Review:
Thule Car Top Carriers
And Equipment
Located in Malmö, Sweden, The Thule Group is a world leader in products and brands that make it easy for people to transport their equipment securely, safely and in style. This includes rack systems for water sports and bikes, cargo carriers of all sorts and even a fine line of sport luggage and packs. In 1942, Thule was founded by the Thulin family, when Erik Thulin, a true lover of the outdoors, put the Thule name on a Pike Trap that he designed and began to sell to the fisherman of Scandinavia. It wasn't long before he added other practical things to his company's portfolio. Business boomed, gaining profitably year after year.
By the 1960s, the company began to concentrate its business on car-related products, and before long the first roof rack was born. New product categories were added in the 70's and new markets all over the world (e.g. US, Japan) were opened.
The Thulin family sold Thule to the publicly listed company Eldon in 1979, and it continued to grow both organically and through acquisitions (trailers and rooftop box manufacturing) and ever since, Thule has been in a growth mode. New markets have been opened, product categories have been launched and several companies have joined the Thule Group in the last 10 years strengthening the position of the Thule Group as world leader in providing transport solutions for an active life.
Cargo Box- 6129 Thule Dynamic 900
When we were requesting a cargo box to review, we debated at what size to go with and decided on the largest size. Boy, are we glad we did! We have a Ford Explorer, and it fit beautifully on top. We were able to use the factory installed luggage rack on our SUV. This carrier is wide enough for two of our display folding tables! It is so nice to get that out of the car. It is aerodynamically designed with a curved, lowered baseline to fit your car roof perfectly. It has a pre-installed Power-Click quick mounting system with integrated torque indicator for easy and secure fixation with a single-handed grip.
This roofbox can be opened from both sides, for convenient fitting, loading and unloading. With handles on the lid and inside the box, even our short female reviewer found it convenient for opening and closing. It is designed for having a forwarded position on the car roof allowing us to get the back door open. It comes with an integrated base mat with non-slip surface for extra secure loading. At our age, we tend to lose items like keys, so we love that for maximum safety and theft protection this roofbox has several locking points, and the grip-friendly key cannot be removed unless they are all securely closed!
With the price of gas nowadays, we were surprised to notice no difference in the MPG and there was no whistle or hum so we hardly knew it was up there, except for the fact that we had tons more room in the SUV! We were able to bring all our festival items plus backpacking equipment with three people in the Explorer. Now, that is the way to make the most out of space without being inconvienced!
Carrying up to two bikes, this is a premium rear-mounted bike carrier designed to fit your vehicle precisely for added protection and stability. The patented FitDial system is a very efficient and easy-to-use way to mount the carrier to the back olf your vehicle. All the buckles are vinyl-coated to give both a secure hold and protect against scratching the vehicle. Cushion pads also protect the trunk and/or hatch. Another practical feature is the No-Sway-Cage that keeps the two bikes from banging into each other as you go down particularly bumpy roads, as is often the case with off-road biking. Since all Thule products are precisely designed to fit particular vehicles, it's important to carefully read the Fit Guide to insure optimum performance.
450 Crossroad Railing Foot Pack
Thule has become especially well known for their quality roof rack systems for cargo, bike and water sport carriers. Their Load Bars are very strong for their weight and come in multiple styles for customized use and style. However, any rack system is only as good as the base, or feet, that attach the rails to the vehicle. Thule's Foot Pack is intended to attach the rails to a factory-installed roof rack. There's a myriad of vehicles with such racks and Thule offers a customized system for almost all of them.
This foot pack system, with Load Bars, was very easy to install on the factory rack with raised side rails. Once in place, the full range of Thule accessories is available. The directions provided were easy to read and quite simple to understand. Even the installation of the lock cores went smoothly. The built-in tool for adjusting the fit of the Foot Pack tucks ingeniously into the Foot Pack itself so you don't have to wonder where it is come time to remove or change it's position. The rubber-coated steel strap securely holds the foot to the side rail without scratching.
This accessory is listed under the Cargo Boxes on the website but it's highly useful for any number of car-top duties. It was great for installing the Load Bar system and Feet, hauling heavy loads up to a carrier or anything. It's extremely easy to use. The rubber-coated strap fits snuggly around the tire and is easy to put on and take off. There's no weight limit listed, but it readily held 240 pounds. It folds flat and comes with a nice looking carry case so it can be kept in the vehicle for any occasion.
http://www.thule.com/en/US/...Fiftysense Product Review Panel