How to choose a cargo box for your car

Choosing a cargo box can be daunting. It's a large investment in a vehicle accessory, and there are so many shapes and sizes to choose from. Below are the key things to look for and check to get a proper fit on your vehicle, for an overview of the different styles available and some hand picked suggestions from our offering, have a look at our cargo carrier guide. 

What size is right?

Getting the right size is partly finding what suits your lifestyle, and partly on the vehicle you're attaching to. Luckily we have a wide range of shapes and sizes to suit your needs. 

Our most popular sizes are any of the L and XL sized Thule boxes, and 16 and 18 sized Yakima boxes. These fit 90% of vehicles that we see, and are a good size for small to mid sized families.

Larger sizes are more suited to bigger SUVs and larger families, but may not fit sedans and compact SUVs like the Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4

If you plan to carry a bike or a boat and you need the room for extra gear, a narrow box such as the Thule Force XT Sport or the Yakima Skybox 12 will take up about half your crossbar space, leaving plenty of room on the other side.

Ski Length

If you're planning to hit the slopes you'll need to know that your gear will fit before hitting the road. Use this handy chart to find the right size for your needs: Cargo Box Comparison Sheet

Crossbar Compatibility

Every cargo box Rack Attack carries is nearly a universal fit. No more worrying about having the right brand bars to mount your carrier, you can mix and match brands and styles to suit your particular needs.

*Some aftermarket bars will still be too wide, such as Rhino-Rack ReconnDeck, and most roof platform systems will require adapters to mount a box properly.

Hatch Clearance

Don’t hinder access to the back of your vehicle, ensure that you can open your hatch fully. To find out which box fits properly, measure from the middle of your front crossbar, straight over the rear bar to your open hatch. 

Your measurement must be larger than the specification in this chart to fit:

Cargo Box Specs

Garage Clearance

Cargo box lids are not available as spare parts, avoid having a bad day by checking your total vehicle height. Due to vehicle geometry and variation in rack placement, it’s better to know for sure instead of guessing based on product specifications.

The best way is to park on a flat surface, and use a 4’ level, and a measuring tape. Place one end of the level on the highest point of the box, with the other end hanging over the side of the vehicle. Measure from the ground to the level, making sure to get the bubble in the middle. This will give you a true and exact height measurement.

Weight capacity

All cargo boxes have a maximum weight capacity of 165lbs, however to calculate the actual final weight limit, you must start with the roof rack rating and then subtract the weight of the box itself to find what you can actually carry. For example a roof rack with a 130lb weight limit and a 52lb box will leave you only 78lbs of capacity for your gear, evenly distributed through the box.