Thule Pulse Alpine Roof Box
You never know when you need a little extra carrying space. The Thule Pulse Alpine roof top cargo box hauls an assortment of big and little gear year-round.
- Carrying skis (5 - 6 pairs), poles, snowboards (2 - 3), tents and sleeping bags with ease, and frees up all kinds of trunk space no matter what you're heading out to do
- Rugged construction with impact-resistant ABS plastic
- Passenger-side opening provides easy access for loading and unloading
- Can be mounted on square and round crossbars and most factory racks (see Fit List)
- Easy-grip mounting assembles quickly and easily attaches to car rack
- The Thule Pulse Alpine roof box has a SecureLock feature that ensures cargo box is closed securely
Made in USA.
| Best Use | Travel |
|---|---|
| Box Opening | Passenger Side |
| Gear Capacity (L) | 311 liter |
| Gear Capacity (cu. in.) | 19,008 cubic inches |
| Ski Load Capacity | 5 - 6 pairs |
| Snowboard Load Capacity | 2 - 3 |
| One-Handed Opening | Yes |
| Internal Straps | Yes |
| Length | 7 ft. 4.5 in. |
| Width (in.) | 25.5 inches |
| Height (in.) | 12.5 inches |
| Weight | 30 pounds |
Review this Product
Adding a review will require a valid email for verification
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Most Helpful Critical Review
Customer Images
Perfect roof top box
I researched roof-top carriers at several sites and was never 100% sure what would work on my Subary Impreza Sport - this fits wonderfully. It is long (of course) and is very stable on the car during hundreds of miles of travel - looked at the front end through the windshield while driving in torrential downpour and remains stable and inside dry. Convenient to install and maintain low-profile for getting into/out of parking garages safely too!
Avoid this product.
I am beyond frustrated with this roof box - it is garbage. I've been using the roof box to store lighter, bulky items like backpacking gear, PFDs, clothing, etc due to the 110 lb cargo weight limit. But that didn't matter, because the box is so flimsy that even lightweight items caused enough flex to make a large structural crack near the back right mount within the first year. I dumbly decided against returning the box because of the sentimental value of the stickers I put on the back and decided to try my own repairs. I've managed to slow down the crack spread, but they haven't stopped. Using the lock is often difficult. The locking mechanism inside is exposed to the contents of your box, so any physical contact with your gear will hinder the lock's operation. Most of the time, this means that one needs to repack the box's contents... but this weekend, that resistance snapped the key inside the lock. Now I'm stuck on a trip without access to my gear... even if I had brought the spare key with me, I still wouldn't be able to access my stuff because I haven't been able to remove the broken key yet. So far it looks like I'll need to drill out the broken key and/or drill out the lock entirely. I'm giving this product two stars because it has technically met my bare minimum expectation - storage - for about three years. I just don't expect this box to last more than a few years more before irreparably failing. Save your money and buy a better box.
So happy I bought this!
I am so happy with my purchase. I could fit quite a lot of stuff in there. It closes secure. Went thru rain storms. Everything was dry. No sound or noticeable drag while driving. My car handles the same as if it wasn’t even there.
Small Roof Box Holds Lots of Gear
Bought this enroute to a recent camping trip where our car was packed to the gills. Despite what other reviews say, this is incredibly easy to install - guessing Thule recently updated the attachment mechanism. You run four "claws" through slots on the inside of the box, which then clamp onto your bars. To tighten them, you simply turn a knob on the top of each claw inside the box. I'd say it took about 90 seconds total to install. It's also very lightweight and easy to get onto your roof. The box is only 12" tall and is pretty narrow, but it held a duffle bag, old school sleeping bag, three synthetic-down bags, two sleeping pads, two kids' backpacks, and an inflatable mattress. You can adjust the box forward or backward to fit your car. When mounted all the way forward on a Subaru Outback, the hatch could open without hitting the box.
Decent cargo box for the $
Overall a great roof box for skis/ mixed use in the summer (camping or whatever). The closing/ locking mechanism is a bit awkward at first but end of the day is still perfectly usable. Two gripes: -On an 18' Grand Cherokee you can't put the box far enough forward to let the rear hatch open completely, which is particularly annoying when the electric hatch operation cannot be adjusted for open height. Can still access the rear cargo area easy enough though, not a deal breaker and this is more of a complaint on Jeep. -The lock feels cheap/ easy to break with a crowbar. That said I'm assuming that's common across other plastic cargo boxes, meant to deter a casual thief and it's not Fort Knox.
Do not buy. Lock broke after less than a year.
I was happy with this roof box at first, but this year the lock mechanism started to freeze up when the temperature dropped and would not open. Eventually, the lock just stopped working entirely, broke while the lid was open, and would not turn to close. I had to abandon the box at a ski area because I could not get the lock to turn and secure the lid and it was unsafe to drive with it unlocked. I strongly advise against buying this roof box. It was an enormous waste of money. It did not even last a year before it completely broke. I barely used it at all. I am extremely disappointed.
Great box for tall SUV and XC skiing
Good size, fits on my Equinox and still get into garage. Use an extra front bar so the box is moved forward and can get rear door fully open
Lock/Latch Mechanism is Poor
The design and execution of the locking mechanism is very poor. There are small buttons inside the design that must be pushed down completely by the latch in order to lock; however, it is very difficult to get all 3 latches to do so all the way down. There are a number of times I have spent 20+ minutes trying to get the lid closed perfectly so the lock will think it is actually closed. The last straw---the key broke in the lock when closing it as a result of the locking procedure.
Long and Low - Perfect
This is the perfect size box for what I wanted. What did I want? Something that I could mount a bike next to on the roof cross bars. I have a 2010 BMW X3. It's kind of a narrow car and most boxes seemed wide. I was concerned the box would be in the way of the tailgate. But it wasn't. I just had to move the crossbars forward a bit. I have a Yakima Frontloader (from REI also) and it plus this box fit perfect. I have a trailer hitch bike rack too. So now I can carry 3 bikes and gear for a mountain biking trip. Best thing is, I can drive into my garage with this box on top. That means I can also park in most garages under buildings. (They usually have about 7' of clearance, and I am just under that.) That is great for beach trips for my family. The box is super easy to attach... it just has knobs on the inside that grab the cross bars. The setup isn't oozing with incredible quality. It's OK. The lock is a little fiddly. I wish it had a handle, so I may create/attach one. It could use a long rib to stiffen the edge you open. Whatever, it is what it is for the price. You want the super fancy, get the Yakima Skybox. But for me, for a box I'll use 3 times a year, I'm good here. Also, I put the cross bars and bike rack in the box, then put it on a pulley in my garage... everything's out of the way. Love this system.
Good buy for the money
This replaces an old Rocket box I had that was beat up and cracked. I notice that it is more flimsy in terms of the materials it’s made of. However the fixtures are definitely more solid and sophisticated. When I picked it up at REI they had it ready with the mounting clamps more or less in place and they just sort of “laid” it on my roof so all I had to do was tighten down the clamps after aligning it in the best position. That alone is a good reason to get it at REI. They are not officially “installing” it, so they don’t charge you, but they pretty much set it all up for you so all the ground work is done and you just have to make sure that the clamps are tightened on your rack bars. Saves you a lot of hassle putting it together yourself. This is the bottom of the line rack so you only have the single sided access, however, I would only ever need to access from one side as it’s narrow and I can’t see how anyone would be able to reach it from the other side anyway, so I don’t really see that as an issue. Plus,. The double sided hinge thing to me is another mechanical thing to go wrong. However, I do find it a little annoying that you can’t have the box “closed” but not “locked”. But I guess that’s kind of minor. I’m still a little concerned about how “flexy” the material is. But as long as it’s all closed up it shouldn’t be an issue. The structural integrity is fine when it’s closed. Time will tell how well it holds up. The Yakima Rocket box I had was about 15 years old and I was the 3rd owner. Let’s see if it can equal that. Oh, another thing I like is that I can still get in my garage with the box on top of my Subaru Forester. That’s a big bonus with this box.