOLF cart. Blech.

Anyway, I'm not exactly familiar with the boxes (we have one, but it was a gift from my dad, so I didn't research) -- I like ours, but here are the things I don't like:

--can't go into a lot of parking garages (not necessarily the ski ones, but a lot of the others); this wouldn't be a problem for you, though

--can't pop into the car wash; my car gets really really dirty in winter, b/c I don't like emptying out the box and taking it down.

um, that's about all I can think of. It's necessary for us when we do any sort of trip, though, esp. camping trips or when we take the dog along. I'm not sure it's necessary for you? Have you figured out how much luggage you can get in there besides the skis and boards? Because if you can't smush too many other things in there, it's not really worth the hassle. If you can, then it is. But as I said, I don't really know the capacity of the boxes you're looking at.

I don't ever take it down by myself, so I don't know about all that. But if you are using it only when you have company, maybe company could help?

 

[2ski2moro]

I think the box is the way to go. The problem is how for one person to get it to the roof. I moved into problem solving mode. The reason I asked about a hitch was not a hitch-mounted rack, but rather I was trying to think about a way to get the box up to the roof by only one person.

When I was looking at loading a kayak on the top of my tall SUV by myself, I came across this video.

Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kxcqbbtZ_A

I like the concept, but I kept looking.

I found another way to get a kayak on a tall car. A guy built a kayak loader from cheap Harbor Freight parts and PVC.

I copied the concept but used my trailer hitch as the anchor point. It works. I got a truck bed extender from Harbor Freight and turned it on its end. I put the orange kayak on the bar, went to the stern, and pushed it onto the rack. Eventually, I got a second Hullavator for DH. Maybe you can figure a way to use the concept to get your box on and off the car.

 

[2ski2moro]

Another option, but it requires some modifications for it to work with a box, is the Malone Kayak Telos loader. Just skip to 1:20 to start the loader demo.

Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM3Vjv3sSVM

 

[Jilly]

Not sure which company, but one of them has a lift that attaches to the garage ceiling. The box lifts up and out of the way. Again the problem is how high is the ceiling in the garage.

I have the Hully rollers from either Thule or Yakima for my kayak too! Alot easier to load the kayak.