What do you put in your car roof boxes?

[MeanMrMustardSeed]

We’ve got to get a roof box for our car but I’ve never had one before. What do you pack in yours? Are clothes too heavy?

Thank you!

Clothes or towels, no liquids or valuables

Clothes, bedding, our smaller tents, coats, airbeds, .
Top tip... Don't leave your car keys in the lock when you go off on a day trip. We were very fortunate they were spotted and handed in at the ticket office!

Mainly used when we camp. Our tents are too bulky to get in there but we put in bags if clothes, pillows, sleeping bags, camping chairs etc.

Thank you. Pleased to know you can pack them with clothes. Does anyone have those top box bag sets to ease packing? Wondering if they’re worth it?

Check your owners manual, I'm sure we have a maximum weight for the roof bars in there. We pack as much of the light ish stuff up there as we can, you can't really leave space for things to roll around.

We mostly use it when camping, so bags of clothes, towels, body boards, sleeping bags and mats. The kids backpacking tents are fine I there, our family tent is too big and heavy though.

We put our big suitcase in ours and maybe some pillows and some toys.

Nothing valuable.

Most have a 50kg weight limit.

Never put anything heavy in them, only clothes, jackets, sleeping bags, duvets, that sort of thing.

DH doesn't trust them and hates having to use one. If you search YouTube you'll understand why!

He has drilled two holes in the bottom of ours and attaches a ratchet strap to tie the box to the roof rack, he would never rely on the supplied fixings. And he also (not kidding) wraps the box with another strap. This is to stop the lid being blown open.

Of course clothes aren't too heavy. If you couldn't put clothes in, there would be no point in having a roof box as just about everything else would be heavier.

We put one of the DC in there as it's the only way you can get all four of them in a normal sized car .

beach stuff, trainers, towels, bedding, washing etc

Snowboards, snowboard boots and helmets usually :D

Tent (it’s not terribly heavy) sleeping mats, sleeping bags, pillows, extra blankets, clothes, body boards, hockey sticks/hurls/tennis rackets etc. Generally light and squashy stuff or long inflexible but light stuff (the sports stuff).

Anything solid (suitcases, cool box) or liquid goes in the boot. And anything heavy.

Ours gets used for ordinary holidays (SC accommodation but driving there, possibly by ferry), camping with DD (so bringing all the equipment) and camping with Cub Scouts (so main gear goes in a van, but as the “Mammy Leader” I bring things like spare blankets and sleeping bags, and lots to make my own tent/bed good for proper sleep to be able to function properly all day and well into the night!!).