bjvircks Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 I just bought a roof-top box. Now I wonder how folks keep their gear from getting mangled and beat up. I am thinking about a sheet of 1/4" thick closed cell neoprene foam to lay between stuff. I want a material that won't soak up and hold water. McMaster-Carr has some options for around $40. What do the rest of you guys do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big canuck Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 The box should have strap downs in it too (or my Thule boxes always have anyway) Ready for Whitefish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobD Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 I've had a top box for a few years, but still haven't figured out how best to outfit it. Some kind of slot system, that would allow water to drain away from skis, and boards would be ideal, but versatile enough that you can carry different combinations of slope tools. I had thought that a solar powered fan would help keep things dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjvircks Posted January 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 So sorry Canuck, but gotta pass on this year's Shredd Fest. my Thule came with a pair of straps and interior tiedown points. I'll have at least a couple pair of skis and 4 boards for my wife and I. EDIT: I'm kind of frustrated with the big honkin' attach mechanism inside the box. It sure is convenient/quick to mount the box to the car-top rack, but those 4 gizmos sure make it tough to use the interior space effectively. I think I'd rather have simple band-clamps like on radiator hoses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davekempmeister Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Water inside? Am I lucky to never experience this? 8 years with a Thule evolution and never have had water inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.S.Dad Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Board bags, No problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big canuck Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 So sorry Canuck, but gotta pass on this year's Shredd Fest. my Thule came with a pair of straps and interior tiedown points. I'll have at least a couple pair of skis and 4 boards for my wife and I. EDIT: I'm kind of frustrated with the big honkin' attach mechanism inside the box. It sure is convenient/quick to mount the box to the car-top rack, but those 4 gizmos sure make it tough to use the interior space effectively. I think I'd rather have simple band-clamps like on radiator hoses. The dials for the claws are so convinient guy. I have an old Thule box that you needed 8 wing nuts and U bots to put the box on the top. Trust me they are WAY better. The old system SUCKED. Send you thoughts to Thule, try and sell them to em. You never know... Too bad on Whitefish. I'm hoping to have 3 or 4 more HB guys form Calgary comin. More beer for us I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjvircks Posted January 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Instead of WFT'11 on a snowboard I'm going to be attending a different "WTF'11" in Florida. A family of products I designed are spooling up for production at our facility in Melbourne, Florida. I'll be there for a week answering their "WTF are we supposed to do now?" For quick on/off the gizmo they've got is great, no doubt about that. I just wish is wasn't so tall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingnuts514 Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 If you have a small child you could throw him/her up there to hold the gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mellow Yellow Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 board bags... just remember to dry your boards when you get home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dano Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 Water inside? Am I lucky to never experience this? 8 years with a Thule evolution and never have had water inside. Liquid in roof box is from chucking gear in with ice and snow still stuck to it or the forgotten and then exploded PBR tallboys. Both will make edges rust in a hurry. I use an old yoga mat ( cut to size) with lots of holes punched in it between alpine boards/kids skis in my box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big canuck Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 board bags... just remember to dry your boards when you get home Absolutley critical. I forgot to take a stick out of a wet board sleeve once. Never happen again. Thanks god it wasn't too bad but holy crap was that a crappy realization Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davekempmeister Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 Liquid in roof box is from chucking gear in with ice and snow still stuck to it or the forgotten and then exploded PBR tallboys. Both will make edges rust in a hurry. I use an old yoga mat ( cut to size) with lots of holes punched in it between alpine boards/kids skis in my box. Okay, that I understand perfectly. I use something or another like a soaker mat myself. I mistakenly thought the roof box was infiltrated with water. I should have read more carefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 http://www.bomberonline.com/store/accessories/board_bag.cfm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinecure Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 I bought a giant roll of the non-slip stuff they use under rugs or in drawers from Costco. It is urethane or rubber or latex - not sure. It works great. It is non-slip, stays put, can be cut to any length, drains/dries easily and lasts a long time. It is an open weave so it doesn't matter if you leave a bunch of puddles - it will dry fine w/out mildew. Eventually the stuff hardens a little and I replace it (usually takes 2-3 years for this to happen). I have one layer on the bottom. If I were really anal I could put an extra piece in there to keep between layers of boards, but I find that one layer on the bottom keeps stuff from sliding around just fine. The stuff I'm talking about looks like the picture below. Except I get it in a neutral color. I've also put it in tool box drawers and kitchen cabinets before. Edit: found a better picture of what it looks like: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Donnelly Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=25352&highlight=pvc+pipe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobD Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=25352&highlight=pvc+pipe That's exactly what I'm looking to do. Thanks for finding the post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Donnelly Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 would like to see if Shawn has improved upon the original design. I could see tool dip on some of the interface areas . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjvircks Posted January 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Well, DUH !!! I just realized I've been walking right past a cheap suitable solution for the last 3 years. Along one back corridor at work there are several large recycling receptacles for various materials, sorted by type. One container has all sorts of packing materials like tough industrial bubble wrap, sheets of closed cell polyfoam of various firmnesses, foam blocks, etc. I do like the material Sinecure mentions... but the stuff I can scrounge is FREE! My first thoughts were to buy a couple sheets (if I could find) of the neoprene that diver's wet suits are made from with fabric on one or both sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawndoggy Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 would like to see if Shawn has improved upon the original design. I could see tool dip on some of the interface areas . . . LOL, no, no improvement on the original design, though I think doing it with wood might be a better idea for next time... the pvc wastes some vertical space in the box with the joints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!MaineCarver! Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I just bought a roof-top box. Now I wonder how folks keep their gear from getting mangled and beat up. I am thinking about a sheet of 1/4" thick closed cell neoprene foam to lay between stuff. I want a material that won't soak up and hold water. McMaster-Carr has some options for around $40. What do the rest of you guys do? Well I use to have a Yakima Rocket Box on my jeep and what we did was just put your boards and stuff in there, make sure that they are slightly secure, and last but not least try not to drive like a maniac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjvircks Posted January 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 last but not least try not to drive like a maniac. Yeah, right... like that's going to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp1 Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Brad, a buddy had a box that I outfitted with the foam you use in WW Kayaks (obviously waterproof, but not cheap). Cut slots for ski's / boards and drilled decent sized drainage holes for any water to run out, worked real nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!MaineCarver! Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Yeah, right... like that's going to happen. Yeah I know its tough but that would help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjvircks Posted January 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2011 Hey JP... that foam block approach sounds like a great 'purpose built' solution. I might have to do that with stuff I can scrounge from work. Our PC and workstation hardware deployment group is across the hall from my department and so there is a lot of packing foam in the recycling bins. I could build up blocks as needed. However... for now I need an approach that can handle anything and everything. This leads me to think that a few tough non-absorbing sheets thrown in between stuff may suffice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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