Narrowest Roof Cargo Box

[coax]

Has anyone come across a yakima or thule roof box that is less than 24" wide? I'm looking for something in the range of 18" so I can put it along side a roof top tent. All the new ones I've seen start at 24" wide and go up from there.

 

[Lanceputnam]

Have you looked at the Yakima rocket box? I have one thats probably 3-4 years old and it cant be more than 24" wide, but it makes up for it in length.

 

[E.J.]

The Thule Frontier box is >22" wide. You have to consider that they get wider when open though. I run one on one of our Subarus to carry an ez-up to bike races. I can fit 3 bikes and the box up there but have to unload the bikes before opening the box. Might be an issue right next to a RTT.

 

[Woodsman]

How much are you trying to carry up there ?

I could not find a roof top box that wan't taller than I'd like so I bought two rifle cases (a Pelican and a Boyt) and mounted them to my rack. They barely stick above my Bajarack airdam and, from what I can tell, they haven't affected my mileage. Inside dims are something like 5-6" high inside x 14" or so by almost 5' long. Enough room to pack a tent, sleeping pad, cot, boots, jackets, axe, pett toilet and wagg bags and more. The Pett toilet barely fits in the Boyt and doesn't bounce around at all.

 

[Crom]

woodsman, you have any pics of your boxes on the rack? why two different brands of boxes?

 

[coax]

Thanks for the input everyone. What I typically carry up there are a few folding chairs, skis/poles, sometimes a bit of firewood, and a shovel. So I don't need tons of space, and my current box thats 24" wide is more than I really need. Plus, like mentioned, it gets a bit wider when you open it as well. I've looked at most of the big name brands, and haven't been able to find something. I have seen a few on cars around town that look like old models(from the style) that appear to be even more narrow. I'll check out that frontier box as well, though for 2" savings I'd like to find one used.

Thanks!

 

[SWITAWI]

Woodsman's roof cases...

Having been a big fan of Woodsman's thinking for a while I figured I would throw in his responses about those cases he used from the Blue Room last year...

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...130-roof-box-recommendations.html#post2107256

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...0-roof-box-recommendations-2.html#post2108786

Thanks. I started with the Pelican box Carry Cases Plus - Hardigg Storm Cases, iM3300 Case but it was a tad narrow to hold my PETT toilet.

I had planned to put two boxes up there from the start so I bought a Boyt box Carry Cases Plus - Boyt Tactical BT-H51 Waterproof Wheeled Hard Case for the second one. The Boyt is just large enough to hold the PETT.

Between the two cases I can stash a lot of light but bulky stuff up there including: PETT toilet, folding cot, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, extra shoes/dirty shoes, kindling wood, and more.

I had originally intended to buy something like a hardshell cargo box but everything out there is either too tall (16" or more) or too long to fit in the Baja rack. I even considered doing a stitch and glue box (like building a kayak) with fiberglass but shelved that as too much trouble for now.

 

[Christophe Noel]

If you do end up with a Yakima or Thule box, you may want to reconsider some of your cargo items, like the firewood. These boxes can handle a respectable amount of weight, but it has to be distributed well. We warranty (or attempt to) a couple boxes a year with significant cracks. The culprit is often a heavy item like a tool box, lump of firewood, water container, etc.

 

[Woodsman]

woodsman, you have any pics of your boxes on the rack? why two different brands of boxes?

Thanks SWITAWI for posting that pic. Here are a couple more. I bought both cases from www.carrycasesplus.com Good prices and fast service.

I bought the Pelican first but my PETT toilet was just a little too big. I kept it because its a great box but ordered the Boyt because it's just a tad wider and found the PETT fits in snug. The drawback of the Boyt is that it has metal latches that will and have rusted and it doesn't have latches on the ends like the Pelican so it doesn't seal as weather tight against rain. Each box is attached with (6) u-bolts around the rack tubing and big washers inside to spread the load on the plastic

I located them on the BajaRack to allow for:
1) when both lids are open they stand vertical in the middle while I load
2) space for three 20L jerry cans across the back of the rack
3) space between the boxes when closed for a collapsible chair