Thule Atlantis

I have borrowed this roof box off a friend a few times now, and have finally invested in a roof box of my own...
But not the Atlantis!
Let me tell you why.......

Ok, I like the Atlantis, it is spacious and well made, but it has one big down side -
The system used for attaching the box to the roof bars is very big and clumpy.
Inside the box there are 4 large - and I do mean large - cog style keys that are used to tighten the claws that hold on to the bars.
Ok, the claw design is fantasic, it gives you the flexibility to move the box very quickly, but the cogs inside the box take up far too much space.
We tried to put a double pushchair and a travel cot in there and because of the cogs we couldn\'t get them to lay flat, so we ended up putting the cot in the boot for safety as we couldn\'t strap it down at an angle.

That said, the space inside is adequate for the average family, you just have to remember that you shouldn\'t put anything to heavy in it as it does have a weight limit of 75kgs across all sizes.

We usually put some of the larger items (double pushchair) up there to make space in the boot, along with lots of lighter stuff like nappies, change bags, coats etc, with the main bags in the boot.

The other feature of this box do go some way to making up for the cog issue, my favorite being the duel opening feature.
This enables the user to open the box from either side of the car, which does make it a little easier to pack as you can fill one side then go round open it the other way and continue to fill in all the spaces.

With these boxes selling for £200+ I would suggest you consider all your options before jumping in - if you can borrow one or take a good look at a friends box before you decide.

Although we happily borrowed the Atlantis 200 (holds 420ltrs) we ended up buying another older style box with smaller wing nut style attachments which holds more (580ltrs) and cost less!

Shop around, and find one you are really happy with before parting with your money.