Best Rooftop Cargo Boxes for 2022–2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee & L: 7 Picks for Flush Rails

The SkyBox 16 Carbonite is the safest all-round choice for a Grand Cherokee because its spread range starts low enough for the fixed-point racks. Yakima lists it at 16 cu ft and 81 x 36 x 15 in, with a 47 lb box weight, dual-side opening, SuperLatch security and SKS locks, and a 24 to 34.5 in crossbar spread. It installs with no assembly on Yakima StreamLine bars and most factory or aerodynamic crossbars, takes skis and boards up to 185 cm, and carries a limited lifetime warranty. It was $599 on sale at Yakima when we checked, down from $749.

On a WL, that 24 in minimum is the key number: it sits just under the roughly 24.5 in fixed spread etrailer lists for the Rhino-Rack Vortex, and well inside any clamp-on bar setting. The 47 lb box leaves 118 lb for gear on 165 lb bars, before the manual's roof figure, and its 15 in height helps at garage doors. On the two-row, 81 in is long enough to check the liftgate once; on the L's longer roof there is more room. At 36 in wide it fills most of a 47 in Thule bar.

For a Grand Cherokee that heads to the ski hill, the Thule Motion 3 XL takes the longest skis on this page. Thule lists it at 18 cu ft, 84.7 x 35 x 17 in and 51 lb, with a 165 lb maximum load and room for 5 to 7 pairs of skis up to 200 cm. The lid opens from either side with one hand, SlideLock separates locking from opening, and PowerClick mounts show when the clamps are tight. etrailer lists a 21-13/16 to 36-9/16 in spread and a limited lifetime warranty for the Motion 3 line. Thule lists it at $1,149.95; this Amazon listing is a Limited Edition version, so check the finish.

Its wide spread range is the Grand Cherokee advantage: 21-13/16 in is comfortably below a fixed 24.5 in Vortex setting, so it mounts on any bar setup here. Length is the question. At 84.7 in, it suits the L's longer roof best; on the two-row, measure from the front bar to the roof-hatch line against Thule's figure of more than 52 3/32 in before you buy. On 165 lb bars, the 51 lb box leaves about 114 lb for skis, boots and bags.

If your Grand Cherokee wears the Rhino-Rack Vortex system etrailer lists for the 2023 model, the MasterFit 440 is the box built to match. Rhino-Rack lists it at 440 L (15.5 cu ft), 76 x 32 x 17 in outside and 74 x 30 x 15 in inside, with a 38.6 lb box weight, a 75 kg maximum load, dual-side opening, three locking points and a twist-to-tighten, press-to-lock clamp. It works directly with Vortex and Euro bars and needs the RUBK-MF kit for Rhino-Rack's Heavy Duty bars. Rhino-Rack covers it for 5 years; its page doesn't list a price.

The spread is close. Rhino-Rack requires 620 to 930 mm between the bars, about 24.4 to 36.6 in, and etrailer lists the Vortex's fixed spread at about 24.5 in, so it should sit at the bottom of the range; measure your bars before ordering. The rest suits the WL well. At 38.6 lb it leaves about 126 lb of a 165 lb rating for gear, at 76 in it gives the two-row's liftgate room, and at 32 in wide it leaves about 15 in on 47 in bars. On Thule or Amazon bars, confirm the clamp fits.

The Yakima CBX 16 is the box for bins and carry-ons. Yakima lists it at 16 cu ft and 83 x 38 x 15 in, and says its flattened floor gives market-leading usable space. It opens from both sides, takes skis and boards up to 185 cm, and comes with SKS locks and a limited lifetime warranty. Yakima says it installs in about 10 minutes, builds it in the USA and prices it at $699. Its 24 to 35.5 in spread range starts below the roughly 24.5 in fixed spread etrailer lists for the Rhino-Rack Vortex, so it mounts on fixed-point racks as well as clamp-on bars.

The trade-offs on a Grand Cherokee are weight, width and length. At 57 lb it is the heaviest box here, which leaves 108 lb for cargo on 165 lb bars, so pack it with bulky, light gear. At 38 in wide it leaves only about 9 in of a 47 in Thule bar. And at 83 in it is long for the two-row's roof, so measure from the front bar to the roof-hatch line before buying; on the L there is more room. Its 15 in height is a plus at the garage door.

On the two-row Grand Cherokee's shorter roof, a short box gives the liftgate the most room, and the Thule Force 3 L is the shortest 16 cu ft box here. Thule lists it at 76.8 x 33.3 x 16.8 in with a 43 lb box weight, a 165 lb maximum load and room for 5 to 7 pairs of skis up to 175 cm or 3 to 5 snowboards. It opens from both sides, locks with SlideLock, clamps with PowerClick, and Thule lists it as made in the USA at $879.95, temporarily out of stock on its own store when we checked.

Thule gives a front clearance figure of more than 50 5/8 in, the smallest of the Thule boxes here, which you can compare with the distance from your front bar to the roof-hatch line. At 43 lb it leaves about 122 lb for gear on 165 lb bars. The open question is spread: Thule's page doesn't list one, and on a fixed-point rack with about 24.5 in between the bars that matters, so confirm it on the listing or with Thule before ordering. On clamp-on bars you can set whatever it needs.

The SportRack Vista XL is the cheapest way to lock 18 cu ft on a Grand Cherokee, as long as your bars can move. SportRack lists it at 63 x 38 x 19 in with 18 cu ft, a UV-resistant ABS shell, tool-free mounting hardware and a lock, for $449.95. At 63 in it is the shortest hard box here, which suits the two-row's roof and leaves the liftgate plenty of room. etrailer's expert gives three fixed mounting positions: 25-7/8, 27-7/8 and 29-7/8 in center to center.

That is the Grand Cherokee catch. A Rhino-Rack Vortex set at a fixed 24.5 in spread is narrower than the Vista XL's first position, so this box needs clamp-on bars you can slide to one of its three settings, like the adjustable Amazon sets on our roof rack page. The rear-opening lid means reaching up from behind the SUV, and at 19 in tall it adds the most height here. SportRack doesn't publish a box weight, load rating or warranty, so confirm all three on the listing before loading it against 165 lb bars.

A soft carrier sidesteps the Grand Cherokee's spread question entirely, because it straps to the bars wherever they are. RealTruck lists the Rightline Gear Sport 3 at 18 cu ft and 48 x 36 x 18 in, with welded seams and an SZIP waterproof zipper that Rightline calls 100 percent waterproof, no flap required. It is made for SUVs and minivans with or without a roof rack, and comes with four attachment straps, four car clips and a stuff sack. RealTruck lists it at $139.99 with a one-year warranty, and showed it as temporarily unavailable when we checked.

On fixed-point bars at about 24.5 in, the straps simply wrap both bars. Without bars, the flush rails leave no gap for a strap, so the kit's car clips at the door openings take over. At 48 in long it is clear of the liftgate on both the two-row and the L. There is no lock, so empty it overnight, and pack it full so the sides don't flap at highway speed. Its contents still count against the 165 lb bar rating and the manual's roof limit.