SkyBox Lo Carbonite

We purchased a 2019 Honda CR-V and I didn’t want 8 pairs of skis and poles tossed in my new car by two teenagers. I also wanted to park my new car in the garage, so the Skybox Lo was the way to go. With a 7’ garage door opening, I have a few inches to spare and the kids can open the box inside the garage as well. My tailgate doesn’t open all the way, but enough to stick in backpacks and boots. (My husband wouldn’t agree, but he’s larger.). My kids can fit two of the largest Nordic ski bags along with my single bag. My son can reach inside well enough, my daughter and I use a small step stool I keep in the car. It looks slick and only takes a few miles off my mpg. Easy on and off when needed with help. No noise except for a squeaking I’m looking into when we hit any bumps. This only happened recently. Happy with my purchase so far (1.5 months).

We purchased a 2019 Honda CR-V and I didn’t want 8 pairs of skis and poles tossed in my new car by two teenagers. I also wanted to park my new car in the garage, so the Skybox Lo was the way to go. With a 7’ garage door opening, I have a few inches to spare and the kids can open the box inside the garage as well. My tailgate doesn’t open all the way, but enough to stick in backpacks and boots. (My husband wouldn’t agree, but he’s larger.). My kids can fit two of the largest Nordic ski bags along with my single bag. My son can reach inside well enough, my daughter and I use a small step stool I keep in the car. It looks slick and only takes a few miles off my mpg. Easy on and off when needed with help. No noise except for a squeaking I’m looking into when we hit any bumps. This only happened recently. Happy with my purchase so far (1.5 months).

Neat box for long skis, but like others mention, it hits rear tail light on 2011 Subaru Outback when lift gate is raised. No damage yet but scary squeaking sound. The attachment points inside the box slide up and back to adjust, but the front set max's out, leaving too much butt-end hanging off back and thus hitting gate.

Great looking box! Sleek and low profile so it looks good enough to keep on year round. Fits the fatty powder skis (193cm) no problem. CAREFUL WITH THE KEY AND THE LATCHES. Second time I used the key, opening the latch snapped the tip of the key off in the lock. I still have not gotten it removed and cannot open it from the passenger side now... When using, press downward on the box at the latch to remove the pressure as you release, and make sure the key is in full unlock position. Such a bummer, as no complaints otherwise. Some people dislike the clamp mechanism..best on oblong style cross bars, little noisy on the round bars. Fixed noise with some padding around bar where it clamps.

We have a 2012 BMW X5 35d as our "Ski Machine" and had previously used a hitch-mounted ski rack. The Carbonite LoPro has been PERFECT for our needs. We have used it to carry as many as 5 pairs of skis (longest was 192cm) and an assortment of other gear as well over the past two years of ski racing. It does a great job of protecting the skis and can be opened from either side of the vehicle which became a CRITICAL feature on a recent trip in which the lock on one side became frozen solid with no option of opening due to snow, sleet & rain caking that one side during a 5 hour trip to the mountain. The other side was no issue and we were able to remove the skis with no problem. Mounting on the BMW was super simple using the Thule Aerobars. The wind noise is minimal as is the impact on fuel efficiency loosing only around 1MPG over an average 5 hour trip (24.8 MPG with vs. 25.8MPG without)

Purchased this box for my 2015 4Runner. Wanted a box that I could keep on the vehicle and still park in my garage. My garage door is a standard 7’ garage door. With this box on I have about 1/2” of room while entering exiting garage. Before purchasing I tried a Thule low profile box and due to design and Toyota’s extremely low factory crossbars the Thules would hit the roof of vehicle. The Carbonite Low’s design on bottom keeps more of a space between vehicles roof and bottom of box. Overall excellent box and has a great sleek look for those who care about the look on vehicle. Great price and warranty compared to other manufacturers.

2014 Subaru Forester - Touring XT After much research and measuring and reading and measuring again and again and again I pulled the trigger and purchased a Yakima Skybox Lo for my 2014 Subaru Forester - Touring XT. Why the Skybox Lo? Because it will fit in the garage while on top of my car. Because I can open the Skybox Lo in my garage and load it without having to move the car outside. Because I can fully open the rear hatch with the Skybox Lo on the car. Because 15 cubic feet of space on the roof is a very big attic for any car. Suggestions for installation: Move the front crossbar as far forward as possible. Put the Skybox Lo on top of the front crossbar and slide the front clamps as far backward as possible inside the box, this will move the box forward giving you the clearance to open the rear hatch fully. Now loosely clamp the front of the box in place. Now loosen the rear crossbar and slide it forward to meet the rear clamps or slide the rear clamp to meet the crossbar. I had to move both the clamps and the rear cross bar. On my Forester, the distance between the center of the front crossbar to the center of the rear crossbar is 32 and one-half inches. This allows the Skybox to sit neatly in the center of the roof with just a bit of overhang on the front of the vehicle which allows the rear hatch to open fully and my 5-foot 11-inch self can walk underneath without banging my head. Even though there is some overhang above the windshield I cannot see the Skybox Lo when driving and it has no effect or impact on the EyeSight dynamic cruise control system. With the skybox clamps still loose you can center the box on the roof rack, then tighten all the clamps so the Skybox Lo will not move and you are ready to start inserting equipment for your next adventure. After a few months of driving on both highway and local roads I can honestly say having the Skybox Lo on the roof makes zero difference to the way the Forester handles, accelerates, brakes, and I see no significant changes to the gas mileage. Took a long highway trip the other day, obeyed all the posted speed limit signs, used EyeSight constantly and averaged 32MPG during the trip. Yes, I primarily drive in the right lane and my wife often refers to me as captain slow. Tools needed for installation: One very small allen-wrench to loosen the clamps on the Subaru cross bars which came with the vehicle. A small bit of muscle to lift the Skybox Lo onto the Foresters roof and a bit of patience while moving things around to find the perfect mounting points.

I purchased for my Audi Q5 so j would have extra room with putting my dogs in back. Just purchased a new BMW X1 and also fits great. I would make sure whoever is purchasing has a rear gate that is adjustable, that seems to be the trick. Both the Audi and BMW did, that helped.

When I ordered online, I checked the Yakima website and it affirmed the Skybox Lo would fit my 2016 Outback. It is over 9 feet long and the rear hatch won't go all the way up. The biggest challenge was installation. The cam locks that fit on the cross bars are very awkward to tighten and close. When I turned the handle too far, both cams fell out. It is then very difficult to line up the cam and put everything back together. It took well over an hour to secure it to the vehicle. A poor design with lots of plastic materials. I would take it back, but I waited a month for delivery and must leave tomorrow to get all the presents to the grandkids.

I'm giving this 4 stars, because it is a nice cargo box, but not for our needs. We bought this for our new Toyota Sequoia, thinking we could get by with a lower profile box. But this does not hold my husbands 215 xc skis with out putting them in 1 specific location. His 187 powder skis took up all the 'usable' length in the box. The braces that allow the lid to open on both sides get in the way. Also the combination of tapering of the lid and the quick release mechanism in the bottom it doesn't really have much room for our alpine skis, maybe our 4 pair, but if friends are along there won't be room for their skis. This is going back to REI in the morning. I think we will hang on to our old Load Ranger a few more years.