Baller Cumby85 Posted May 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2015 Anyone use a car roof ski rack for taking equipment to your site. I'm in need of something to haul them when I have the whole family in the vehicle. I have a 4Runner and would like to put something versatile on it, that could do more than skis, but holding ski's safely and being able to lock them up is the priority. Not sure if there is a multipurpose rack that will do that. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller oldjeep Posted May 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2015 Rooftop coffins. Thule, Yakima, etc. They are all lockable http://www.yakima.com/shop/cargo/cargo-boxes/SKYBOX18CARBONITE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Chef23 Posted May 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2015 I have a Thule box for my car and it is awesome. I use it to go snow skiing and have friends that use it to go to the beach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ALPJr Posted May 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2015 I have a Thule rack for sale that's set up for two bikes and two slalom skis (or two sets of snow skis). Very nice rack. Only used twice, been sitting for years. Have never advertised it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kstateskier Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I had the Thule for 2 summers when I was traveling for tournaments alot. It worked well because my car didn't stink like wet dogs and I was able to lock up my gear at night in hotel parking lots. Thule stuff is top notch. Yakima is also good quality. Find something that fits your size requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller gsm_peter Posted May 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2015 Thule is great. I have two, one narrow for windsurfing (boards beside) and one Medium for other purposes. Narrow is typ two feet wide and holds type six pair of alpine skis. Medium is type three feet wide and holds ten pair. Wide is type four and is for wider cars like minivans. In Sweden are very common and 90% are medium. Best luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller GOODESkier Posted May 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2015 I got the biggest Thule they make for our truck. I can get to skis with GOODE Power Shells in there plus all my ski gear and my kids smaller skis. Leaves all my truck space for the other things we bring. Highly suggested! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Chef23 Posted May 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2015 I got the biggest Thule I could also so I could fit my son's jumpers in it. I can usually fit his jumpers, two slalom skis, two trick skis, vests, ropes, jump suit, helmet and some other miscellaneous stuff in it. It is way better than having it in the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller aupatking Posted May 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2015 In college I used to sell Yakima racks and I've had Thule racks as well. Both of them make more than you can imagine strapping to the roof of your 4 runner(or any other car). Great quality from both companies. The powder hound locking jaw-type ski holder is perfect for quick, cross-town type trips where your ski isn't goin to be out in the sun for long. Anything longer than that, you'd want to go with the rocket box type of coffin style locker. Like everyone has said, they are available in sizes to fit from a couple slaloms to a 3-event family. I don't know if they offer any with ventilation these days , but that would likely be worth looking into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller jhughes Posted May 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2015 Thule box on top FTW, no contest. We have a 4R as well. Amazon was the cheapest place I could find ours, and it was an open box buy on top of that. Some of the best money I've ever spent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller rab Posted May 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2015 Long post so here is the summary, go with the Thule Sonic box in a minimum size of XL and Thule aerobars with crossroad feet if you need crossbars. In the winter I work at a shop that sells both Thule and Yakima. If your 4runner already has factory crossbars you can go ahead and get a cargo box to mount to them. I personally use a Thule Sonic XL. It is a good compromise between cost and performance. The difference between a cheap box and a higher end box is mostly ease of attaching it, rigidity, wind noise and fuel economy. Having the box is great, I have more room for gear on the way to the lake and on my way home I don't have to put any wet gear in my car. I have also seen people use the clamping style snow ski carriers. These will work but you won't have any protection for your gear, no where to put your wet vest and the wind noise will be louder. If you don't have crossbars of your car or want to go with a really large box like a xxl or xxxl Sonic you will want/need to get some aftermarket crossbars. With the 4runner you probably have two rails on the roof running from front to back. You can attach the crossbars to those rails. One bonus to having the rails is that next time you get a car you can swap your rack to the new car so long as it also has rails and is a similar width. For a vehicle with rails I suggest going with Thule.(unbiased opinion, I have both Thule and Yakima Whispbars for my vehicles) Their rail grabbing system is the best and has the least amount of moving plastic parts. The only reason I would go with Yakima Whispbars over the Thule bars for the 4runner is if you want to be able to put accessories on and off really fast or it you will be changing vehicles a lot. If you are going to leave your rack on for the whole summer I suggest going with aero bars instead of square bars. The wind noise and dip in fuel economy is much better with aero bars especially if you have a sunroof or like to drive with the windows down. Summary go with the Thule Sonic in a minimum size of XL and Thule aerobars with crossroad feet if you need crossbars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller GOODESkier Posted May 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2015 This is the only pic of our rig I could find fast (Red truck in background), but after having a roof top box, I couldn't go back. We pile the truck full of camping gear and all the stuff that tags along with you, BUT when we get to the ski lake or tournament, ALL of our ski gear is overhead and easy to get at in one spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller GOODESkier Posted May 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2015 @Cumby85 I have a set of Aero-bars for THULE that I would sell to you. If going on a car, you would need to buy the mounts for your particular car. I'll make a decent deal less than new, and they are basically new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikegile Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I just got a new 4runner and when I moved my old Packasport over, even in the furthest forward position, the back door won't open. You may want to take time to check if you are planning on getting some kind of box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Cumby85 Posted May 4, 2015 Author Baller Share Posted May 4, 2015 Looking at my garage last night. Not sure the box would fit on top of my 4 runner? Anyone have problems with it fitting in the garage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller oldjeep Posted May 4, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 4, 2015 Garage? That's the place where the boat lives right? I can't even fit my truck in the garage with my ladder racks on and they only sit 4" above roofline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller GOODESkier Posted May 5, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 5, 2015 Garages are for toys...... not cars...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Cumby85 Posted May 5, 2015 Author Baller Share Posted May 5, 2015 My 4Runner is a toy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller John Brooks Posted May 5, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 5, 2015 @oldjeep You just need a taller garage door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Cumby85 Posted May 5, 2015 Author Baller Share Posted May 5, 2015 Yep...thats why my boat is stored somewhere else...small garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller oldjeep Posted May 5, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 5, 2015 It would have to be really tall because I'd be parking on top the boat or my wife's car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Chef23 Posted May 5, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 5, 2015 @Cumby85 fitting in the garage can be an issue. I have an older house and my wife's SUV barely fits in with the box on it and if it was a full size SUV it would't. The new boxes go on and off easily though. I generally don't leave it on if I am not going somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Cumby85 Posted May 16, 2015 Author Baller Share Posted May 16, 2015 How easy do the new boxes go on/off? Would it be a hastle to have to put it on and take off every time you go ski? Got to load all that stuff anyways when the whole family goes, so, what...a couple extra minutes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller GOODESkier Posted May 17, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 17, 2015 My truck one could be on and off in less than 2 minutes, especially if you rigged up a rope to just hoist off in a garage and leave suspended above the vehicle. All quick connects on my rig. Only way to go. You pay a bit more, but it is worth the ease and convenience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller rab Posted May 18, 2015 Baller Share Posted May 18, 2015 Same, if I have someone to help me toss the box on the roof I can have it attached in less than 2 minutes. By myself I can do it in less than 10. The box isn't heavy it is just awkward to lift with only one person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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