Thule SideKick Rooftop Cargo Box

I bought this because: 1) I needed the extra space to go camping, but didn't need a something too huge. 2) I have a Mini Cooper Countryman and it can't be too long. This is the perfect length. 3) Thule makes quality products. 4) I needed it to be narrow enough to be able to put my Thule Bike rack on the roof too. It does require assembly. I did it by myself, but it would be much easier if someone could steady it while putting the hinges on. But I propped it up, and did it. Locks must be engaged for it to close. It doesn't snap lock, but that's ok....you're gonna lock it anyway. Mini and BMW cross rails are very thick and round. The U-Bolt will fit, but you have to get it to catch. A longer/deeper U-Bolt for be easier. (But this works, so there is that). Taking it off and putting it on is a one person job. It's light, so even my 80 year old day could throw it up there. (Don't worry, he won't!) Don't over pack it. My tent, 2 sleeping bags, some duraflame logs, and a folding chair is what I can comfortably get it in. I probably could have stuffed another blanket it in, but I didn't want to crack it. It's sturdy, but it's not metal or hard carpon fiber. So it has some pliability. Just don't try to bend it in any extreme, and it will last. Aerodynamics:. You have a big cargo box on your roof. My Mini can handle it, but there is no reason to try to shake it off either. Drive like you have a cargo box on the roof, and you'll be fine. I store it in my garage rafters.

As our three kids are now much older, we recently downgraded from a minivan to a midsize SUV with third row seating. While it's great for zipping around town, road trips mean that it gets a bit cramped with all our belongings. Ahead of our recent trip to DC, we purchased an "open box" of this model to save a few dollars. An initial inspection of the product revealed no obvious dents or scratches, which was good. Initial assembling and installation was a bit tricky, but everything came together easily in the end. There was room for two small suitcases as well as some softer bags and a few other "needs," and now there was more than enough space inside the vehicle for people AND the rest of our paraphernalia. The unit also comes with two locks to help keep your belongings secure. Traveling at highway speeds was no problem; everything stayed in place and there was no additional road noise. Upon reaching our destination, which included passing through some wet weather, everything inside the unit was dry and still in its original position. In summary, I'm very happy with this product and we see this getting a lot of use this summer visiting family and friends.

I purchased this to toss on the top of my Subaru Impreza for a recent trip from Northern Michigan to Chicago to Wisconsin Dells, and back. My first impression was that I had made a mistake in purchasing this; the material seemed a bit flimsy. While assembling it I had concerns about the weather seal installation and even bigger concerns about the lack of latches to secure the unit shut. The only thing that holds this closed is the two side locks. Installation is a breeze. Although, I did have to add two holes to the front of the unit to get it to line up with my roof rack. Once everything was in place and locked up, it seemed to be much more rigid. I did a few test drives with it empty, and my concerns about the locks were eased slightly. I loaded it up and headed for Chicago and then to Wisconsin. I checked the latches at every stop, and everything remained secure. Our trip consisted of 25 mph to 80 mph speeds. Rain, snow, sub-freezing conditions, and near 60-degree temps. All-in-all, I was pleased with its performance. All of our bags remained dry and the cabin noise was minimal. The best part of a smaller rooftop box is that it easy to take on and off with just one person. I'd definitely recommend this box if you are looking for an affordable unit and only need to add enough space to carry a few additional bags and a suitcase.

I'm going to start off by saying: some of the reviews I read on this are quite misleading. One in particular mentioned it's construction being really crappy. Let me set the record straight on this thing, you put it together yourself. If you follow the directions (which are pretty dang clear and the assembly diagram is pretty dang easy to understand) then you won't have any issues with how the lid sits or the locks working or not. I did require an extra set of hands to hold the lid while I attached it to the bottom (shoutout to my daughter), but other than that, it's a piece of cake. I am using it on my 2010 Toyota RAV4. Mounted it by myself, no issues there. Worked fine with the factory crossover bars, no additional drilling required - I had seen previous mentions about additional holes needing to be drilled for other peoples' RAV4's, but I didn't have to do any of that (maybe I just got lucky). Anyway, it works great. Fits a large suitcase, bag of shoes for myself and 3 kids, backpacks with nick-nacks for the kids, and dog supplies for the trip. I honestly don't have a bad thing to say about it, but we will see how it lasts in the long-term. By the way, be sure to heed the instructions where it says "when not in use, store away from the elements." Makes sense, as the plastic seems a little thin and will likely wear prematurely if left in the sunlight for the duration of it's life. Hope this helps someone. God bless.

This is an absolute NIGHTMARE to assemble. I had to put this together by myself, and the only way I was able to put the screws through the two hinges in order to secure the top of the box to the bottom of the box, was to actually crawl inside and seal the top of the box over myself like I was sealing myself into a coffin. I tried every other way I could think of, but the only way I could put the nut and washer on the other side of the screw to prevent the screw from sliding out of the hinge slot, was to crawl into the bottom of the box, and put the top of the box over me, like I was sealing myself into a coffin. The two screws slide through holes on the top of the box are supposed to line up in the hinge slots on the bottom of the box, and the screws need to be secured with a nut and a washer from the inside in order to keep the screw from slipping out of the hinge slot and out through the holes on the top of the box. I honestly would've rather suffocated and died while trying to secure the top of the box to the bottom. That, at least, would've made it so I never would have to continue with the assembly of this god-forsaken thing. Whoever came up with the assembly process: Not everyone can use two people! And even WITH more than one person, it's still a complete nightmare! To whoever came up with the assembly process of this: I hope that you and your family are cursed for 1000 generations. Even the most complex piece of IKEA furniture I've ever had to put together by myself, was easier than getting TWO screws, through TWO hinges, and securing the top of the box to the bottom. I honestly would've preferred to die whilst I was sealed up in this thing trying to secure the screws through the hinge slots. At least then I wouldn't need to continue the assembly of this wretched thing, and I also wouldn't have needed a coffin, because I would've already been in this cargo box!!! :~)

To summarize below, the box does have some good qualities but the hassle/flaws are significant. I recommend buying a nicer model. Box Quality\Size: The quality of the cargo box itself is a flexible, seemingly durable (waterproof) plastic material. The double lock system is nice for box stability and functionally the box works great. The box isn’t very big, but it is big enough to fit two peoples camping gear, tent and a camping stove. It is not long enough for most skis. I’m skeptical that it would fit two adult golf bags because I have to angle my bag a little for it to fit. Gas Mileage: Taking the box on 6hr, 350+ mile (going 70-80mph most of the way) trips I’ve noticed it does affect the mileage, but I wouldn’t call it a “mileage killer” and it wasn’t very noisy on the drives. Box Assembly: If you’ve looked at other reviews of this box you know it’s difficult to assemble. I found it easiest to put the “arms” on first and then the side bolts (opposite of the lock). SOLE REASON WHY IM WRITING THIS REVIEW: The assembly is not what I hate about this product, it is the bolt/nut plate system for the side bolts. The plate system is meant to be flexible but it sacrifices stability way too much. I don’t understand the purpose for this flexibility because the “arms” provide all the flexibility you’d need. You’re given two very short bolts, washers and “anti-vibrating”nuts. It feels like the bolts are barely secured. This feeling became reality when one of the side bolts unscrewed and fell out sometime during its SECOND trip. I did drive on a few unpaved roads at about 30mph but the roads were fairly even. HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM: I bought two 1” length, 1/4” bolts and four (1/4”) standard nuts. For each bolt I placed two (1/4”) nuts and then the “anti-vibrating” nut on the end. I haven’t significantly battle tested this addition yet but the side bolts feel A LOT more tight and the box still opens and closes like normal. Alternative: You can obviously buy a shorter bolt (3/4”? Length?) and only one 1/4” nut per bolt it you just want to have two nuts on the bolt. Installing Box on Roof Rack: It’s very easy if the various sizing holes match the distance between your roof racks. If they don’t match, you’ll need to adjust the roof rack or drill new holes in the cargo box.

I purchased the Thule 682 Sidekick Rooftop Cargo Box in August 2011 for the purpose of hauling two golf bags with clubs when I hit the road for extended trips. I own a Toyota 4-Runner and for whatever reason my wife and I seem to fill the cargo area of the 4-Runner up with a lot of stuff when we take an extended road trip (three weeks or so). Golf clubs take up a lot of room so I purchased the Sidekick to free up space inside my SUV. Glad I did. I just returned after a 3,200 mile trip and found the rooftop carrier rode securely and was easy to access. It made no noise while driving, and didn't interfere with the handling of the vehicle. It holds two bags with golf clubs perfectly....even had room to store our golf shoes. It was fairly easy to put together, although I did need my wife's help in attaching one of the hinges securing the top cover to the lower panel during assembly. It doesn't weigh much....I was able to install and uninstall from vehicle easily by myself. During the last trip with it aboard I drove through some heavy rains caused by Tropical Storm Lee. The interior stayed dry....no leaks. I'm very happy with it.

I was pleasantly surprised when Amazon shipped this product to me ahead of schedule but when I started to unpack the box it was obvious that something was wrong because parts were falling everywhere. Also, I saw that someone had installed the vinyl hole covers and the foam gasket. I had been shipped someone else's return. The U-bolts had signs of wear and the following parts were missing: 1 U-bolt 1 Knob 2 Keys 1 Large nut 4 Small nuts 1 Large screw 3 Small screws 1 Large washer 1 Large cap 2 Large cap retainers 2 Small caps 3 Small cap retainers Instructions and parts list (I downloaded them from Thule's web site) A missing bolt might not be a problem if I could match them up at the local hardware store but this many missing parts after I spent this much money is unacceptable. I found a return UPS ground mailing label with the previous buyer's details on it. This is a real shame because this is one of the few cargo boxes that fits on my MINI Cooper and carries all my aluminium sailing kit parts. Unfortunately I'm going to need to send this back to Amazon (who have a great return policy). It's inconvenient however and I was hoping to use the product this weekend now that I have it but I guess I'll need to keep looking. This is one of the very few times that Amazon has let me down. The box itself is light and the lid is quite thin and flexible but I like that it is light and it has two locks. Looking at the U-bolts I doubt they would survive taking the box on and off the car a few times. I paid full price for a new product, not a used product. At least I get to see how it fits the MINI and how well my sailing components fit inside the box. After more thought I don't think I'll get another one, it's just not very high quality. I positioned the box on my MINI Cooper and it misses the aerial and fits comfortably on the roof without obstructing the sliding roof. I'm expecting that it will carry sails and spars without a problem. My inflatable rubber boat will need to go in the back of the MINI. I am nervous about how well the U-bolts will hold over a long trip given that the knobs have no locking mechanism and could loosen over a long trip with the vibration. The other consideration is the way the knobs stick up into the box but I guess that's the price for convenience and simplicity. I really did not want to pay over $600 for a plastic cargo box (I think about products using a baseline of the cost/complexity and quality of an iPad) so this box at $261 was attractive. Given this box is pressed out of a mold and the parts are not expensive items I would guess that the margin of profit on this item is large. I estimate that the basic cost of materials (high volume production) is maybe $20 hardware (generous allowance) plus the two halves of the shell at around $40. It does not appear to be the high quality product that you would expect from a company with the name brand of Thule.

PARA ARMARLA SI ES UN POCO LABORIOSO PERO EXCELENTE PRODUCTO

Tiene un buen tamaño, fácil de ensamblar, ligera. Puedes acomodar a un lado soporte para transportar una bicicleta.

Way less noise than my thule roof basket. Was super easy to put together. Instructions were simple to read and the insulation was very basic to install as there is a ledge which is same width to install it on. Pull the backing tape off a foot at a time and it is a breeze. Stickers for holes make no sense as they don't stick to the porous shell material. Just ad a blob of black rtv silicone over the holes that are unused and you're good 👍. 10/10 for price and quality.

My husband has always wanted a Thule box. He states that you can’t beat the quality of a Thule. We have a smaller vehicle so this was an ideal size. He uses it for all his tools as a home inspector giving more room in our car for things that we need such as groceries, luggage, etc..

Lo envío incompleto, le faltan tornillos y el plástico sellador de las orillas, no viene con instrucciones