Yakima SkyBox 16s Rooftop Cargo Box

Family camping trips can be a little cramped, as even the smallest tents, sleeping bags, and backpacks take up a ton of space in the car--and that doesn't account for the coolers, camping chairs, canopies, and family dog. Enter the Yakima SkyBox 16 rooftop cargo box, which stores a bunch of your gear in a single, out-of-the-way location. Designed to fit crossbar spreads as short as 24 inches, the SkyBox 16 includes quick-installation mounting hardware that accommodates round, square, and most factory crossbars. More importantly, the SkyBox 16 offers 16 cubic feet of storage space despite its short profile, so you don't have to cram everything in the trunk or back seat.

Thanks to the drag-minimizing aerodynamic shape, the cargo box won't dramatically boost your gas consumption on long road trips. Other details include an extra-stiff lid that vibrates less than other cargo boxes and is easier to open and shut with one hand; an integrated track system for such accessories as a cargo net or base pad; a new lid shape that's easier to grip; an improved security latch that keeps your stuff safe; and a matte anti-scratch finish. Also equipped with SKS locks, the SkyBox 16 measures 81 by 15 by 36 inches (W x H x D).

My family of five uses the SkyBox on long trips. It allows us to easily carry much more than we could with the trunk alone. The nice thing is that we don't have to make trade-offs on who gets to bring what anymore. We have never had any troubles--noise, shaking, etc--on several 11 hour trips at high-speed. Highly recommended.

I bought the 16s Pro model and am quite happy with it. The one downside is the pretty large drop in gas mileage when using this thing on my VW passat sedan on the interstate...expect a drop of 4-5 miles/gallon, but this is to be expected given the change in drag over the car.

Upon reading the install instructions, I was discouraged by the listed weight limitations. Yakima recommends that once you combine the weight of the box itself and the rack capacity, one should not load more that ~45 pounds in the box. I'm sure I had closer to 50-60 pounds worth of gear in mine and it performed well.

I chose the security of this hard shell carrier, rather than go the cheaper route of a soft carrier. Security against rain, and against theft (it clamps down from the inside, and the lid has a lock). I used the SkyBox on a trip to the Outer Banks, NC. I figured from the description and the picture I would save just a little bit of space, but I had it PACKED with stuff. Five beach chairs, a tent, groceries, two scooters, beach towels, a jumbo pack of diapers, and a queen size inflatable mattress (uninflated of course). I think there may have been even more, but you get the point. Definitely recommended!

Ordered at Amazon with free shipping (nice!) Received phone call prior to delivery date, rack delivered in perfect condition, on time, by polite guys. Used the Yakima rack on last week's camping trip. Putting it up top was easy, securing the rail grippers was easy too. Fit tons, kept it all dry. The open from either side feature is a huge plus. Overall extremely pleased with our roof carrier and the Yakima brand. Website's cool too!

This is an awesome cargo box. I worried a little about putting my stuff and driving 70mph on a highway on top of my 2001 Toyota Prius, which may be smaller than the cargo box, but I had absolutely no problem. Yakima rocks. I couldn't find my keys for a while but Yakima taped them to the bottom of the cargo box, so look there first.