Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought this with some skepticism, having read other reviews that gave it low marks, and also having bought Thule products in the past and cursed them as I tried assembling and installing them, what with missing pieces and the like.
Happily, this box is fine.It does seem flimsy when you're assembling it, and it even seems that way when it's open on top of the car.It seems to be engineered to be as light as possible, which it is, and that can be unnerving until you get it fastened down and locked closed.
Assembly:It's awkward.It took two of us, me and my 2 year old!Seriously.It's a bit hairy for one person to get it right, since you have to match the hinges with the sides of the "clam shell", and their fit doesn't seem quite right until you tighten them up well.Still, it went OK, about 20 minutes for me to do, far better than a Thule roof racks I installed some years back, where I was dealing with bent and missing parts.If you do this alone, you need to brace it well at an angle as you hook the top and bottom together.Much easier with two people.
Installation:Dead easy on the factory roof rack.(We have a Pontiac Aztek.)THERE IS NO NEED TO BUY ADDITIONAL BRACKETS, though when viewing ads for this, you might think so at first glance.The package includes 4 U-brackets which attach to your roof racks and are held inside by hand-swivel bolts (whatever they're called).One thing I added while doing the installation was to put duct tape over the inside holes for the U-brackets.There are several holes in each sequence, and you only use two out of 4 or 5; the others are exposed.Covering with tape might help keep spray out.
Performance:Pretty good!We drove 2300 miles with this unit, of which about 300 were in driving rain.During the worst rain, we did have dampness and some droplets of water at the bottom front inside, but the gear was sitting up on ridges and was fine - bag in front was damp but not wet.If you have cloth bags that press to the very bottom, I'd put them in plastic if you'll be hitting heavy rain (and ours was VERY heavy, and at 70 mph driving speed).
We noticed an increase in wind noise at high speeds, and in our rough tests, it knocked about 2 mpg off our gas mileage at 75 mph, but on a 50 mph stretch of several hundred miles we couldn't tell a difference.
Removal takes literally five minutes. You undo (by hand) four pairs of swivel bolts, and lift it right off the roof.Reinstallation is about the same.
Overall, we're extremely happy with it and very glad we bought it.
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Product Description:
Perfectly suited to carrying everything from camping gear to golf clubs, the Thune 682 Sidekick rooftop cargo box makes a great cross-country companion. The Sidekick, which mounts directly to most removable and factory-installed roof racks, offers a convenient side-opening design that facilitates easy loading and unloading. It's also plenty spacious, with a total capacity of 8 cubic feet--enough for up to two sets of golf clubs or a bunch of camping gear. And thanks to the impact-resistant polyethylene construction, the Sidekick is built to last. A good-looking and functional addition to any vehicle, the Sidekick measures 54 by 15.5 by 25 inches (W x H x D) and assembles easily. Users should note that this cargo box is not One-Key System compatible.
What's in the Box?
Rooftop cargo box, master parts bag, small parts bag, mounting hardware, user's manual
About Thule
To say that Thule's beginnings in the U.S. were humble would be an understatement. Founding member Ake Skeppner sold products at windsurf competitions on the New England shoreline, exhibited the product line at a number of different trade shows, and even canvassed local retailers in the greater New York area, all from his "office"--a now-famous station wagon. Initial success was found in the small but growing sport of windsurfing where a strong, reliable roof rack was an indispensable piece of equipment. This was quickly followed by success in the ski business where Thule's Swedish heritage certainly helped the product gain rapid acceptance.
By the mid-1980s, the company sold products directly to ski and windsurfing shops but sold through distributors to address the large and growing bike business. A risky decision was made to terminate these distributor relationships and sell direct to retailers through a network of independent sales representatives. Much of the company's market success today can be traced to that decision. Shortly after, Ake hired an engineer and set up a small assembly plant in Elmsford, New York in order to design and manufacture bike carriers that would offer the features demanded by the U.S. consumer and compete effectively with other racks on the market.
The company has since grown rapidly through product innovation, a commitment to quality, and the continuance of a strong entrepreneurial spirit as well as continuing to evolve their products to meet the needs of users.
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