That would certainly be my concern with getting one of the big storage containers.

 

The Mini crossbars are Thule Aero bars, so all those accessories will work. I have roof rails and bought the Mini Crossbars. The Thule racks and Yakima racks will work with the Roof Rails. I just went with the Mini crossbars for aesthetic reasons. I think you can go with wider crossbars via the outside setups but you should be able to get the setups to work for you..

 

This is the box I use. Very usefull, with 2 kids. Camping, Chrismass away from home, skying. Even some trips to Costco...

http://www.cargotek.ca

 

One of the fundamental axiom's of transportation is that you tend to utilize the available cubic space before you exceed the weight. (Cube out before your weigh out). A 16 ft3 box would have to be loaded with "stuff" at 10 lbs pr ft3 to exceed the roof bar weight limit.

 

So here's my dilemna We got rid of our Explorer and now have not one, but two Mini's. I just bought a standup paddleboard....basically a 12 foot long surfboard. I'd occasionally like to carry it, but don't want to permanently mar the roof of the R56 or drill any holes. Haven't tried it yet, but I may be able to lower the roof on the cabrio, rear back the passenger seat, and stick it in there.

I haven't looked at all the options yet.

Any longboard surfers out there?

 

HeyCap'n Bill, I ride long and short boards, but I got Roof Rails on my Clubman. But, I have seen a MiniR56 with a longboard attached with a soft rack..meaning one with straps. Also you may want to see if a regular set of rigid racks would make the spread from side to side. I know with my 4Runner, I found a set of racks that worked with a gutterless roof.. Good Luck and Keep Motorin' and Glidin'

 

Kin - not sure if you've got an answer to your question yet... I have the roof rails and Mini crossbars installed on my '09 Clubman. Just today I went to the local rack outfitter and tested the Atlantis 1600. It fits perfectly...the clamps on the bottom of the Atlantis needed 26.5" width and that is exactly the max that the rails and crossbars provides. We locked it down, it fit great, and looked nice and balanced (no overhangs, etc). The installer just took the Atlantis off the shelf and put it on my car, there was no kit needed.

I'm going to purchase the Atlantis 1600 as soon as I can sell my brand-new MINI rooftop storage box - at 12 cubic-feet its just not big enough for our camping needs.

 

More roof box photos (Thule Atlantis 1200):

 

I finally got it set up. Thanks for the replies. Here are some pics. You can't tell in the pics but there is about an inch of space between the antenna and the cargo box.

 

I have a question regarding these cargo racks. Apart from being hard cover, what's the draw compared to the canvas(?)/soft covering roof top bags by Thule. They're heck alot cheaper and are pretty close in space.

 

IZZG - it all depends on what you want to fit in there. For me, it's skying with the kids all week-ends. And I don't think you can get Canvas bags as big as a cargo box, can you?

1. Lockable
2. Waterproof
3. Longer items fit in there
4. More aerodynamic (less wind resistance)

And a question for KWW5. With the OEM bars and rack, the top of your bars weems to bee sitting higher than the OEM Mini rack I have. Can you mesure from the roof (between the "dunes") to the top of your load bars (holding the box), please?

Thanks

 

MyroMini,
rear, distance from roof to bottom of the cross bar = 3 1/8 inches
front, distance from roof to bottom of the cross bar = 3 7/8 inches
front, distance from roof to bottom of the cross bar (including the rubber lip thingy) - 3 3/4 inches.

Sorry, I didn't read the request carefully before going to the car. If you would still like the measurement to the TOP of the cross bar, I'll look at that tonight.

 

You can get some canvas bags at around 15 cubic feet-which is comparable to some of the boxes, and they come with locks. I can definitely understand the other features though. I'm just trying to fit cargo and one bike on the roof so looking at all options(the weight would never touch a hundred pounds total)

 

you can get a long a narrow box then, and fit the bike besides it

 

this is the perfect size and i searched for "thule atlantis 1600" and found several things that sort of match that search.

why are there many options that say thule #### atlantis 1600?

like:
thule 686 atlantis 1600
thule 686B atlantis 1600

whats the difference?

thanks! and sorry for the ignorance.
-bryan.

 

then i found one vendor just selling a plain old "thule atlantis 1600" with no number between "thule" and "advantis" - is this the one?

http://store.mpgear.com/thuleatlantis1600-freeship.aspx

thanks!

-bryan.

 

I believe the Atlantis 1600 comes in 2 colors, silver and black, the 686B, could be the black version? I have the 1600 black, fits perfect and use it for BJs Wholesale, Transfer Station (aka Dump) and Home Depot runs.

 

Yes, the 686 is the silver one. The 686B is the black one. Bryan, the link you sent is for the Atlantis 1600 silver one.

 

Jameszimo,

could we somehow get a side-shot on the 1200 to see how much it overhangs the front windshield?

Thanks

 

As requested, a profile shot of the Thule Atlantis 1200:

 

It looks very nice! Which one is this? The Atlantis 1600 or the 2100?

 

Jameszimo,

Thanks alot for the picture, I think this seals the deal for me. I want to be able to get at least on thule bike tray on the OEM rack as well. Im planning on using the box for skis, snowboards, camping, cycle support stuff, and luggage... it seems it will do this well but still allow me to get at least one bike on the roof...

what do you think about the 1200 so far?

 

hobbs4002,

I've only been using the 1200 since early Jan, but it works well so far. During a recent long weekend I was able to get all of our luggage up in the box and save the Clubby boot for the stroller... We have 2 small children that accompany us everywhere we go . (On other occasions I've also been able to fit the stroller up in the box as well with some room to spare).

The only other activity I've used it for so far is Costco runs! Hope this helps.

 

We were on our way to REI to pick up a Thule Ascent 1600 for the Clubman, and decided to stop by our storage unit to see if the Skybox 16 would fit. I'm glad we did:


I'll need to put a shorter antenna on, but the fit is darn near perfect. We have the OEM roof rails and cross bars installed, and the Skybox's front adjusters are at their limit. The back ones can move about 6 inches or so toward the back. Our crossbars are spaced at the recommended distance, per OEM instructions, which I 'think' is 75cm (~29.5").

I'll get more pictures when we mount it and bring it home, in another 2 weeks or so.

-Jim

 

I ended up with an Thule 1800 XT as wanted a box long enough for cross country skis. The 1600 was a more perfect fit for the car, and was the nicest aesthetically, but i think this looks great. I could move the front cross bar a wee bit closer to the front but the rack guys suggest this is more aerodynamic.

Silver was a perfect match for the mini silver and looked so fab that the rack guys took photos. I did have to take off the attennna for this long a box.

Anyone who actually wants a roof rack ever for your mini should get the factory roof rails option on a new clubman, the other options are a nightmare, and these things are great. I could fit tons and tons of different options to my car. I sea-kayak and the rails allow a pretty big spread between the cross bars, which is essential with the longer boats i use.

I went for aftermarket Thule aerobars. Why?? Just cause they were pretty and Thule is easier to remove than the Yakima system. Thule boxes were much more attractive, and a much easier system to put on the car.

I am trying to attach a picture if anyone is interested.