12 Best Thule Roof Racks and Carrier Systems – Great Models from a Leading Brand (Fall 2023)

Our editor’s choice for this list of roof racks is the Thule AeroBlade Edge Flush Mount Rack. This is an attractive piece of kit, it’s constructed from aircraft grade aluminum making it a strong and durable choice. The is 47” long by 6” wide with an overall depth of 4” when measured at the deepest point on the rack. There is a tapered edge to direct the air across the Aeroblade when driving and this cuts down on that annoying whistling noise that roof racks produce. The Aeroblade Edge weighs a modest 6 lbs and this lightweight construction makes it easy to move into position. An attractive powder coated finish keeps this roof rack looking great and it makes the frame abrasion resistant.

This is a great option for those who don’t want to deal with complicated assembly. This roof rack has the foot is already in-place at the ends. The rack is essentially already a complete unit when you take it out of the box. The towers were already attached and locked into position which can be handy but we found them easy to remove if you don’t need them immediately.

Why are we impressed?
• We really appreciated the additional spare key that arrived with the Aeroblade Edge because you never know when you might need an extra key.

What negatives must you be aware of?
• One thing we didn’t like about the Aeroblade Edge was that you need to purchase the mounting kit separately. This can be annoying when you want to get up and running quickly and some people may miss this crucial detail. We also discovered that you need a pair of mounting kits for the Aeroblade Flush unless you’re planning to strap something to one crossbar which seems unlikely. Another annoyance was the close fit to the roof which will prevent you from opening a tilting sunroof if you have one. It’s also really important to take careful measurements before buying because there are three different Aeroblade Edge flush mounting roof rack sizes available.

The Thule Pulse Rooftop Cargo Box is a functional and plain unit that you can use to haul your stuff safely. Although you don’t get some of the extra features found on more premium products this is still a great choice for those on a strict budget or with simpler cargo requirements. This cargo box is easy to install or remove and you can fit a surprising amount of stuff inside without cramping the contents. This cargo box is covered with an attractive matte textured finish that does a pretty good job at hiding abrasion marks than the high-gloss finish found on some premium offerings.

This is another Thule product for those looking for easy installation. The cargo box is easy to install, on the first attempt it took under 10 minutes, but we got that down to around 5 minutes after a few practice tries. The only tricky part was lifting the cargo box into position and this would be more relevant on a tall vehicle.  The installation process is tool-free and this 16 cu feet capacity box weighs 36 lbs which means you may need two people to lift it safely.

What are its best features?
• One of the standout features of this Thule cargo box for us was the one-key system compatibility system. This innovative feature allowed us to use a single key to access multiple cargo carriers. Although we had to order a separate set of lock cores to use this system we found it well worth the extra expense and this is especially true if you own a lot of Thule accessories.

What could be improved?
• We are not fans of the clamps found on this cargo box and they are a step down from those found on the top-tier units. These clamps don’t have an indicator and this makes it harder to know if the clamps are tightened up sufficiently for travelling. The premium grade Thule clamps have a satisfying “click” when the torque is applied and it would have been nice to see them on this product. We found this cargo carrier harder to open and close because the handle is only a small molded protrusion and it’s hard to grip.

This Thule ski roof rack has the appearance of a big stapler but it’s an effective carrier for your skis and snowboards. The rack mounts directly onto the crossbars which are a separate purchase and you have sufficient space to add a cargo box if you need one. The Thule Snowpack has a hinge along one side where you slide your skis or snowboards into place. Then you lock a top bar down to keep them secure during transit and the rubber coated clamps prevent scratches and abrasions. This roof rack is available in black or an attractive aluminum color.

This rack has obviously been designed for the serious ski enthusiast. Thule have added a set of extension feet that you can slot on the bottom of the Snowpack to raise the clamp height which was helpful because we needed more clearance for our skis. We managed to load six pairs of skis or four snowboards on this 29.5” rack and it only weighs 7.56 lbs when empty!

Why did it make our list?
• One of our favorite features is the vertical spring that is integrated into the Snowpack roof rack. This closes the rack over even a thicker snowboard easily. If you have one of the thinner snowboard models you can still get a great clamp with no gaps and this also prevents that annoying whistling roof rack noise when driving. We found this clamp easy to open and close even when wearing thick ski gloves because the button is large and accessible.

What is not ideal about it?
• One of the annoying aspects of the Snowpack is that you need the Thule crossbars that have a built-in “T track”. If you already have standard crossbars they simply won’t work with this rack and that means you need to factor this extra purchase into your budget. Once we had the right crossbars everything slotted together easily but we had to do extra research to avoid making a mistake.

The Thule Canyon XT Cargo Basket is certainly a step up from the standard model. The basket is more stylish, but it’s more practical too and it has some useful extra features that justify the higher purchasing price. The XT has a curve at the back and sides that is designed to keep your items more secure inside the main basket area. As an added bonus this improves the aerodynamics for a better driving experience and improved fuel economy. The clamping mechanism is the same as the Canyon cargo basket and it fits easily to most roof rails and crossbars. This mechanism even works if you’re not using Thule roof rack crossbars on your vehicle.

This is the roof rack for you if you’re into aesthetics. We were really impressed with the looks of this stylish carrier. The black and silver finish blend together to create an elegant look. The base of this carrier is flat and there are wide rubber padded support beams to distribute the weight.

What makes it special?
• What we liked about this rack is the flexibility. We found that this system combined with the cargo nets worked very well and items don’t tend to move around much. You can choose between a medium (53” L x 35.5 W x 10” H) or large (63” L x 39.5” W x 10” H) and both have a weight capacity of up to 165 lbs. We found that you need a minimum crossbar spread of 23.6” up to a maximum of 48” to fit this Thule roof rack safely.

What cons did we find?
• One of the things that we didn't like is that the locking mechanisms are sold separately. Also, this is one of the Thule roof rack systems that doesn’t come fully assembled and the instructions had no images or illustrations to follow. This led to some head scratching and confusion when we put this cargo box together for the first time.

The Thule Aeroblade Edge Raised Rail Roof Rack System is another offering in this series that is similar in some ways to the Edge Flush. It’s also constructed from aircraft grade aluminum which makes it strong, light and durable.  The bar (47” L x 5” W x 3” D) has a smaller profile and yet it can still support a weight up to 250 lbs. Of course, you need to check the maximum load rate for your roof first and there are small, medium and large variants available. These bars come in black or silver colors, they have an integrated locking mechanism and it’s easy to secure them with the mounting kit.

This roof rack is designed for owners of vehicles with raised rails. This system is designed for vehicles with raised rails but Thule further improved the aerodynamics with wind diffuser technology. We found that we noticed virtually no difference in the fuel consumption figures even when the system was loaded to capacity. Thule sells this as a single item, we found this strange at first, but the reasoning for this decision is pretty clever. Many cars have a contoured roof, which means that the height and width can change dramatically across the length of the vehicle. For this reason, we needed a flush and a separate raised mount to make the loading space even for a carrier.

What are our favorite features?
• One of the features that we really appreciated about this product is that the roof rack has an integrated foot. The bar and the foot are merged together which really cut down the drag and wind resistance to tolerable levels.

What could be better?
• What we found disappointing is that we had to purchase a separate lock and key from Thule to make this system secure and the price was higher than we expected. Also, the clearance level is pretty low and if you have a tilt turn sunroof it probably won’t work with this rack system.

The Thule Hull-a-Port XT Rooftop Kayak Carrier is a cleverly designed product that can carry up one or two kayas safely. If you want to transport a single kayak use the basic J-cradle and if you want to haul another it converts into a stacker system. The carrier has a lever that you use to fold the cradle down flat when it’s not in use. This simple design feature makes this carrier an ideal product for people that want to kayak at the weekend. You can mount this to a square bar or a Thule Aeroblade Edge as needed but it won’t fit a round bar.

This rack is designed for those looking for a product with easy mounting. We found this carrier easy to mount on our crossbars and it can be placed in a side or centrally located position. Once you have them in the ideal spot you can pull the lever to clamp the rack to your crossbars.

What do we love it for?
• We like the rubber lined clamps because they have excellent grip and they prevent scratches and abrasions on the surface of your kayaks. Thule have included some loading straps to secure the kayaks and they even have bow and stern tie-downs to prevent lateral movement in-transit. Another great aspect of this design is that you can mount this carrier on any crossbar up to 80mm wide if they are not round.

What were we disappointed with?
• One downside is that we did get two cradles included in the pack, but no locking mechanisms were supplied and had to purchase them separately. We also needed to get an additional lock and chain to wrap around the kayaks to protect them from being stolen.

The Thule Evo Flush Rail Foot Pack is a useful set of four load carrying feet for the Evo roof rack system. These feet are easy to install on a vehicle with flush railings and they are secured with the Thule One-Key locks. The maximum load weight is set at 165 lbs but you must make sure you know the capacity of your vehicle roof. These fit the following Thule systems, they are: Aeroblade, SquareBar, ProBar and the WingBar Evo.

This product is aimed at those who find roof rack noise annoying. This system is really quiet when driving and even at 75 mph we could barely hear any wind noise at all! Although the fitting process was fairly easy it was a fiddly process overall. We had problems centering the bars and tightening them down but the worst was yet to come. This system uses some small end caps to make the rails look better but we found them tricky to install. A small rubber mallet is included for this task, but the caps kept falling out and it took several attempts to get them all in-place securely. However, once installed,  we had a quarter inch of clearance space between the rack and roof which allowed us to use our sunroof too. Thule has a great tutorial to follow when assembling this product to make the process easier.

Why are we impressed?
• We really liked the ergonomic design of the torque limiter key which indicated that the roof rack was correctly secured to our vehicle. This foot installed on our flush railings easily and it really feels like a high quality product.

What negatives must you be aware of?
• What we didn’t like is the additional purchases. It’s a common complaint with Thule products but we really resented buying the One-Key lock separately. They are pretty expensive and they really should be included in the price or some kind of bundle deal would be a fair compromise.

This is our budget pick because we believe that the ProRide XT Roof Bike Rack delivers a lot of functionality for a modest investment. Essentially, this is a universal upright bike rack carrier where you can secure your bike for transport. It’s easy to mount your bike with the torque limiter dial and the soft claw pads prevent abrasions. Thule have added some well designed wheel holders to provide extra stability and diagonal straps make the bike secure. The entire interface is tool free and it’s easy to switch the carrier side across the width of the vehicle as needed. This carrier can support a bike up to 44 lbs in weight but you need to check the maximum capacity for the roof of your vehicle.

This product is best suited to those who have the physical capability for trickier loading and unloading. We found the loading and unloading to be somewhat awkward because even with the extenders we still had to tilt the bike a little. If the bike is kept upright we found it harder to move safely and the wheel strap releases were facing away from us. This was partially our fault because you can flip the carrier in the opposite direction to make this process simpler. But, this should have been clearer in the instructions that came with this product.

What makes it special?
• There are some XT Roof Bike Rack features that we really appreciated as we became more familiar with the system. First, the lower jaw on the claw that holds the bike in-place has an extension that makes it easier to load and unload the bike. We really liked the soft claw pads because they adapted to a few different bikes we tried and the pressure they exerted seemed to be consistently even. These types of features make a big difference when you want to minimize the potential for damage to a bike in transit.

What cons did we find?
• Unfortunately, again, we didn’t think it was fair that we had to buy the two lock cylinders needed to keep the bike secure as a separate purchase.

The Thule compass Kayak and SUP Carrier is a stylish and easy to use rack system. It can carry one or two kayaks safely and the soft rubber padding protects the canoes from damage in-transit. A single kayak can be carried in a J-style or saddle mode and a second kayak can be added in stacker mode or a pair can be carried in the saddle configuration. The impressive flexibility of design is simple to use and you can strap the kayaks down with a pair of “StrapCatch ” straps that are fitted with “BuckleBumpers” to tie-down the bow and stern to prevent lateral movement.

This is a great option for those who want to transport larger kayaks. We found that this rack will accommodate a wider kayak up to 36” wide and it can support a maximum weight of up to 130 lbs. Both the saddles and uprights are padded with thick rubber and they will offer plenty of protection against scrapes, dents, and other abrasions.

What makes it stand out?
• We really enjoyed using this kayak roof rack for both kayaks and paddleboards. The rack folded flat when it wasn’t needed and this made it an ideal choice for people that use their kayaks regularly at the weekends.

Which disadvantages must you keep in mind?
• We didn’t like the lack of a locking option and the clamps are not well suited to some crossbars. The universal clamps supplied with our rack didn’t seem to fill well with an irregular shaped crossbar to our satisfaction. This seems strange when you consider that this rack has a premium price. We found no way to fit the clamps to a non-consistently shaped crossbar and this led to the knobs loosening over time. Users with standard shaped crossbars may fare better or a separate purchase of Thule crossbars may help.

The Thule FastRide Roof Mounted Bike Rack is a versatile carrier for fork mounted bikes designed for quick-release and thru-axle bikes. It’s ready to use right out of the box and it will fit most thru-axle bikes. Thule have used their AcuTight torque limiter on this design to ensure that you always know the exact amount of torque required to secure the bike in-place. The rear wheel holder is fully adjustable and the rim protector prevents damage to the rims. In the wheel tray you will find an integrated steel cable lock to weave through and around the frame for extra security.

This is a product that is designed for the more experienced roof rack user. We found this rack easy to install and it can be fitted to either side of your car roof. We had no problem fitting this rack to our existing Thule system but it should fit other systems and even round crossbars with no problems. However, we didn’t like the instructions that came with this product and the online video version wasn’t much better.

What makes it special?
• We liked the support for securing bikes with disc brakes which we don’t tend to see on many products of this type. If you have a more expensive carbon frame bike this rack will protect your forks in-transit.

What cons did we find?
• Where there is room for improvement is in the additional components. The overall quality of the frame is good, but Thule really should have included the thru-axle adaptor as standard at this price. The steel cable lock cores are sold separately and they are an expensive purchase to supplement a product that’s already expensive. It will fit a thru-axle bike at 9mm captive,12x100mm, 12x110mm, 15x100mm and 15x110mm, but the adaptors are sold separately.

This is one of the more efficient and cost-effective ways to get into the world of Thule roof rack storage. This carrier carrier bag is an ideal fit for vehicles that already have rails or crossbars in-place. If you’re a traveller that occasionally needs some extra storage space this may be the ideal product to meet your needs. It’s easy to install this cargo bag, there are four straps that you clip on the rails or crossbars. The straps have compression fittings to keep the cargo bag securely in place as you drive.

This is a product for the budget conscious. We like this bag, the material is heavy-duty canvas which is more affordable and yet it still works well as a basic carrier. To access the bag there is a zip that runs around three sides and we found this easy to get into on the ground or with the bag on the vehicle roof.

What do we love it for?
• What we liked was the protection offered with this bag. To protect the zip seam Thule has fitted a storm-flap and this kept the water out and our items were kept dry at all times. Thule has stated that this bag is fully waterproof, that was our experience and you can find many online reviews saying the same thing. We liked the compression strap inside this soft bag that prevented the contents from moving during normal driving and cornering.

What were we disappointed with?
• We didn’t like the lack of any kind of locking system, but in a soft bag that can be cut open by a potential thief it probably doesn’t make much sense to have one. But, Thule has not even included a luggage lock to deter casual thieves which seems to be an obvious oversight.

The Thule Canyon Roof Mount Cargo Basket Extension is a component that extends the length of your Canyon basket by 20” to store more or larger items. This is a great product if you already have the Thule Canyon XT and you need more storage space. The installation process is simple and it fits seamlessly to the Canyon XT. The overall dimensions of the extended cargo basket are 69” L x 40” W x 6” D. The weight capacity of this rack is 150 lbs but you need to make sure that your vehicle roof can handle the weight. The black powder coated finish helps the unit to resist corrosion well and Thule has included a lifetime limited warranty.

This is the right product for you, if you’re looking for a lightweight basket extension. The full weight of the cargo basket is only 39 lbs with this extension fitted and the extension has a simple three pieces to assemble.

What are our favorite features?
• We liked the tapered side walls on this cargo basket because they make loading and unloading very easy. We liked the spacing between the bars because it’s easy to add extra straps or bungee cords to secure the load.

What could be better?
• We liked the look of this frame extension and it feels sturdy but it’s an expensive purchase. It would not cost much more to get a larger cargo box when you factor in the price of a Thule Canyon XT carrier.