I’ve got a roof box off free cycle. Husband has gone mad!

[VWCJW]

Every holiday, my husband prides himself on taking hardly anything to a self catering holiday, and gets really stressed by me and my daughter taking a normal amount of clothes. He moans that it all won’t fit in the car and our kids sit with loads of stuff by their feet and piled up between them. This year, we have a long journey through France and our kids are getting taller so I got a roof box and my husband has got really upset and stressed about it. He says he doesn’t want to drill holes in his car and it means we will just take more stuff we don’t need. He was literally shaking about it. I’ve told him we will get rid but I don’t really want to. We have a massive box of footballs in the garage and I am sure they could be stored in the roof box so it won’t take up more room but he just says he hopes we will have less footballs in the future. He’s clearly not thinking properly as our son is really sporty and will probably end up with rugby and basketballs too, once at secondary school. Am I right to think that a roof box is a good thing? I see loads of cars with them. Or is he right and they are just an excuse to take a load of extra crap you don’t need?

So ditch the husband and keep the roof box...he sounds quite pathetic and unhinged to me.

Mine does this except in between my terrible idea becoming a brilliant idea he’ll have talked to his dad/sister/friends and they get all the credit 😡

Omg massive red flags , just because You made a decision for Yourself 🙄

How utterly bizarre. Sounds like a him problem, just because he doesn't want to take much doesn't mean other people have to. I'm very conservative myself when I pack but always make sure we're comfortable if something was to happen, if having a roof box meant everyone was happy I'd not bat an eyelid....

Be aware that a roof box will increase your fuel consumption.

I have had roofboxes for all of our cars and my parents also always had roof boxes. None of us have ever drilled holes into our car.

You don't need to drill holes in the roof but you may have to buy roof bars or rails to accommodate the roof box. The real downside to roof boxes is the wind resistance which adversely affects your fuel consumption and sometimes create a horrible noise - horrible on long journeys. Also he'll have remember the car is quite a bit taller and could make some car parks etc inaccessible

Are you a hoarder? How many balls does a kid need?
I ahree with your husband sorry
pack less crap

Maybe you need to sit down as a family and decide what is reasonable to take on holiday. It could be his mother or father filled the car with crap for every childhood holiday and this is where the anxiety comes from. I know my siblings and I have a thing about leaving way too early toget to the airport, ferry terminal, station because my mother was always late and Dad had to drive over the speed limit to make sure we would make our ferry /train/plane.

At least now you have somewhere to hide his body sorry sounds like a drama queen 🤣

In very rare circumstances a car might need holes drilled in order to fit the bars and rails, so its possible although unlikely

Has OP been back yet to say how she is going to find the bars/rails and fit them?

She seems to have assumed this was all going to be dealt with by someone else

I have never needed to drill holes in car roof. Most roof box/bars/racks, etc. are anchored to roof without the need for any holes, etc. being drilled in roof or any other part of car.

It's one of the best things we ever got. It takes away so much stress and leaves lots of space inside the car which makes the journeys more comfortable.

But their kids have always been smaller in the past.

And first time to France, if I remember the OP correctly.

I remember being in the back of the car to S of France as a youngster, up to about age 11/12. Utterly miserable.

You don’t drill holes in the car!! Where the heck as your DH got that idea from - more likely he’s using that as an excuse not to have one, stupid B….r!

So in response to some comments, I saw some suitable roof bars on freecycle last week. If not I shall get some. There are several local showing on FacebookMarketplace and Gumtree so hopefully the cost won’t be an issue.
The issue of the footballs was just to show that the box won’t take up extra room on the garage.
The reason I don’t say my son takes too much is because he doesn’t take dresses, skirts, shorts and t shirts. Just the shorts and T shirts.
I really don’t think I take too much, but I do like to be prepared, so I shall take a few hoodies in case of poor weather, or for the evenings not just one. Honestly, my husband is always proud he only has a few t shirts and shorts and will just wash them (well I will).
Its good to see a few people agree with him (but most don’t). Makes him understandable, if unreasonable.
He’s moaning less so I might try to get the roof bars and give them a go on my car. See how they sound or what difference they make on petrol. Maybe then he will come round to it, if they do make a difference.

Don’t wash his clothes. If he doesn’t take enough changes he needs to wash them

Sounds like my Dad freaks out about what we take - visiting family abroad but then when we are there complains we didn't bring enough gifts 😑
He like to boast he only takes X about of clothing with him....

In the OP, they also said how crowded the kids have been, AND (reminder) that the kids are growing. Growing kids= less room for luggage.

If you haven't ridden in a crowded car, with stuff packed around your feet and body, I suggest you try it for a trip. It's miserable. There isn't room to stretch or shift when you need, especially on long trips, and kids have fewer coping skills than do adults.

Roof box sounds like a much more reasonable thing, for everyone.

Roof boxes are a great way to use more petrol due to the aerodynamics.

Someone told me mine would use up more fuel, but it doesn’t. Not that I’ve noticed. I’ve a huge box. When it was on my previous car it would go in my mum’s garage over summer as we don’t have storage. But when I got my current car I’ve decided to keep it on. Getting it on was a nightmare for me (single parent) as was getting it off the previous time. It’s a pain for parking in enclosed car parks but other than that it’s fine. It’s been great for camping as we have put the big bulky light stuff in there like sleeping bags and cushions that take up loads of car space. And windbreaks and deck chairs.

Definitely no drilling!! Needed different bars for the different cars.

Honestly, I don't think a self catering holiday is a holiday, if you have children. It's just doing everything you do, in another place. If your DH takes less, i.e. less clothes, etc. does that mean more washing, more often? IMO it's not really a holiday - I could have stayed at home and done this and saved shed loads of money.

Oh! And you could buy cheap balls on holiday and leave them there? I've done that before, the local kids loved it! Free balls!

OR!!!! (Brilliant idea! You're welcome) How about taking nothing at all, and buying everything when you get there? No packing. At all. No roof box thing. No nothing. Just get in the car and go. Sorted. Suggest that.

Roof boxes are a great way to use more petrol due to the aerodynamics.

So is using the car itself in the first place - but most people have a purpose to that as well!