Yakima – Skybox 16 Review – Because my Mazda CX-9 was too small

I made a bit of a mistake.  When looking for a car after having our third child, I thought that we would be able to pack all the kids up and store all of our gear for the vacation in our new 2010 Mazda CX-9.  How wrong I was.  After a few weeks with the car, I knew that I was in for it when it came time for vacation this summer.  Considering I could not return the car, I needed to come up with a different solution; thank goodness for Yakima, as they were able to come to my rescue with the Skybox 16. We would be able to make some vacations this year!

Since I have factory rails on the car, it seemed that this would be a pretty easy process to get the cargo box that I needed. Yakima’s website does a great job of helping you figure out exactly what you need. All that I needed was the Skybox itself, so once it arrived in a nicely packed, rather large box, it was time to get it on the car. I wanted to have a crack at putting it on the car myself even though my neighbors were all eager to help. At 5 foot 11 inches and a step stool, I was able to handle the Skybox and put it on top of the car with minimal effort. This was a big plus for me, as I wanted to make sure I could handle it myself. What is very nice is that the feet that will hook on to your crossbars are coated with rubber, allowing you to place it on the roof and adjust without worrying about scratches.

After it was securely on the car, I decided to open it from each side and found it to be very easy to open and look into. You will use one of the keys, and you can then open it from either side to add or remove what you want. I decided to leave it on top of the car for a few weeks and see how it affected driving. I am happy to report my wife forgot it was even there, and we had no issues on the highway or around town.  The box is sturdy and light, and if you read the label you’ll see it is made from 80% recycled material and has a limited lifetime warranty.  While we have the matte black, there are also two other colors which you can find on the website.

This is just the preliminary review on the install and first impressions of the Yakima Skybox 16. We will be using it on our trip to Busch Gardens in the next few weeks, where we will follow up and let you know how we did packing it up and using it on vacation.

This rooftop cargo box isn’t as long as the others, but still has 16 cubic feet of glorious cargo space. Thanks to the quick-installation hardware, the SkyBox 16 mounts onto your car rack system in a matter of seconds without any tools. It opens on either side, so you’ll never have to do laps around your vehicle to get your stuff. And it has a nice, low-key matte black finish. It’s certain to incite envy in neighbors, family members, friends, enemies, house pets and random strangers. So pick one up today, and start experiencing the feeling of gear-hauling satisfaction only owners of Yakima rooftop cargo boxes know.

The new lid is 50% stiffer than our other boxes, so it vibrates less and is easier to open and shut one-handed
New lid shape is easy to grab onto, even if you have particularly clumsy meathooks
Super Latch Security ensures your lid is secure to its base, and your stuff is safer than Fort Knox
Quick-installation mounting hardware fits car rack systems with round, square and most factory crossbars.
New aerodynamic shape reduces wind drag
Fits crossbar spreads as short as 24”
Integrated track system for accessories like a cargo net or base pad
SKS locks included standard
Matte, stealth anti-scratch finish
16 cubic feet (81” x 36” x 15”)

You can also check out the Yakima website for more information.  Please note that the Skybox was provided for review by Yakima.