Are you heading on a ski trip? We understand transporting this sports equipment isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. They’re considerably long, making it challenging for most vehicles to store them. Because of this, many install a rooftop cargo carrier. But, before initially attaching it to your vehicle, it’s valuable to understand how to pack skis in a cargo box.
When packing skis in a rooftop cargo box, the primary consideration is the equipment itself. Therefore, you’ll want to ensure that these can be loaded and adequately tightened to avoid any movement during transportation.
The above explains a brief overview of packing skis in a cargo box. However, you must obtain various other pieces of information to ensure optimal safety. For a more comprehensive and in-depth guide about this, consider becoming knowledgeable on the below:
Packing Skis in A Cargo Box: Comprehensive Guide
Ski trips are undoubtedly exciting, and it’s a sport many participate in either competitively or leisurely. In some circumstances, winter resorts offer skis for hire. But there’s nothing better than your own pair of high-quality, well-fitted skis.
For this reason, many choose to purchase a personal pair. However, one primary problem with this; skis are difficult to transport without additional storage. That’s where cargo boxes come into play, and they do a remarkable job at providing that much-needed space for your skis. But, knowing how to pack them is essential. So, here’s what you need to know:
1. Double-check dimensions
Anyone that’s been skiing before will understand they can be significantly large. Although this highly depends on feet size and height, ski length ranges between 3.5 to 6.5 feet. Unquestionably, most traditionally-sized vehicles can’t cater to this.
But that’s the same problem with cargo boxes. Although some span upwards of 7 feet long, others are much shorter than this. Therefore, before embarking on your initial ski trip, measure the cargo box and guarantee it’s large enough to transport the skis.
If not, you’ll either need to purchase an entirely new cargo box or rent one. Other solutions you can try are ski cargo carriers like this one from Rhino. These are specially designed for skis and are a cheaper alternative to cargo boxes.
2. Purchase the essentials
After verifying the dimensions, you’ll need to make the following decision: stick with a cargo box or consider another storage unit. Whichever you think about will highly depend on the required capacity and rooftop box size.
If you need to explore alternative cargo carriers, there’s a bunch. Some of the options you can select consist of the following:
Whichever you choose is a highly effective option for transporting skis. However, if you decide to stick with a cargo box, there are a few pieces of additional equipment that you might want to consider.
You might want to think about two purchases to improve vehicle performance and storage safety. These are non-slip mats and tie-downs, as they can reduce movement, offering optimal performance.
3. Figure out all weight limits
Now you’ve purchased all the essential equipment to transport your beloved skis successfully; it’s time to figure out all weight limits. When checking these, it’s mandatory for all cargo-carrying methods, whether you have a roof, hitch, or window-mounted storage.
Assuming you’re sticking with a cargo box, you’ll want to discover the following weight limits: the cargo box and all additional fixings (crossbars, roof rails, etc.). By knowing these, you’ll determine whether you can transport the load safely.
Many bypass this, but it’s an essential part of traveling with your skis. Getting this incorrect could result in risks for your equipment, storage, vehicle, and other road users. Therefore, developing an understanding of this is mandatory.
It would be much safer if you approached this correctly. For example, if your cargo box has a capacity of 50 kg and your crossbars 45 kg, loading below the 45 kg crossbar limit is necessary. Because of this, don’t only consider cargo box capacity; the other fixings required to attach the storage unit to a vehicle will also need to be checked.
4. Start packing the cargo
Great, you have all the equipment needed and know the required weight limits. Now, it’s time to start packing the ski equipment and begin your holiday. To accomplish this safely and efficiently, you should implement the below guidance:
- Making the foundation – The foundations are essential in packing a safe and well-rounded cargo box. It’s the first layer of goods you’ll put into the rooftop box, so it’ll be the foundation of the cargo. With this, start with the heaviest items first, such as ski boots, coats, trousers, and other accessories. When doing this, rounding them up in duffle bags makes for a sturdier base.
- Load the skis – Next, you’ll want to load the skis above the other equipment. Undoubtedly, putting these above other items will reduce the chances of anything breaking during transportation.
- Use additional equipment – Before locking up the cargo box, consider using other equipment like non-slip mats and tie-downs. By layering the cargo box or skis with non-slip mats, it’ll provide an extra layer of protection and limit movement. With the tie-downs, it’ll reduce the possibilities of anything moving, ensuring optimal safety.
- Final checks – Lastly, check everything inside the box. Check everything has limited movement that won’t affect the vehicle’s performance or potentially break anything inside the storage unit.
After you’ve implemented the above, you can go ahead and complete the last step below before making the initial trip.
5. Complete final checks and travel
Before getting too excited about the ski trip, perform the following final checks. Undoubtedly, it’ll reduce the occurrence of any problems arising when traveling.
What you’ll want to check is the stability of the cargo. Evaluate the sturdiness of the ski equipment, the box itself (when closed), and any additional fixing equipment (including crossbars, roof rails, etc.). If any significant movement occurs, act on the problem accordingly.
Conclusion
After reading the above, you should have a solidified understanding of packing skis in a cargo rooftop box. Within the skiing community, it’s one of the preferred methods because they’re accessible, safe, and relatively straightforward to use.