Box
clever.
Cars
are great for getting you and all your stuff wherever you need to
get. But what if there's a lot of you (like your family) and a lot of
stuff (like when you go camping, go on holiday, or are moving house)?
Sometimes the boot, and everywhere else in the car you can stuff
things, just isn't enough space. To that end we spoke to our mates in
Sweden to see if they had any ideas, and we ended up reviewing the
Thule Ocean 100 Roof Box.
Before
you skip by this review, moaning that “oh, roof boxes are always
sooooooo expensive!”, hang on, because the Ocean range from Thule
has been designed with tighter budgets in mind, even if you've been considering car roof box hire. The Thule Ocean 100
Roof Box does exactly what it says on the tin, without any
unnecessary frills. The sleek black and glossy box has a maximum
cargo weight of 50kg, has been aerodynamically styled, and is
compatible with most of Thule's (and other makers') roof bars.
The
box itself features a plastic top with a metal base. The top is
hinged and opens from the side, making it very easy to load and
access your kit. We had ours attached to quite a tall seven-seater,
but it was still easy to get to by opening one of the doors and
standing on the lip. Even mounted dead-centre on the roof someone of
average height can reach pretty much all the way across the inside of
the box. And yes, the hinges lock into the open position, so no need
to prop it open while you nervously stick your head in.
Although
the lid fastens very securely, using a two-point locking system by
way of a small key, the Thule Ocean 100 Roof Box also has internal
luggage straps to further keep all your gear from sliding about. You
thread those two straps through the screw mounts into which you
fasten the attachment screws for the roof rack, so you know the whole
setup is good and tough.
Getting
the box up onto the roof was also simple as the Thule Ocean 100 Roof
Box weighs only 12kg (when empty!), so hoisting it up and aligning it
nice and straight is a doddle. Once loaded up and you're on your way,
the box doesn't cause a great deal of drag and we were only slightly
aware of it on the roof while driving. It seems that the sleek shape
and light weight helps out in that department.
To
try ours out 'in the field' we went to a great big field for a
weekend of camping. We used the Thule Ocean 100 Roof Box to carry the
sleeping bags, stove, bedding and tent carpets – intentionally
using it for the bulky yet lighter objects. The amount we managed to
pack in was impressive, and it made a huge difference to both how
much we could take with us, and how much extra space was left over in
the car.
And...
our dear Swedish friends at Thule (which we've only recently found
out is pronounced 'Two-lee' – wow) were kind enough to send us the
roof bars as well, ones that worked perfectly with the Ocean 100. The
Thule Wing Bars are, as you might have guessed, wing-shaped bars that
the Ocean 100 can clamp very easily onto. The clever design makes
them cut through the air far better than conventional bars, reducing
drag – and therefore fuel consumption – as well as looking pretty
cool.
Fitting
them was also a breeze as the included clamps are adjustable enough
to fit most kinds of car roofs. Each of the four clamps is also
lockable, requiring an actual key (to go along with the key to your
roof box), meaning no cheeky tea leaf can make off with the whole
assembly, and pinch your sleeping bags! Oi!
Together,
the box and bars work wonderfully to potentially double the amount of
storage space in your car. If you're camping this summer, or driving
off for an autumn getaway soon, the Thule Ocean 100 Roof Box is a
must.
Ocean
100 Roof Box: £199