Thule  Force L Roof Box

Recently purchased a Thule carrier and coundn't be happier with both the service & help from the staff from REI as well as the quality of the carrier.

My Fiancé and I moved from Houston, TX to Seattle, WA recently. We bought this for our 2016 Lexus NX200t and it was perfect. Installation was super easy. We were able to place 4 fold our chairs, two sleeping bags, 4 pairs of shoes, two duffle bags full of a weeks worth of clothes, 1 big bag of dog food and three plastic bags with dry food inside. Yet, it managed to have more space available. Love that its accessible from both sides. During our road trip, it snowed, rained, hailed, and was extremely windy, but everything inside this Roof Box stayed dry. Two things to keep in mind: DO NOT open both sides at the same time. it popped up and was a small hassle to lower down. I'm an idiot and I apologize for that. Second, our SUV's tailgate hit the Thule every time we opened it. Luckily were able to change the automatic tailgate hight to stop at a certain position. (As intended for garage hight) We both love this roof box and highly recommend getting one for any occasion.

I initially purchased this for road trips to Las Vegas when my 5 passenger SUV can't take anymore luggage space. I drive a Toyota RAV4 and have anything between luggage, camera bags and baby accessories. Well, before I purchased I took measurements to see if I will clear the vegas garage height clearance at the hotel were staying at. My measurements say I am exactly 7' and the height of the garage is 7' so I bought it. Unfortunately last minute I didn't get to use it because I didn't want to take chances and ruin the box if I couldn't clear the height. I could have used valet but I prefer not to. However, recently I went to Utah to visit several national parks, I was staying at lodges so I know I wouldn't have to worry about garages, also I brought hiking gear with me and didn't want my trunk dirty so I used the roof box (which actually is why I purchased it, Vegas trip just seemed to be first) and glad I did because I was able to easily access my gear on either side of the roof box, turn of a key and that is it, it opens on either side. Very important to know that you can only access one side at a time. It's also easy to install, probably under 10 minutes if it's your first time (I recommend two people) and 5 minutes once you get used to it. It had enough space for my family of three for an entire week of vacation in the road. On my way home from Utah I stayed in Vegas again and this time I took the chance to see if I would clear 7' and sure enough I cleared it by 1.5"!!! So either the garage has allowance or I didn't measure correctly. Here's a pic of my box on my car in Utah.

This cargo box replaces my 20 plus year old wing nut and u bolt box that only opened from one side and about killed me every time I had to install or remove it. This box installed within 10 min and opens from both sides. Installed on a 2018 Honda CR-V Touring edition, with factory bars.

This box has been one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. By adding enough storage to our Ford Focus hatchback to prevent the need of buying a bigger car or SUV, it has literally saved us thousands of dollars. We travel with a toddler on one side of the back seat, a 60 lb dog in the hatch, and enough car camping, backpacking, camera gear and an inflatable SUP board to completely fill the box and all available space. Not sure what we’d do without it. There is just one catch, and a DIY solution. Depending on where the roof bars are supporting the box, you might experience sag in the front or rear sections due to weight. The box does not have a steel support on the bottom going front to back, so too much weight can cause some warping. Enough sagging in the front can cause the leading edges to ALMOST separate, which in turn can cause leaking in a major rain storm. It took me a while to realize this, and I contemplated mounting a latch on the front. In the end I went with the simplest solution, which is to manually push the top and bottom together and secure with a piece of duct tape on the leading edge. The leak problems have gone away. It’s a little redneck looking but effective. Get some cool colored tape and you’ll be good. Or just pony up some more $$$ to upgrade to the model with steel supports.

Purchased just prior to the first family beach trip with the baby. Bikes on the back of the car, but the small SUV wasn't going to get my work (conference) and all of our beach clothes plus the gear to set up home away from home for the baby. We tried to install/pack a roof bag but it just wasn't simple enough. The Force box was installed (solo) within 5 minutes of the unpacked box being walked out to my car with help from the REI staff. It was easier to install than even the Thule promo materials make it out to be. Likewise on loading, capacity (easy to pack full), road noise (none) and mileage impact (none so far).

This is an outstanding cargo box and holds plenty of gear for camping and road-trips. The quick grip clamps make is super easy to install. I could do this by myself, but a second person will make the process much easier. It was able to fit on my Toyota Sienna 2005 factory bars, as well as Mazda 6 Rhino Rack aerobars. From what i read prior, this box is compatible with most factory and aftermarket cross bars. The extra space created form this box is well worth the price. I would not bother with lower end models or other brands as they are pretty annoying to install. I would highly recommend this Box in size Large for a family of 6.

This Thule box was/is exactly what we need. When we travel to visit family, our 80lbs Lab and not-nice cat are in tow. All of the luggage or bags make a barrier between us and the cargo area of out '16 Escape, which is where the dog lays. For the first time ever it was just us and the pets.... nothing else. Road noise wasn't overwhelming but it was definitely there. The box kept all of our stuff completely dry. I installed it on our car by myself (although I don't recommend it). The only issue was with an employee at the REI where we purchased... but that's another story. Great box, worked great, used it 3 times since we've purchased.

We bought the Thule Force L for our 2009 Forester XT for a Nashville -San Diego and back road trip for Christmas 2015. We drove straight into Winter Storm Goliath, 60+mph winds and the worse rain I've ever been in as well as a 2 day detour in Amarillo, TX do to I40 being closed. With all that being said all our stuff was bone dry not a drop of perception in the box. The box had a minimal impact on fuel milage. And I also got my vehicle up to 100 mph a couple of times and had no problems. We used our REI %20 off coupon and knowing what I know now I'd pay full price in a heart beat.

I used to have a Thule Sonic XL on an Audi A3 and i loved it so much i was reluctant to believe the Force L could *top* my love for the Sonic (see what I did there?). The Force is lightweight, sturdy, easy to use, and has a double hinge that actually leaves you confident the box is securely closed. It’s just the right size on my Subaru Outback to just about double my cargo area