Which Thule Roof Box is Right For Me? A Buyer's Guide

As a specialty roof rack retailer and a huge fan of Thule products we often field the question of ‘Which Thule roof box is right for me?’

With lots of features, options and price points this isn’t always a super straightforward answer. In the article below we will go through the most common questions and discussion points we have. Hopefully this will help you come to a decision on the right Thule roof or Cargo box for your needs.

Do you Have Roof Rack Cross Bars on Your Vehicle or Not?

This is the first thing you need to consider when deciding on a roof box. If you do not have cross bars on your vehicle you will need to get them. The reason for this is that Thule Roof and Cargo Boxes require cross bars to attach to.

If you do not have cross bars, check out this page to identify the roof type of your vehicle and get an idea of pricing and options. If that seems overwhelming (which it can), please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-877-440-9283 for detailed information and a walk through of your options.

What are you Planning on Carrying in Your Thule Roof Box and for How Many People?

The first question we ask is what are you planning on carrying in the roof box and for how many people?  The answers we get are varied and wide ranging, some of the more common uses are:

• Skis
• Snowboards
• Golf Clubs
• Strollers
• Camping Gear
• Luggage

The reason you want to consider these questions is that different boxes are designed with different use cases in mind. For example, if you are looking to carry cross country skis, you will likely need a box with an inside max length of close to 200cms, if you are only carrying snowboards 165cm or so will probably be sufficient.

Another example is, if you are carrying camping gear for a family of 6, you are going to likely need a box with higher volume than if you are a family of 2 wanting to just get golf clubs out of the vehicle.

As I mentioned, the use cases are limitless. Identifying this before you start shopping in earnest will narrow down your options to a more easily digestible total.

What Vehicle Do You Drive?

This is important as all vehicles will accommodate roof boxes differently. Some key things to think about:

• If you have a short roof vehicle, you will likely be limited in the length of box that you can safely attach
• If you have an SUV or hatchback it is worth noting that some boxes may not allow your hatch to fully open. 
• To figure out what boxes are comparable please check out this short blog post to help get the sizing lined up.
• Drivers of luxury or higher end vehicles tend to gravitate towards the higher end boxes due to the aesthetic element. You don’t have to buy a top end box for a top end vehicle, it is just a common thread we see.

Where is the Roof Box Going to be Stored?

When deciding on a Thule roof or cargo box you want to consider where you are going to be storing it. Most people tend to put them on the vehicle roof and leave them there. That is a great option, though it can be limiting if you park your vehicle in a garage or underground parking lot.

If you are going to be storing the roof box off the vehicle somewhere or you are parking your vehicle outside, you do not need to give this any further consideration. (Other than when you are going through or into anything with low clearance whilst driving with the roof box on. Underground parking garages have been the demise of many cargo boxes)

If you plan to leave the box on your vehicle and park in a garage it is worth doing the following:

• Measure the height of your garage door
• Measure the height of your vehicle (including cross bar system)
• Deduct the vehicle height from the garage door height and that will give you the space you have to play with for the cargo box.

If you would like more detail on this process and some recommendations for lower profile roof boxes, please visit this blog post for more information.

Different Thule Roof Box Models, Sizes and Price Points

Thule makes a wide variety of roof box models and sizes all with a different feature set and price point. Each Thule roof box family is designed with ease of use, durability and elegant Thule styling of all models. This being said, each are quite different in what they offer the user, we have listed the families, sizes and price points below:

Roof Box Family	Sizes	What is It?	Price Range
Thule Outbound	One Size	Small weatherproof soft case roof top carrier	$139.95 + tax
Thule Interstate	One Size	Medium weatherproof soft case roof top carrier	$269.95 + tax
Thule Sidekick	One Size	Small, hard sided roof box	$419.95 + tax
Thule Pulse	Alpine, M, L	Price point hard sided roof box	$629.95 - $679.95 + tax
Thule Force XT	Sport, L, XL, XXL	Fully featured hard sided roof box	$749.95 - $949.95 + tax
Thule Motion XT	Alpine, L, XL, XXL	Deluxe, fully featured hard sided roof box	$979.95 - $1079.95 + tax
Thule Vector	Alpine, M	Premium, fully featured hard sided roof box.	$1799.95 - $1899.95 + tax

Features of Each Thule Roof Box Family

Each cargo option made by Thule is built with a use case in mind and backed up by features to improve user experience and ease of use.

Thule Outbound

• What it is: The Thule Outbound is a Soft Sided Roof Top Carrier.
• Features: Weather Resistant, Easy to use zipper access, secure attachment to cross bars, lightweight, inexpensive, padded base
  
  

Thule Interstate

• What it is: The Thule Interstate is a Soft Sided Roof Top Carrier.
• Features: Weather Resistant, Easy to use zipper access, secure attachment to cross bars, lightweight, inexpensive, padded base, larger volume than Outbound.
  
  

Thule Pulse Family of Cargo Boxes

• What it is: A cost effective line up of hard sided roof top cargo boxes from Thule.
• Features: Durable, simple components, opens one side only (passenger side), easy and secure fitting system, system is all lockable for maximum security

Specific Models:

• Alpine: Best for skis and low profile uses
• Medium: Best for camping gear, small golf bags and for 2 or 3 people
• Large: Best for 3 to 4 people, skis up to 180cms, camping gear and bulkier luggage

Thule Force XT Family of Cargo Boxes

• What it is: A highly featured, mid price range lineup of roof boxes with additional functionality and ease of use.
• Features: Durable, easy and secure mounting system, dual side opening, design allows full trunk access on most vehicles, Lock Knob makes for easy opening and closing even with gloves on.

Specific Models:

• Sport: Best for smaller loads and skis/boards up to 179 cms
• Large: Best for camping gear, small golf bags and for 2 or 3 people
• X-Large: Best for 3 to 4 people, skis up to 197cms, camping gear and bulkier luggage

XX-Large: Best for large groups / families or those looking to carry a lot of gear.

Thule Motion XT Family of Cargo Boxes

• What it is: A highly featured, super stylish upper price range lineup of roof boxes with additional functionality and ease of use.
• Features: Durable, easy and secure mounting system, dual side opening, design allows full trunk access on most vehicles, aerodynamic, European styling, comes in gloss black and titan silver, Lock Knob makes for easy opening and closing even with gloves on.

Specific Models:

• Alpine: Best for low profile loads and skis/boards up to 215cms.
• Large: Best for camping gear, golf bags, strollers and for 2 or 3 people
• X-Large: Best for 3 to 4 people, skis up to 200cms, camping gear and bulkier luggage

XX-Large: Best for large groups / families or those looking to carry a lot of gear.

Thule Vector Family of Cargo Boxes

• What it is: Thule’s top of the line rooftop cargo carrier. Elegant, easy to use and all the look and feel of European styling.
• Features: Durable, easy and secure mounting system, dual side opening, design allows full trunk access on most vehicles, aerodynamic, European styling, comes in gloss black and titan silver, Lock Knob makes for easy opening and closing even with gloves on, premium interior which includes automatic LED lighting and a felt liner.

Specific Models:

• Alpine: Best for low profile loads and skis/boards up to 204cms. This model does have a lot of volume for a low profile option.
• Medium: Best for camping gear, golf bags, strollers and for 3 to 4 people.

Thule Roof Box Warranty and Workmanship Quality

Thule offers a limited lifetime warranty on all their rooftop cargo carriers. You can check out the full policy on their website at the link below:  https://www.thule.com/en-ca/about-thule/warranty

OUR FAVORITES

We talk to a lot of people about Thule cargo boxes and we do sell a lot of these. It is only natural that we gravitate to certain models. Given that we are all skiers and snowboarders our top boxes tend to be one geared towards mountain adventures.

Our top Thule Roof Box picks are:

Thule Pulse Alpine

Thule Force XT XL

Thule Motion XT XL

Thule Vector Alpine

Thanks for checking out our Thule Roof Box Buyers Guide, if you have any questions at all, please contact us by any of the methods below:

email: info@aqoutdoors.com

phone: 403 288 9283

address: 5063 11th Street SE,

Calgary, Alberta, T2H 1M7