Foo - Roof top boxes, yakima or thule?

Is one better then the other? Right now, I'm leaning towards the Thule ascent 1700. Is there anything I should know before buying?

Don't drive into the garage. I loaned my Thule Adventurer to my brother. Told him to remove the garage remote from the vehicle. One catch, if the door is already open...yada yada. He bought a replacement for me. I love it. It swallows up a lot of gear and doesn't seem to affect mpg.
And if you overload it, it will squish the crossbars on a minivan down to the roof. NTTTAWWT :innocent:

We don't have a garage. I'm looking at getting a rather low profile box, as long as it can hold a two pair of skis, two snowboards and two sets of snowshoes. Any issues at all with your Thule? Does it seem sturdy or make any noise at freeway speeds?

Mine is 11 years old. The way they attach may have changed for the better/easier. No problems with it. I used this box on my previous vehicle, a Honda CR-V and now on a Mazda 3 hatch. There is some wind noise although nothing crazy. Like I said, mine is big. It is a bit of an ox to mount on my own. Take all your toys to the store to make sure they fit. Mine has swallowed up several pairs of skis and several bags (duffels, sleeping bags, etc). Had it on a Dodge minivan once en route to a bike tour. Too much weight for the crossbars to bear. Ended up sticking a few thick sponges between the bars and the van's roof to prop it up a bit...drove across Wisconsin with no probs. Yeah, it's sturdy.

IMO both brands offer excellent quality. Go with whichever one fits your intended usage best - or whichever one is on sale!

Also, toss a couple of duffels or sleeping bags on top of 'hard' items like skis, shoes, etc. to prevent incessant rattling, or use an old blanket as a liner if not hauling bags.

IMO both brands offer excellent quality. Go with whichever one fits your intended usage best - or whichever one is on sale!

+1

I have read that some people line the bottom of the box with marine carpet. I'm keeping my eye out for any deals, my main concern is length of the unit, my xc skis are 190cm.

I have 193 skate skis and 208 xc. They easily fit. If you have a vehicle with a hatch, you'll want to position the mounts so the box will be far enough fwd to clear the hatch when fully open.

Wait, is this Foo or have I been zapped into some foreign dimension???