Thule Motion 3 Roof Box XXL on R1S - More space, fits well, runs quiet

[superfluid]

This past weekend, we packed the twins, their teen friend, two adults, a dog, and gear and provisions enough for two days of camping into our Gen 1 R1S. We drove 240 miles round trip to Sparrow Bend River Retreat west of San Antonio, TX. (Great spot. Highly recommended.) We hauled gear in our new Thule Motion 3 Roof Box XXL mounted atop our Gen 1 R1S. Here are some quick impressions for those looking for a larger storage solution.

As our two kids grow, we need more tents, larger tents, bigger sleeping bags, more food, more water, and more space to adventure. When they invite their friends, we need even more. To pack it all, we needed a voluminous roof-mounted storage solution that was aerodynamic and could mount on the crossbars. The Motion 3 XXL fit the bill.

I mounted the Motion 3 XXL on the rear two crossbars of our R1S. Mounting it on the front two placed the roof box (most roof boxes, for that matter) far forward, creating a long overhang that's difficult to get gear in and out of and creates significant aero drag. Since I run three crossbars at a time, I worried the box wouldn't clear both the rear hatch and the front crossbar. It did.

The Motion 3 XXL swallowed:

• 5 collapsable chairs
• 1 foldable camp kitchen
• 1 camp shower
• 2 tents, one large, one small
• 2 collapsable wash buckets
• 5 sleeping bags
• 4 sleeping pads (one was a double)
• 1 camera tripod

That's a lot of gear. Without that extra storage, we'd have needed to bring two cars. We kept the third row down to hold two coolers and several boxes of camping gear and food. We filled the frunk to capacity with water bottles and clothes.

Aero drag was about what I'd expect from a roof box. I recently changed my tires (to Toyo Open Country A/T III EVs) so I couldn't do a controlled drag comparison, but I estimate I lost 14-16% efficiency on mostly highway driving (60-80 mph) due to drag. I found the loss entirely worth the additional storage the box provided.

The big surprise was how quiet the box was at high speed. It wasn't silent but I never noticed it. It didn't whistle, rattle, or flap. Others report that the front of the XXL can bounce around and make noise but I didn't experience that over 240 miles.

All in all, the box is well-designed, the hardware is well-made, and it does everything I need it to do. And it looks pretty good too.

Recommended.

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[Mellowyellow]

I bought myself the XL version for this upcoming ski season. As a family of 6 I always wondered if I should’ve gone with the XXL. I can still exchange it for the XXL if I wanted to.

 

[superfluid]

I bought myself the XL version for this upcoming ski season. As a family of 6 I always wondered if I should’ve gone with the XXL. I can still exchange it for the XXL if I wanted to.

I don’t think there are many downsides to having the XXL, especially for a family of 6.

 

[dsmaldino]

Very informative. Thank you for sharing. It seems only 2 cross bars are needed, right?

 

[superfluid]

Very informative. Thank you for sharing. It seems only 2 cross bars are needed, right?

No problem. Yup, only 2 needed.

 

[Here2there]

Awesome setup! Thanks for sharing. I just picked up my R1S a couple weeks ago. What size Ironman awning do you have installed?

 

[superfluid]

Awesome setup! Thanks for sharing. I just picked up my R1S a couple weeks ago. What size Ironman awning do you have installed?

Thanks! I have the 8’ awning to shade a family of four. I mounted it to three crossbars. It’s very sturdy. But the three crossbars aren’t vertically aligned so it required some leveling with washers. I keep meaning to make a post about that but haven’t yet…

 

[WorldComposting]

Glad to see the Motion 3 fits better than the Thule Force XT XXL box I have. Mine hangs a bit too far back and the hatch will hit it if I don't stop it in time.

For those asking a bigger box is really nice if you have a lot of light gear but remember you have a weight limit for the roof rack and a bigger box weighs more so less weight for gear.

I typically weight my gear to make sure I'm not going over the limit for the unit or the roof rack!

 

[jeeden]

Glad to see the Motion 3 fits better than the Thule Force XT XXL box I have. Mine hangs a bit too far back and the hatch will hit it if I don't stop it in time.

For those asking a bigger box is really nice if you have a lot of light gear but remember you have a weight limit for the roof rack and a bigger box weighs more so less weight for gear.

I typically weight my gear to make sure I'm not going over the limit for the unit or the roof rack!

Most "normal" SUV roof racks top out at 150lbs and the Rivian is 250lbs (all dynamic)... in my experience you volume out these boxes well before weighing them out unless your putting steel bars in there or crushed rock.

I really like the look of this one, especially the more sloped front end instead of just the usual photon torpedo front.

Someone above mentioned they have the xl and are thinking of the xxl. My #1 recommendation when telling people about roof boxes is to get the largest one you can afford, it's rare you find yourself saying "I wish this roof box didn't hold so much"

 

[Runinova]

Did you have to order any special mounting equipment to mount it to the Rivian crossbars? Anything special I need to know about when ordering?

 

[superfluid]

Did you have to order any special mounting equipment to mount it to the Rivian crossbars? Anything special I need to know about when ordering?

Nope, mounts fine out of the box.

 

[DaveInCA]

This past weekend, we packed the twins, their teen friend, two adults, a dog, and gear and provisions enough for two days of camping into our Gen 1 R1S. We drove 240 miles round trip to Sparrow Bend River Retreat west of San Antonio, TX. (Great spot. Highly recommended.) We hauled gear in our new Thule Motion 3 Roof Box XXL mounted atop our Gen 1 R1S. Here are some quick impressions for those looking for a larger storage solution.

As our two kids grow, we need more tents, larger tents, bigger sleeping bags, more food, more water, and more space to adventure. When they invite their friends, we need even more. To pack it all, we needed a voluminous roof-mounted storage solution that was aerodynamic and could mount on the crossbars. The Motion 3 XXL fit the bill.

I mounted the Motion 3 XXL on the rear two crossbars of our R1S. Mounting it on the front two placed the roof box (most roof boxes, for that matter) far forward, creating a long overhang that's difficult to get gear in and out of and creates significant aero drag. Since I run three crossbars at a time, I worried the box wouldn't clear both the rear hatch and the front crossbar. It did.

The Motion 3 XXL swallowed:

• 5 collapsable chairs
• 1 foldable camp kitchen
• 1 camp shower
• 2 tents, one large, one small
• 2 collapsable wash buckets
• 5 sleeping bags
• 4 sleeping pads (one was a double)
• 1 camera tripod

That's a lot of gear. Without that extra storage, we'd have needed to bring two cars. We kept the third row down to hold two coolers and several boxes of camping gear and food. We filled the frunk to capacity with water bottles and clothes.

Aero drag was about what I'd expect from a roof box. I recently changed my tires (to Toyo Open Country A/T III EVs) so I couldn't do a controlled drag comparison, but I estimate I lost 14-16% efficiency on mostly highway driving (60-80 mph) due to drag. I found the loss entirely worth the additional storage the box provided.

The big surprise was how quiet the box was at high speed. It wasn't silent but I never noticed it. It didn't whistle, rattle, or flap. Others report that the front of the XXL can bounce around and make noise but I didn't experience that over 240 miles.

All in all, the box is well-designed, the hardware is well-made, and it does everything I need it to do. And it looks pretty good too.

Recommended.

Thanks for the pictures and the review. However, are you sure that you got the XXL and not just the XL? I'm looking at getting a Thule Motion 3 and was trying to decide between the XL and XXL. The XXL is listed as 91-3/8" long, which would have put it all the way over your 3rd rail, according to my tape measure. The XL is 84-3/4" long.

 

[KBabione]

Thanks for posting - I've been wondering what I'd get and the Thule Motion 3 is beautiful. I have a "vintage" Sears X-Cargo that looked fine on the Highlander, but I wouldn't even consider putting it on my R1S. I've bookmarked this for when the time comes...

 

[MacO512]

I have a Thule Force XT XL Roof Box... Fits great!

Actually looks small on the Rivian. Looked ginormous on my Tesla 3 Performance. It can fit 192cm skis or multiple big checked luggages so it's certainly not small.

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