The Best Honda Odyssey Roof Box For Hauling All Your Gear
The Honda Odyssey has been America’s favorite family minivan for three consecutive years because it provides plenty of cargo space and features designed with families in mind.
But as your family grows, so does the need to free up some room at the rear end where your rambunctious kids can sit or play. And don’t forget your dog too.
A cargo box is one of the best solutions for your storage needs. If you have no idea what size would suit your family, we highly recommend the Thule Motion XT Rooftop Cargo Carrier (22 cu ft) as the best Honda Odyssey cargo box you can buy.
Cargo boxes come in different sizes, and you don’t want to over-purchase them. In this roundup review, we provide a detailed run-down of the five best cargo boxes you should tick on your shopping list for the Honda Odyssey.
The Best Honda Odyssey Cargo Box Review
See quick reviews below of five of the best options below. Each review covered a few aspects: storage size, load capacity, opening side, features, and drawbacks. We hope it will help you in making an informed purchase decision.
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Best Rooftop Cargo Box for For Honda Odyssey: Thule Motion XT Rooftop Cargo Carrier
Specifications:
- Capacity: 22 cu ft
- Opening: Dual-side opening
- Weight Limit: 165 lbs
- Dimensions: 91.5 x 37.5 x 18 inches
- Item Weight: 55 lbs
- Recommended Crossbars: Thule SquareBar Steel Load Bars
The Thule Motion XT Rooftop Cargo Carrier is the biggest cargo box and an overall winner. It has an aesthetically pleasing design with sleek lines to match your van.
We highly recommend this cargo box to a large family with 2-4 kids for the family trip. It can hold up to 165 lbs of luggage and has 22 cubic feet of cargo space, reducing the amount of stuff while providing comfort for your kids at the back.
The huge cargo space can store your luggage and fit about five to seven pairs of skis (maximum 215cm long) or up to five snowboards. It opens from either side for easy loading and unloading.
The carrier measures 91.5 inches long and 37.5 wide. With careful planning, you can fit the box on the rooftop without interference with the rear hatch. The intuitive PowerClick Quick-Mount System will give you an audible confirmation that the cargo box is secured to the roof rack.
It will fit any aftermarket crossbar, making it easy for you to install. The Motion XT also features an excellent Secure Slidelock System, a dual-sided lockable compartment to secure your belongings.
Although the Thule Motion XT Rooftop Cargo Carrier is expensive, it is a great asset for your family and comes with a lifetime warranty. It is available in two colors: black-glossy and white.
Best Value Cargo Box: Yakima Skybox Cargo Box
Specifications:
- Capacity: 16 cu ft
- Opening: Dual-side opening
- Weight Limit: Hauling gear for up to 3 campers
- Dimensions: 94 x 29 x 18 inches
- Item Weight: 54 lbs
- Recommended Crossbars: YAKIMA – RoundBar Crossbars
If you don’t like the conservative design of the Thule cargo boxes, you can’t go wrong with the Yakima Skybox Cargo Box. The cutaway at its back allows some space where the protruding radio antenna may hit the underside of the box.
This 16 cubic feet cargo box has enough room for a lot of gear. Are you planning a ski trip? The Yakima Skybox can hold a few pairs of skis and snowboards (maximum 185cm long). Its long and low-profile design minimizes the road noise and improves the overall gas mileage of your vehicle.
The Yakima Skybox Cargo Box is also available in 12, 18, 21, and Lo Carbonite sizes for different space requirements. They open from either side across all the models. The cargo box is easy to install on the rooftop and works with most crossbars types.
One of the areas that the Yakima Skybox could do better is the locking mechanism. You can only remove the key out when the lid is latched properly. The key is flimsy and could easily break in the lock if not carefully twisted.
The Skybox Cargo Box from Yakima is an excellent choice for your Honda Odyssey. It makes the vehicle look sporty and well-built while providing plenty of storage space.
Best Space For The Money: SportRack Vista XL Rear Opening Cargo Box
Specifications:
- Capacity: 18 cu ft
- Opening: Rear-side opening
- Weight Limit: 100 lbs
- Dimensions: 63 x 38 x 19 inches
- Item Weight: 42 lbs
- Recommended Crossbars: CargoLoc 52″ Aluminum Cross Bar Set
If you’re looking for a large cargo box that can hold your camping gear or luggage without breaking your wallet, we recommend checking out SportRack’s Vista XL.
Its impressive 18 cu ft capacity can easily hold almost everything, including two adult 156-160cm snowboards and two kids’ boards.
It looks good overall but is not the most stylish carbo box compared to the rest. It measures 19 inches in height, making it the tallest cargo box on our list. Don’t get me wrong, it still has “enough” aerodynamic design, and you won’t notice a significant decrease in MPG.
That being said, as Honda Odyssey is already a tall car, having this cargo box could become problematic when driving through your garage.
The cargo box is made from decent ABS material and thinner than other brands. It opens from the rear side. Make sure you put the small items first and slide them forward before putting in the big stuff.
The Vista XL Cargo Box is the perfect solution for someone who prioritizes volume without spending too much. It’s easy to install and fit most factory racks.
Best Rooftop Ski Carrier: Thule Pulse Rooftop Cargo Box, Alpine
Specifications:
- Capacity: 11 cu ft
- Opening: Passenger-side opening
- Weight Limit: 110 lbs
- Dimensions: 88.5 x 25.5 x 12.5 inches
- Item Weight: 30 lbs
- Recommended Crossbars: Genuine Honda 08L04-TK8-102 Crossbar
The Thule Pulse Alpine is a low-profile cargo box designed to haul long items like skis, snowboards, and fishing gear. It can fit four to nine pairs of skis or up to three snowboards with maximum skis length of 210cm.
It measures 88.5-inch long by 25.5 wide by 12.5 inches high. It has a storage volume of 11 cubic feet and is probably too slim to fit large items like suitcases. Still, you can store anything up to 110 pounds of the weight limit.
The cargo box opens from the passenger side. You could position the cargo box to the passenger side for easy access.
The cargo box is quite long, and because of that, it does seem flimsy when opening or closing. Fortunately, the locking system locks solidly.
Despite its sleek and aerodynamic appearance (which helps reduce wind drag and low noise), it won’t significantly impact the gas mileage when driving down the highways.
The Thule Pulse features the FastGrip quick-mount system that makes the installation of the car rooftop easy, safe, and secure.
This Alpine model is available in Matte Black only. This cargo box is an excellent choice if you’re looking for the best rooftop ski carrier for your Honda Odyssey.
Most Affordable: Thule Sidekick Rooftop Cargo Box
Specifications:
- Capacity: 8 cu ft
- Opening: Passenger-side opening
- Weight Limit: 75 lbs
- Dimensions: 54 x 25 x 15.5 inches
- Item Weight: 16 lbs
- Recommended Crossbars: CargoLoc 52″ Aluminum Cross Bar Set
As we know, the Thule brand is not cheap. But this carrier is undoubtedly the most affordable cargo box from Thule you could buy in the market now. However, the trade-off is the size and aesthetic design.
The Thule Sidekick Rooftop Cargo Box is a compact-size cargo box with eight cubic feet of storage volume. It still has plenty of space for camping gear, duffels, or golf clubs, freeing up space in your vehicle’s rear cargo.
The installation on the crossbars uses the U-blot mounting system, and some assembly is required. The locking system is pretty basic. Unlike other cargo boxes, this one has a key and cannot be latched without it.
The material is made from polyethylene that can withstand any weather and keep your belongings dry. Is Thule Sidekick Rooftop Cargo Box the best for you? This is a great option if you want additional cargo space to pack some small items at a lower price.
Otherwise, you can consider the SportRack Vista XL Cargo Box with bigger space at the same price range.
Important Things to Consider Before You Buy
First, your Honda Odyssey doesn’t have a factory-installed rack across all generations, including the latest 2022 models. You’ll need one, and plenty of aftermarket roof rails can work for your Honda Odyssey.
However, the quality of aftermarket roof rails can be dicey. We highly recommend you buy the genuine Honda roof rail you can get from the Honda dealer or buy the genuine part like this one and install it yourself.
If you are not sure how to do it by yourself, check out the helpful video below:
The next thing you should consider is buying the crossbars. Crossbars are two sturdy bars that run across the width of your vehicle’s roof, which you then mount your cargo carrier. Not all crossbars are universal and can fit every cargo box.
Different crossbars brands or models have different load capacities, spread out, and mounting systems. Always refer to the seller’s description for details before you purchase.
See also the best cargo boxes for Honda CRV and Honda Pilot.
FAQ
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about Honda Odyssey Cargo Box.
How much roof weight can a Honda Odyssey carry?
What is the largest cargo box available for a Honda Odyssey?
Does the cargo box need to be centered on the Honda Odyssey?
Our Verdict
Depending on your specific storage needs, we have you covered on some of the best Honda Odyssey Cargo Boxes currently available. We love all of these options for their particular uses.
However, we love the Thule Motion XT Rooftop Cargo Carrier because you can store almost everything there, like luggage, skis, snowboards, camping gear, or fishing gear for an extended family trip. Excellent amount of space and looks great for your Ody.
Finally, when buying a cargo box for your Honda Odyssey, ensure the right roof rails and crossbars are ready.
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