Well, so much for the Yakima SkyBox. My wife was driving back from the Sierras this weekend in a heavy wind storm and the top of the Yakima box exploded in half and flew off the car. Lucky it didn't cause a serious accident. She insists it was closed properly, and I believe her. The only thing I can think of is that the box is not well sealed and the wind caused the air pressure to build up inside the box. Seems weird since presumably its designed to drive at highway speed winds anyway. However, if they were driving directly into the wind, which was probably gusting up to 60-75 mph, then maybe it was just too much for the box if air was leaking inside.
Anyway, this presents a problem. We need 2 boxes on the roof for the ski equipment and luggage (since we have 4-5 people and 2 dogs inside the car). The ski gear goes in the Packasport, which I've had for 15 years and is rugged as hell. The Packasport is fiberglass and is hinged in the front and well sealed, so no air gets inside. However, they are heavy, expensive, and only 12 inches tall. My box is 16 cubic feet.
The Yakima SkyBox Pro 21 is (was) 21 cubic feet, and we need all that room for the second box. I'm reluctant to get another one (I don't think Yak is going to replace it since I bought it from a guy off of Craigslist (only used twice before, though and looked brand new). The Thule design seems nearly identical (and, since the Thule is stiffer plastic, might be even more prone to cracking, if anything).
The problem is that there aren't any other good options out there that I'm aware of. I prefer a cargo box over an expedition rack for weather, security and convenience packing for ski trips.
Any ideas?