Karrite Odyssey 580 Roof Box

This box has been a god send. As spacious as our Nissan X-Trail was, carrying all the luggage and kit for 2 adults & 2 babies (including double buggies, nappies, sterilisers etc), plus picking up 2 or more IKEA blue bags and a chilled cooler box full of grocery shopping in France would have been impossible without this box.

Although we now have the bigger Nissan Pathfinder, this box will still get plenty of use as we do tend to carry/buy lots of stuff when we travel abroad. It also comes in handy if your moving house or just have to shift a fair amount of stuff from A - B.

I think it is value for money (from new), although I picked mine up second hand after one use on ebay for £100+ saving. Its obviously a fair sized box and although I tend to fit it by myself, its essentially a two person job. Fixing it to your roof bars is a doddle, but be sure not to over load it - stack your contents too high and you'll end up lying on top of the box trying to get it to lock (I've been there).

Once I forgot it was on the roof when at the waste disposal depot just before a trip to France. I hit a 1.83m metal barrier, but the box came out of it with just a few scratches and some paint marks. This is testament not only to its durability, but also its flexibility and it must have had to give somewhat to get under the barrier. If you have a normal height saloon/estate, this won't be a problem, but 4x4 owners beware of your maximum height with the box fitted.

I'd have given this box 5 stars if it wasn't for its sheer size, which in my opinion lose it half a mark. While it works for us and I am comfortable lifting it onto the roof of a tall vehicle by myself, this may not suit everyone. A piece of advice if doing this alone... protect your roof with a groundsheet or blanket to avoid scratching it.

Definitely one of the best purchases I have ever made!