All You Need To Know About YAKIMA RocketBox Pro Compact Roof Cargo Box: Review

YAKIMA RocketBox Pro Compact Rooftop Cargo Box Review

There's no question that the YAKIMA Rocketbox Pro Compact has a series of fantastic cargo boxes in the lineup. But how do they fare in the real-life application? Here's a quick and thorough review of the particular cargo box and how it can help you with your travels.

YAKIMA RocketBox Pro's features

Its aerodynamic design can make your travel efficient when on the road. Furthermore, the mounting system is ideal for fast quips and easier installation to get you moving as soon as possible. Its compact size also helps with this, as you can install it on any car out there. If you're sporting a medium-sized to a large vehicle, this would fit without any problems.

The engineering team for YAKIMA did an excellent job with the shape of the cargo box. This is specially designed with a family car in mind like the SUV, trucks, or station wagons, which can barely be seen on sight when mounted. Whether you're sporting square or round bars, it's going to snug in there perfectly.

When you're traversing on the road, there's no need to worry about your things falling off. The compartment where storage is put is very secure through a dual-sided opening mechanism activated with a simple tap of a button. What makes this cargo box exceptionally secure is the SKS locking system that tightens up during rough travels.

How many things can you fit?

The YAKIMA Rocketbox Pro Cargo Box has different sizes: the 12, 14, and 16 models. They represent how much cubic feet volume they have for storage. The larger the number, the larger the cargo box. Even at 16 cubic feet, you're still expecting a compact design that won't detract your experience on the road.

For the 12 cubic feet volume model, you can take up to 30 pounds of weight quickly. The 14 models can carry up to 38 pounds of weight, and the 16 models can withstand a whopping 57 pounds of weight, which almost doubles the package.

Whatever you choose depends entirely on your needs. The price to value ratio of getting the 14 models is not ideal since the increase in capacity is incremental. So if you pack a lot of things with you, especially for the family, you're better off with the highest configuration. The 12 cubic feet volume cargo box is the perfect size for lone travelers since the 14 models only give you an additional 8 pounds of weight. If you need to carry anything beyond 30 cubic feet, you're better off with the most significant model, which has all the space you need for many things to pack into.

PART 1: The experience

To review this product correctly, we should first tell you how the experience went in using the YAKIMA Rocketbox Pro Compact. To make it easier for you to understand, here are the components we look for in a near-perfect experience:

The mounting

When mounting the YAKIMA Rocketbox Pro, it's surprisingly easy to do. Even at the higher configurations, the cargo box can be mounted by one person given the right tools. It's marketed that way, so there shouldn't be an ounce of doubt that the compactness of the cargo box is what sells this.

It's not the size that makes it easy to mount; it's the shape. The design of the YAKIMA cargo box gives you plenty of room for grippable surfaces, and that is merited on the bottom parts of the YAKIMA Rocketbox Pro, where some handles and contours allow you to hold and mount it on top of your car.

For trucks, it's also easy to mount as we tested this on a big truck, and for its scale, the mounting experience was quite lovely. Arguably, mounting cargo boxes is the most important thing to do since you rely on your installation to properly have it on top of your vehicle without risking it falling off.

The stability

We're glad to announce no rough shaking when on the road with the cargo box on. It's incredible how it's almost like there's nothing on top, to begin with, and the stress of thinking that the cargo box may fall off is long gone with the YAKIMA Rocketbox Pro.

Furthermore, its mechanical snap switches are apparent enough to let you know that you've opened it successfully when taking stuff out of it. The worst part about most cargo boxes is opening and closing the compartment to put things inside; you don't get a clear indication that it snapped perfectly, only to find out that your items are falling off on the road.

It's very stable during road trips, and there's no cause for concern whatsoever when it's placed on top of your vehicle.

The price

The most minor 12 configurations will cost you $469.00, which we admit is expensive. This is due to the material and the locking mechanism used, which should be your top priority in picking a cargo box. A cheap one will give insecurity to things that may fall off from your vehicle, and for buying a more affordable cargo box, you'll lose the intuitiveness that makes cargo boxes great, to begin with.

As stated before, it's best to pick either the 12 or 16 models because the 14 configurations don't give you enough value that a 12 can for so little difference in cubic feet volume. While the 16 is best for the most extensive package and versatility, the distribution has yet to transpire and is unavailable on YAKIMA's website and Amazon.

Comparison Table of the Thule SideKick Rooftop Cargo Box

Conclusion

The YAKIMA Rocketbox Pro Compact Rooftop Cargo is a unique cargo box that we recommend for all travel enthusiasts. There's no contention to its functionality, design philosophy, and stability, and the price more than warrants a purchase.

If you're looking into getting a cargo box and can spend a few dollars doing so, then we recommend this one a hundred and one percent for easy mounting, convenient on-the-road traveling, and storage purposes.