Introducing the Yakima CBX 16 Solar Cargo Box Car Roof Storage
We are still in the midst of summer, which means vacations are still in full swing. One of the things I wouldn't say I like when packing up the car for a weeklong excursion is the jamming of storage space within the vehicle itself. This is where a roof cargo box comes in handy, and for the sake of this article, I wanted to focus on this latest offering by Yakima. Yakima’s CBX 16 Solar Roof Box storage solution pulls double duty in that it will store your gear and provide additional power along the way.
It was just a matter of time before one of these companies thought to include solar panels in their design. The surface area is prime real estate on the top of the roof box in that it is always in view of the sun (Provided it isn’t a cloudy day).
The interior converter comes equipped with two USB ports to charge your devices.
So what kind of power will this solar setup produce? Plan on 36 Watts/5-volts which is ample for small gadgets. This is the perfect amount for phones, gaming devices, or small camping gear like LED lanterns. Portable batteries would benefit and could be charged during your trip and throughout the day.
Not to be outdone, but this roof box has a decent amount of storage space at 16 cubic feet.
The roof box can be opened from either the driver's or passenger's sides for easy access.
The overall weight of the Yakima CBX Solar Roof Box is 60 lbs, and it is best recommended to attach it to the roof with another person. If you are looking for the perfect set-up, in a previous article, I wrote about an ingenious way of easily reaching cargo placed on one's roof called the Droprack.
Final Thoughts:
You can expect to pay around $1500 for the Yakima CBX 16 Solar Roof Box car storage solution, which is no small amount. It is essential to say that buying this roof box will not solve everyone’s packing problems. If you are like my family, adding additional storage means bringing more on a trip. In this case, the rear and roof storage will both be filled as overpacking will still be a concern. Kudos to Yakima for including solar panels in their boxes. I can only imagine it is just a matter of time before other manufacturers start to follow suit!
