Roof box questions

Not really sure if this is the right place. Feel free to move it if needed.

I have an 18 tacoma. Last fall I got a deal on an ATC topper with rhino rack vortex racks already installed. I have since come across a decked drawer system and lost some vertical storage. I'm looking into a used rooftop box and have a few questions.
1. Has anyone ever had an Xcargo sport 20 box? It's and older model and is more boxy than the new ones. I believe it is rear opening but does anyone have any real world experience with it vs a premium/aerodynamic box like yakima or thule? Build quality etc.
2. Are these mountable by one person?
3. Can I get lower towers for the vortex? They seem ridiculously high.
4. I'll be driving across Kansas and Colorado this summer with it. I'm expecting an MPG hit due to drag. Anyone have any experience what the hit is. I'm getting 15 mpg now, so a 3 might hit is pretty significant.

I also have a receiver cargo tray and putting a weathertight tote on it isn't out of the question either. Thanks.

 

No experience with anything you listed, but free bump I guess.
If you already have a receiver cargo tray and tote, I wouldn't even bother with a roof mounted box. Its safe to say you'd experience a 2 mpg hit mounting something this big on the roof, but I have no proof to back that up, other than comparing it to a roof mounted RTT. Another vote for the cargo tray is ease of access; its really hard getting stuff on and off the roof, especially if lifted, compared to something knee level. That being said, the roof box may offer more security (not sure) than a tote on a tray. You can always buy and resell if you're not happy with it. There's definitely always a market for things like this because they're not vehicle specific.

 

@Off Topic Guy thanks for the reply. I like the low height also but should have mentioned we will be staying in hotels this trip. I don't like dragging the rack or tote into the room any more than I need to, but dont have anywhere else to stash it while we're out doing day trips. I geuss I do like the idea of leaving the empty box on the roof.

 

I don't have a ton of experience here with the Tacoma but I had a HUGE Yakima box on my Impreza for nearly a decade. I got one of the biggest ones they had and it was absolutely fantastic. I could haul 4 guys, our snowboards, all our gear... with ease. And having the box means you can put dirty, wet, muddy stuff up there rather than IN your vehicle. It didn't seem to hurt my mpg on the Impreza but that thing was a tank. I feel like I got 25mpg regardless of whether I was hypermiling or driving like a rally racer.

I have since transferred this box to the cab of my Tacoma via a Prinsu rack. Wind noise went up fairly drastically and I feel like I took a hit on mpg - maybe 1-2mpg. But it's hard to tell since the truck doesn't get used all that often and usually under widely varying conditions. I have a hunch that if I could move the box back it would help aerodynamically. You should be in a better situation by putting it on top of your shell rather than cab.

I've had and used multiple cargo boxes and the mechanisms are different based on age. My Yakima is old at this point but had way better hardware and latch system than the box my brother had prior to that (which convinced me to get mine). It's gonna be hard to make a generic comparison from one to another without really seeing the specifics.

Regarding the hitch mounted cargo trays... those always seemed terrible to me. For my uses they have zero benefit over a cargo box and tons of downsides. Getting up to the box for me isn't very tough, I just hop on my sliders. If you mount it on your shell you can stuff it to one side or all the way to the rear and then hop on the rear tire or bumper for access. I've never thought accessing mine was inconvenient in any way.

 

Thanks @clenkeit. I've got an impreza also. Mines a manual and also gets 25mpg no matter what I do. Thanks for the info. I'm going to pick it up tomorrow evening. I don't think I can go wrong for $100.

 

Just wanted to post an update on the box. I've ran 4 tanks of gas though it and believe it or not, my MPG's are essentially unchanged. I have checked using both the in dash ECO app as well as fuelly on my phone. Apparently the air over the bed is sufficiently disturbed by the windshield that it doesn't cause much of an economy penalty. Yesterday when I filled up again i reset the computer and moved the box back 4 inches. I did this so its easy to access the box from the tailgate. I don't expect to see any performance changes but will update if I do.

 

Yeah, I think that placement is much more aerodynamic than mine which almost overhangs the top of the windshield.