Best Roof Mounted Cargo Boxes (Review & Buying Guide) in 2018

Thule is one of the best-regarded manufactures of cargo boxes out there right now. They are so good in fact that – spoiler alert – this is the first of two Thule products that have found their way into our list.

This is the higher end product from Thule, and so whilst it carries a range of useful features, it also has a price tag of about $600 that increases with the size of box. That is however pretty average for a higher end product in this category, so Thule aren’t ripping you off here.

Especially when you consider what you get for that price. Depending on the size you get anything from 13 to 21 cubic feet of extra storage space which is very useful indeed. The box has tapers to a point and employs diamond textured aero skin to help it slice through the air and protect vehicle fuel economy.

The Quick-Grip mounting system is both tool free and very easy to use and, with a bit of practice, you can get the box on and off the car in about 5 minutes. A secure lock protects your luggage too, rounding off a pretty impressive list of features.

Another product from the more premium end of the range, just as with the item above from Thule there are a number of excellent design features on this product. First and foremost as you can see on the images it is lovely and aerodynamic so again every effort has been made to minimize drag and protect the fuel economy of your car. It also fits onto almost all brands of roof rack bars to make installation nice and easy.

This is to a certain extent a bit of specialized product in that is probably aimed more toward the sportier buyer. To that end, no matter the size you select, most of the mass is given to the length, making every model suitable for packing skis and snowboards. It’s also been kept nice and thin in regards width to keep the rest of the roof rack bar free for mounting other things like mountain bikes for example.

This could be the perfect cargo box then for people who enjoy their outdoor sports and activities.

This product from SportRack is at the cheaper bed of solid body boxes, and whilst it has a number of useful features (and is pretty big too) it is considerably cheaper than some other products on this list.

You don’t get all the bells and whistles with this product though. Whilst it tapers to a point it’s not quite as aerodynamic as some others on this list and the overall design and appearance is quite basic.

On the plus side, the ABS plastic body is pretty durable and provides both UV and Waterproof protection to your luggage. The fact it opens to the rear is handy as you don’t have to potentially stand in traffic to reach inside – though make sure you don’t pack your baby’s spare pacifier right at the front of the box!

It fits on a wide range of racks of various sizes and shapes and the quick release mechanism is very useful too. It’s also quite light, weighing in as just 28 pounds for a box that provides 18 cubic feet of storage.

It only comes in the one size however, so make sure it fits your vehicle before you purchase it.

This is the first soft bag style cargo box to make it to our list. These types of products have a number of pros and cons when compared to the solid body style we’ve looked at so far. Chief amongst the pros has to be the price, with this model coming in at well under $100 no matter which size you go for.

This particular model is manufactured right here in the USA, using the highest-grade materials. The heavy-duty canvas is extremely thick and double coated (inside and out) with abrasion proof vinyl to provide complete waterproof protection.

It is secured with straps that are rated to be 3,000lbs strong, so well up to the task of securing suitcases of T-Shirts and underpants to the roof. It mounts easily to most racking systems and, very handedly, some models of this design can even be mounted onto cars that don’t even have any racks.

Our second entry from Thule represents the manufactures attempt to corner the budget end of the cargo box market. This model is going to set you back considerably less than the price tag on the premium models on this list including the other Thule one above.

The trade off there is that this is more of a basic design, with generally less carrying power. It has 8 cubit feet of storage and a max load of 75 pounds of luggage, both of which are considerably less than you get with the premium models.

It’s still a useful amount of additional space however, and you are still getting the Thule build quality, albeit with lower grade materials. The heavy-duty plastic construction will protect your luggage in transit, and the secure lock will do the same when you stop.

Side loading makes it easy to get your luggage in and the Thule attachments fit to most bars and racks. So whilst you may lose carrying capacity and higher end materials, it still comes equipped with quite a few useful features.

Our second soft sided cargo box option, and with a price tag of under $50 this model is the cheapest on our list.

Don’t let that you put you off however, as this product brings an awful lot to the table, the first and most impressive being that it provides a huge 15 cubic feet of storage. That is an extremely generous amount of space whilst 8 built in tie straps and two vertical compression straps will solidly secure both the bag itself to your roof, as well as hold the packed items in place.

It utilizes double wall vinyl construction with welded seams to protect your load from both water and sunshine and it’s tough enough to protect against flying grit and small road debris.

It is strong, durable and has a very impressive loading capacity – and all for a rock bottom price.

First off, we have to celebrate that name – RocketBox? Awesome, we love it!

Now, to serious matters. This product is designed primarily for people with smaller cars. It has a much squatter design than normal, meaning that much of the space is generated by the width of the box rather than the length. So if you have a smaller roof area, this box can be installed without overhanging the windshield or stopping the trunk being fully opened.

You also get the high quality design and build you would expect from Yakima. So 12 cubic feet of storage has been squeezed into this model (excellent design) and you also get high quality locks, and easy to use quick release connectors (excellent build).

For hatchback style cars with that little less rack room than a SUV or Minivan this could be the perfect cargo box.

Our final product is another soft box, and like the others on the list it brings some useful features. It is constructed of semi-coated PVC and built with welded stitching to provide 100% waterproof protection.

It also has a very well designed Urethane coated zipper. This is essentially a pair of flaps of flexible material that covers the zipper. As this can be the weak point in soft cargo boxes as far as waterproofing is concerned, it’s excellent that they have identified this issue and worked to solve it.

It comes in sizes from 9 cubic feet which is perfect for smaller cars all the way up to a huge 18 cubic feet version that is going to allow you to pack up pretty much anything you could possibly need on a road trip – seriously, there are people living in apartments in Manhattan with less than 18 cubic feet of storage, but you can just throw that amount right up onto the roof of your car!

It can also attach with or without a roof rack in place, which could be an extremely useful feature and save you the cost of installing a set if your car came without racks.