Needless to say between work and play I am on the road a lot. I've had my mini for almost a month, and already have 2800 miles on it. Between traveling with my wife, dog, bike, and luggage, I am having a hard time with space.

I have done search after search and have read a lot about thule vs. yakima vs. oem rack, and haven't really come up with a conclusion with which way to go. I think I have it narrowed down between the mini rack and a thule rack, but I had a few questions.

Does the Thule rack that fits the mini fit into the door, or does it clip onto the rain gutter type thing? Do you think that the Thule rack would be stronger than the mini rack?

Has anyone tried a Thule box on top of their car? I am thinking about going with a Thule Ascent 1600, but I didn't know if that would even work with the mini rack, or if the thule rack would be strong enough on this car to handle a luggage box on top of the vehicle.

Any help would be appreciated. You guys are great!

 

I had the same problem as well. I did try to install the OEM rack with one other guy and it was a pain in the a$$. I did a lot of research on how to install and it was not working. So I ended up getting the Thule and it was a snap to put on and to take off. The load capacity for the the OEM is 150lb and the Thule is about half that. The Thule uses the gutter and I have put 2 FSR mountain bikes on it is fine. I haven't tried the cargo box but will try if I go on a long trip. Hope this helps.

 

I have the OEM rack and a Thule Cascade XT (1500). Works great, easy on and off the rack. OEM capacity was 180 when I purchased mine and I have not had issues putting it on and off the Mini. You can just leave the rack on, if for some reason you have difficulty with it, many people have commented how good it looks. Generally, I take it off unless I have a trip coming up. The OEM rack is very secure and actually mounts into slots in the roof in such a way that nothing touches the paint. When you consider the weight of a cargo box and then what you are going to put in it, really the OEM one is the only practical way to go. Hope this helps.

 

Do you feel like the 1500 is a good size? Does anyone have any pictures with their luggage box on top of the car?

 

I like the 1500 size, it fits on the Mini roof well without hanging over the front very much. I've put an amazing amount of stuff in it, so for me it's plenty of room. You will have to replace your antenna with a shorty, I went with the Alta one and it works fine.

Here's some pics:

 

That looks great on the car! I think that is what I will do then. The OEM rack with a Thule box. Thanks so much for the help and the pictures. And I do believe I see a Mountain Hardwear tent in the background in the second picture, great choice!

 

No problem!

You have a good eye on the tent, it is in fact a Mountain Hardware Haven 3.

-Dave

 

Not to divert this thread too much, but has anyone determined which cargo box (whether Yakima, Thule, or someone else) would best contain two standard sized carry-on suitcases? It would be nice to get them out of the boot when my wife and I travel. TIA

 

I thought it was a Haven... I also have the Haven 3, and actually the Haven 2 as well... MHW makes my favorite tents...

Back to the box.

Would the 1500 size be able to handle a couple of snowboards? What about 2 sets of golf clubs? Thanks.

-Jeremiah

 

The 1500 could hold about 4 carry-on suitcases, with some room to spare.

 

No question, MWH makes great stuff

I think you would be ok with either a couple snowboards or 2 sets of golf clubs. The box is 69 x 16.5 x 32 inches.

 

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but having done a bunch of searches, I can't seem to find what I am looking for. At one point I read something about a place that gives NAM members a 20% discount. I would like to by the factory rack, and at one point I had saved a place in my bookmarks, but can't seem to find it. Can someone point me in the right direction? Thanks.