Packasport vs. yakima or thule cargo boxes

[HankStamper]

I don't know anything about them but a friend is offering to sell me a packaport 60 cargo box http://packasport.com/home/ps2/page_10 for $350.

Nearly new condition. Anyone own one? Retail is $700 so seems like a great deal. Thanks for any help you can provide.

[HankStamper]

a buddy just sent me an e-mail with this info and should be sufficient for me to make a decision. FYI:

"The packasport is definitely heavier than the comparable thule boxes... it's around 60 pounds, compared to around 40 pounds from a thule of similar size. It's much beefier, carpeted on the inside, fiberglass instead of plastic, etc. All the boxes are pretty nice though. A couple of things I'll warn you about with any of the boxes:
- get one with REALLY good struts that hold the box open. it sucks when you're trying to load/unload a box and the lid keeps falling down on your arms
- get one with a good lock system. some of the thules won't let you take the key out of the box while it's open, so the key sticks out of the lock and gets in your way while you're trying to load the box
- think about the direction that the box opens... some have hinges on the left, some on the right... the packasport is hinged at the front so you can load it from either side, or from the rear.
- before you buy one, make sure you have a place to keep it when you take it off your car..."

[oftpiste]

Only thing I'd say is that depending on your vehicle and if the Packasport has them or not, the end hinges vs. side hinges look like they could be a hassle for loading skis. I load 6+ pairs of skis into a box on top of a tall vehicle all the time and I can't imagine doing it with an end-hinged box. Sometimes I see people loading up the end hinged models in the lot and it looks like they struggle especially if the vehicle is tall.

That said, Packasports are way nicer looking and appear from a distance to have a nicer finish quality.

[Core Shot]

I own one of each. Packasport is the best. Less wind noise and vibration. Solid struts and locking system.
You can even color match it to your car if that is important.

What sucks about them is that it is a gelcoat finish - easier to chip and scratch than the plastic boxes.
Not usually an issue, but more of a concern if you need to store it off your car.
They are also a lot heavier and not as quick to clamp to the bars.

If you use a permanent box, they rock and cannot be beat.
they also hold their value used.

[Flexon Phil]

Packasport.

[El Chupacabra]

I had a Packasport 60. They're lower-profile than most of the Yakima/Thule boxes, so they may help fit into a garage better, but -- downside -- they hold less. To load skis into it on top of my old Grand Cherokee, I had to close the rear hatch and stand on the bumper.

I sold it when I took a new job that had a parking garage downtown, and I couldn't fit into the garage with the box on top. When I removed the box after about 2 years of ownership (it never left the roof the whole time), I noticed that the box had hairline cracking along the sides where the struts mount.

The Packasport is fiberglas, so it's more rigid than the plastic Yak/Thule boxes. That may be a bad thing -- causing the cracks. OTOH, fiberglas can be repaired if it is ever really damaged; once the plastic boxes are crunched, that's it.

Pros & cons to both systems, really.