Customer Reviews

SportRack A90275 Aero XL Roof Box

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Was very easy to mount on the Sequoia, and feels pretty sturdy (and watertight). Absolutely no wind noise or rattling could be heard inside the vehicle at 75 MPH. I bought it because the width and height makes it better for carrying family stuff than comparable size Thule or Yakima boxes, though it's not long enough for skis. Low price is a huge bonus. I also like that it opens from the back instead of the side, since on my tall vehicle the easiest way to reach the box is standing on the rear bumper. I looked at the big name boxes, and I can't see how they are worth 2.5x as much.

**UPDATE** Have now taken on a few long trips. It did not seem to affect gas mileage at all, and stayed dry inside through 300 miles of downpour. I have to take it off to fit in the garage, which would be true of any box, but I can get it on or off in less than 10 minutes. I fit 2 carry-on suitcases, 4 sleeping bags, a stroller, a full-frame baby backpack, and a small baby bouncer seat inside.

This product is an life/ego saver. Going on trips with our six month old is much much different than the wife and I travelling alone last year. The amount of gear that our precious little 20 pounder requires is unreal. I drive an Audi A4 wagon, which some may note and debate that I'm already over the edge... "just take the plunge" into minivan-dom. I'm still resisting.

POST-SALE/SHIPPING
So we bought the SportRack A90275 box shortly before our trip to my grandmother's for Christmas. When I order something like this, I usually geek out and read the manual from the manufacturer's site before the item arrives. I was disappointed to see that I would have no such luck with the SportRack site. Their website is effectively an interactive brochure. However, the HUGE box arrived within a week via a contract carrier (free from Amazon, I might add, which is amazing for a box this size). The 18 wheeler couldn't fit through my neighborhood, so we had to meet the driver in a parking lot with a pickup.

INSTALLATION
I was very excited to actually use my roof rack for something. In my pre-baby years, it would tote a surfboard, but it'll be a while before one of those is strapped to the top again. In any event, I set out to put it on my car on a very brisk morning. The instructions are very well done, but it took about an hour to install the first time due to needing to find my rack crossbar keys and recall how to move them fore and aft to line up with the sets of holes in the bottom of the cargo box. Additionally, after you choose the holes you want to use, SportRack includes adhesive covers (stickers) to block rain from coming in the unused holes (Adding to the initial install time). My wife had to help me set it on the car due to it's size. From there it's simply centering the cargo box and installing the included U-bolts and pre-drilled metal plates (to help support the ABS plastic at the mounting points). I'm sure subsequent installations can probably be done in around 15 minutes (or less).

PERFORMANCE/QUALITY
This a very sturdy, high quality item (It's really a Thule product!) that performed beautifully on the trip. We packed it with a Pack-and-Play (think playpen for those without kids), 2 carry-on size suitcases, a humidifier, baby bouncy seat, bath sling, and heavy coats with room to spare. Packing the same amount in my car wouldn't have allowed us any room to transport our Christmas presents, much less stretch out. The lid opens to an good angle to allow for easy packing, however, you can see why people like the ones with the side opening. The hinge locations prevent doing much loading from the side, but hey, you can see the pictures... that's no surprise. On the road, it did made at least a 15% dent in gas mileage, however, the car felt no less stable even on curvy mountain roads. Our cargo arrived in the condition we left home in and stayed nice and dry. The cargo box was a real difference-maker in the trip.
Note: Be sure to check the tightness of the U-bolt nuts througout your trip. The locknuts have nylon in the threads to prevent backing out, but with as much force and vibration that occurs on a long trip, they're bound to loosen a little.

STORAGE (when not in use)
The final challenge with an item as large as this is where the heck to store it. I'm including this because I did a little head scratching about how to fit this in my small garage amongst tools and everything else. I put two bike storage hooks on the wall at equal height 48" apart (Spans 3 studs if your garage is 16" on center, 2 studs if 24" on center). I then removed the cargo box U-bolts, removed the box from the car, and re-installed the U-bolts. Next acquire a 60" or so piece of angle iron, metal conduit, etc. (Just make sure the diameter isn't so large it prevents threading the nuts on the U-bolts). Push the tube through the two U-bolts at the front of the cargo box, center it, and tighten the U-bolt nuts. Now you can just hang the tube (with cargo box attached) over the wall hooks and your cargo box is safely out of the way.

Got this delivered via ABF Freight in about 1 week after ordering. Used Amazon prime so shipping was free, not sure how much it would have been otherwise.

The box itself is lightweight and relatively sturdy (while open it seems a little flimsy...but after it's closed and locked it feels solid). I'd be careful about trying to pack it in wind greater than 10mph.

It attached quickly and easily (did it by myself) to a Honda Pilot. It has a great deal of storage capacity. I'd say 4 sets of golf clubs plus some. It appeared to be one of the largest ones on the road.

No issues with wind noise, rain, or noticeable gas mileage drops. Put about 1800 miles on it with no problems whatsoever. It comes with a keyed lock in the back, which is nice for added security.

Overall great product with nice shape, appearance, and functionality. It really opened up a ton of room in the SUV.

I'd recommend this 100% over higher priced models from other manufacturers.

NOTE: seems like the price has jumped seventy-five dollars.

I purchased the SportRack 18 cubic ft car top carrier for our trip to Myrtle Beach. The idea was to create more room in our vehicle for the 14 hour drive. Mission accomplished! I was able to put 3 sets of golf clubs, golf shoes, roller blades, baseball equipment and golf balls in it with room to spare. We drove through some pretty heavy rain on the way down and everything stayed dry! I would recommend this carrier for anyone who travels by vehicle.

Same as everyone else I shopped around and chose this unit based on:
-good price
-relatively large amount of storage (for $500+ you can get more!)
-good reviews

It shipped pretty quickly. The local shipping company in Dallas (CEVA I think was their name) was awesome. The truck called me before their dispatch even did. They wanted to come by earlier than I'd been told (!!). I called them back on their cell phone and said what time would work for me. There came within 15 minutes of that time. What an exceptional delivery experience. Kudos to them.

I just installed the unit. Easy. I'll be able to do it in 5 minutes with practice. Only took 20 the first time. That included moving the bars on my roof rack. Now that they're in the right place installation will be a breeze.

Here's some observations I didn't see in any reviews.

On my 2003 Toyota Sequoia I set the roof bars all the way to the back and 30" apart. That's the widest apart the box can accomodate and it seems very stable.

It opens from the back vs the side so I'll have to stand on my bumper to load it. No biggie. Just thought I'd share.

The box only closes if you have the key in it and it's turned to a locked position. Don't lose your key :D. Think I'll go make a spare for my glove box.

Important piece of information... when installed on my Sequoia the total height is 7'10" (94") total. Certainly won't fit in under my garage door and we'll see if I can fit in any under cover parking.

I'm 6'4" and not strong or weak (40+ years old) and had NO problems lifting the sportsrack out of the shipping box, nor putting it on the roof of my car by myself. If you're under 6' it will probably not be as easy but for me it's perfect.

Oh yea, the box it comes in is HUGE... my 5 and 7 year old are LOVING it right now. They've decided it's a clubhouse and are all gathered around it with paints and crayons. What a great bonus :D

I'll come add more to this review after I use it a bit and decide if the 4 stars stays.

So far, installation and order/shipping experience was great.

Great value! I can stuff an amazing amount of stuff in there and the price is right. When I called up to order additional spare parts (the last thing you want when you're on the road is to lose a knob) it became clear that SportRack is actually owned by Thule. I asked the rep what the difference between SportRack and Thule was and he said that they're both of very high quality, just that the SportRack only has a one year warranty whereas the Thule has a lifetime warranty. I'm extremely satisfied with our purchase and delivery was lightning fast. I'd buy another one and would recommend it to a friend.

So far this product has been great. I loved the fact that it was all assembled in the box when I recieved it. Had it mounted on the truck in less then 30 minutes, by myself. Would highly suggest 2 people for the job. Getting it up there and getting it straight is a hassle to run back and forth. I would have given this a 5 but I have yet to actually put any cargo in it. As for weather resistant, It's been on the truck for 3 weeks and I have driven through some bad rain storms and have yet to see any water inside. The amount of space inside is huge, I joke that you can fit 3 bodies in there, but I'd have to say 2 comfortably for sure. I will comment more when I haul some cargo in it.

I looked at a variety of car top carriers from the two major manufacturer's (Yakima and Thule). I am also a previous owner of a Thule car top carrier. The major reason for purchasing the SportRack was the difference in price between a similar Yakima and Thule rack with the similar features and capacity. The SportRack meet or exceeded my expectations. Installation was easy and quick. The capacity was as advertised. I used it for a recent trip that involved travel in wet and snowy environments - no problems. I would recommend this rack to anyone interested in saving a major amount of money without sacrificing quality.

From the time I opened the box until the Sport Rack was completely mounted on the roof of my SUV, was under one hour. That included the time it took to read all the instructions and examine all the mounting brackets parts. It was a one-man job, no tools required. This rooftop cargo box is HUGE, lots of room. My only problem was it did not clear my garage door and I had to take it off until I go on my next driving trip, but considering the ease of mounting this on the roof, that's not a big deal for me, but it might be for someone else, so check the dimensions of your garage and vehicle before you purchase this carrier. Overall, I recommend this product if you are looking for a spacious rooftop cargo carrier.

This Cargo Box is a great size for cars! (See my pictures posted on my Jaguar). It is probably the biggest box you should ever put on a car. It's not too long to cause problems on even a fairly small sedan roof. It is a full width box but it is still narrow enough to fit on any factory roof rails I have seen. Wind noise was noticable on a quiet riding car but very subtle and subdued. Gas mileage was not compared over the same trip with and without the box, but from experience with my vehicle I would say that MPG was down 10-15%. The Box and car trunk was full and the car had four passengers, so weight was also a contributing factor to MPG.

Contents were accessible from both sides of the car. Large items could go in and out thanks to the lid's ability to flex. Flexing was not a problem once locked-down for travel. Opening the car doors and standing on the door sill gets you up-close access to pack and remove.

With the Box fairly full (but not overfilled), including Tent, expanding chairs, duffel bags and sleeping bags - the box was difficult to close. There was not a way to grab-on and pull the lid down to position, and there was not a good place on top to place a hand and push. I might consider adding a simple black furniture drawer handle to the box near the lock. I would use rubber washers for a weather seal and oversized steel washers inside to give the handle strength.