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Hi All,

After returning from our last camping trip with the car absolutely stuffed to the gills with bags and equipment I have decided a roof box is urgently required.

I've had a look at the various options available on the high street and t'internet and have narrowed my choice down to two boxes from the Thule range: either the Atlantis 200 or Atlantis 780.

However, I drive a Ford Mondeo hatchback and have read that long boxes like the 780 can overhang the rear edge of the roof and prevent the tailgate from opening fully. Has anyone used a box like this on a hatchback, and if so, have you encountered any problems? Or should I just save myself the hassle and go for the slightly shorter, but reduced capacity, Atlantis 200?

Any opininons or information on this matter would be appreciated.

I have a similar sized car (Toyota Avensis) and decided against the long box because of the overhang. I tried a friends out and because of the position of the roof bars and mounting holes in the box, I couldn't open the tailgate fully. I could get in the boot, but it just annoyed me having to duck everytime I went to fetch something.

I ended up buying a 320 litre normal shaped box from Motorworld for £100, including all fittings. Bargain!

Have a look at http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/directory2/details.asp?revid=572&typeid=. We got an Altura. It is shorter than the Thules but wider, but you can still get a bike on teh rack alongside it. They do discounts on bar+box packages.

Some of the Halfords boxes are made by Thule, so you could save yourself some money by going to Halfords.

Have you come across the Karrite range of boxes?  They're made by a subsidiary of Thule, and are of equal quality.  The Contour 470 is shorter than the Atlantis 200 (165cm) but with a 470l capacity thanks to the extra width (95cm).  Leisureshack.co.uk do these for £165, but they currently have them on eBay (new) for £145:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=9885&item=7988708300&rd=1

If you contact them direct and ask for the eBay price, they'll do it for you (that's what I did).

I have a Thule Alpine 500 which I first used on a Primera 5 door.  I only had to move the box an inch or so forward of centre to have it fully clear of the tailgate.  This is no bad thing as there tends to be more weight placed toward the rear of the box, so moving it forward slightly balances the weight on the bars.

I would advise to take the car down to Halfords and see how it looks fitted.  If you're anywhere near Sedbergh go to The Roof Box Company

Dave

Hi

We went into Halfords and after comparing chose a Thule, can't remember exactly which one.

We chose it in the end because of the easier attachment method onto the roof bars and also because it opened both ways which made it much easier to put on and take off the roof bars.

I'm not very tall and therefore to reach from one side of the car to the other whilst balancing on the sills of the doorframe to attach wasn't easy.

Jen

Hi,

Thanks for all your advice on this matter. After taking everything into account we've decided to go for the Atlantis 200 from the Roofbox Company.

Here's to not having all the world and his dog squashed inside the car!