Thule Mountain Bike Carriers
Thule’s Sidekick – the leading compact car-roof cargo box
The Thule 682 Sidekick is the leading compact car-roof box, and also the smallest that Thule makes. So why would someone want to buy the Thule Sidekick when it offers so little space as compared to some of the huge cargo boxes available from Thule?
Well, simply-put, not everybody has a monster-sized car to put the Sidekick on, not everybody has monster-sized amounts of luggage to transport, and not everybody has a monster-sized budget either!
Or to put it another way, the Thule Sidekick is the cargo carrier for you if you have a small to medium-sized car, you don’t have more than a couple of hundred dollars or so to spend on a cargo carrier and you are just looking to take a little bit more baggage with you than your car trunk provides.
The Sidekick’s modest dimensions, at 54 x 25 x 15.5in, make it perfect for fitting in your camping gear, or perhaps a couple of bags or suitcases, without adding massive bulk to your roof or causing unnecessary drag and increased fuel consumption.
It is very light at 16lb and so can usually be installed by one person – great if you are a solo wilderness type and do not want to have to ask someone else for help!
The Sidekick might be compact, but it still sports that great, distinctive Thule look that has made the brand such a success.
It wouldn’t be right to review the Thule Sidekick without mentioning a couple of possible downsides: a minority of users have reported difficulty in installing the Sidekick without an extra pair of hands, and a few have also mentioned that a little damp can enter the box in extremely wet conditions. However, it seems that both issues can be easily resolved with careful initial installation.
On balance, a couple of small gripes cannot detract from an outstanding compact cargo box such as the Thule Sidekick. With buyers on one major retail site giving it an average vote of 4 out of 5, and reviews on another major site averaging 4.5 out of 5, it is clear that you cannot go too far wrong with the Thule 682 Sidekick on your roof.
The author is a keen outdoors enthusiast and traveller and blogs about camping and mountain-biking in his spare time. He thinks he has found the lowest-priced Thule Sidekick anywhere: have a look!
About the Author
Grab the Thule Sidekick here – with a coupon code that will get you the lowest price anywhere!
Thule Racks – Cycling commercial by Nathan Avila.
