Roof box for my A2

Well the first A2OC camping trip really got me into camping. But with more and more camping gear the space in the A2 became a bit limited. Two people up it is fine of course as you just tip the seats down and/or leave one or both of them at home. But with 3 people it gets tight and with 4: well impossible. So I had to buy a roof box.

Researched showed Kamei are the best and they have won the AutoExpress roof box tests for 3 years on a trot now. So a Kamei 380 Delphin was decided on. It is a short wide box. Reason for this is that it can take my newly bought fire pit which is 770mm wide:



You can get long narrow boxes (mainly to fit skis and snowboards) that also leave space for my mountain bike racks next to them ,but I decided fire is more important as you can always just rent a bike, and/or go in two cars and leave the roof box at home.

Some boxes are totally symmetrical so that you can mount them left or right hand opening. But I must say I'm much happier with this one (a left opening one so it opens to the pavement - in the UK at least) than if had bought the Kamei 400 which is symmetrical. It gives me acres of extra space! 380 litres to be exact which is roughly the size of an average boot. But the best thing about it not being symmetrical is how nice it echoes the car's glass line! It fits the A2 perfectly I think!





I bought it from www.roofbox.co.uk but instead of getting it delivered, I went to Cumbria to pick it up and camped two nights in the same campsite we camped on the first A2OC trip. Rain, Rain, Rain, tons of mud and stormy winds on the first night. Urgh. Least Sunday and Monday the sun was out and it was lovely.

And with this morning's snow look at the A2 and its box!

always wondered if a box would fit on the audi's roof, i may need to get one if i take mine to le mans this year

I see you have Open Sky.
Which roof bars do fit the A2 with Open Sky ?

fbi said:

I see you have Open Sky.
Which roof bars do fit the A2 with Open Sky ?

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The safest option with OpenSky is the genuine Audi bars, as they put all the weight on the side rails, not on the glass.

I think that Johann has an aftermarket solution, but no doubt he'll be along to advise.

Cheers,

Mike

fbi said:

I see you have Open Sky.
Which roof bars do fit the A2 with Open Sky ?

Click to expand...

Hmm, in Germany, no bars at all are allowed to use with opensky A2's. Because the roof is 40 kg and more wheight should not be added in this high position.

It is a standard Thule system with A2 feet. Because the feet can move and have a groove in them, you can easily "toe them out" so that they only rest on the outer aluminium edge of the car and nothing rests on the glass. When you then torque the system up, it is as secure as if it was touching the entire roof. And I know about the weight limit. So only light space consuming things like the fire pit and the foldable chairs and table will go in the box.

All of this have been explained numerous times before. Just do an "advanced seach" for "roof" and my name as poster you are searching for.

HI DE HI CamperS LOL !!!
johann The fire pit looks ace is this to cook food on or to keep yourself warm or could it be the start of the olympic flame will you be taking this on all your camping trips as i would love to check it out ....

I Also have some genuine Audi roofbars and i have a Halfords topbox very similar to yours ,
went camping with the wife and 2 kids a couple of years ago to Devon then onto Cornwall for a B+B then back to Devon to stay with a friend ... So u can imagine we had everthing
but the kitchen sink onboard and the A2 was all i can say is Remarkable ....

Im not surprised you went back to the same campsite as this was an ideal location in the lakes but was surprised to see them open as i went back there October last year and both fields where full up with sheep ....

Im going back in 2 Weeks with 16 family and friends all the lads together would have loved to have gone camping again but the other lads are not up for it so we booked a house which accomodates 16 people should be a nightmare getting that lot organized in the mornings ....

I Know it snowed when you got back but was there anysnow on the mountains ie Scafell Pike and Hellvelyn as many of the walkers and climbers are newbies so it will be interesting to say the least ...

Also noticed no bikes this time was this a reckie mission with the firepit LOL !!!!

I like it there. First time was always the best!

Got to say, it was a cracking campsite - we'll be going back at some point, but would like to be on the lakeside (away from the 'Old Boys'!!) next time.

Cheers,

Mike

Skipton01 said:

Got to say, it was a cracking campsite - we'll be going back at some point, but would like to be on the lakeside (away from the 'Old Boys'!!) next time.

Cheers,

Mike

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I would certainly second that one Mike, can I bring my spanish A2 grosse next time?

tdiman said:

I would certainly second that one Mike, can I bring my spanish A2 grosse next time?

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Absolutely - saw that you've chipped in the A4 now for what looks to be a very nice car - Seat are on a bit of a roll at the moment and are probably the most forward thinking in the VAG group at this point in time.

Cheers,

Mike

The fire pit does come with a grid to BBQ on. Here I was cooking some prawns as I forgot the kebab sticks at home! Doh.



And thankfully we did not share the site with cows and/or sheep (though we certainly heard both!)

Skipton01 said:

Absolutely - saw that you've chipped in the A4 now for what looks to be a very nice car - Seat are on a bit of a roll at the moment and are probably the most forward thinking in the VAG group at this point in time.

Cheers,

Mike

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Well the styling is excellent, nothing like it on the road especially its fat arse, even bigger than a Meganes, I think of it as being distinctive, sadly the interior plastics are a bit playskool, I can wobble the centre storage armrest quite alarmingly, suppose thats what you get for a car costing half the equivalent on an audi or vw, still can't complain, I like it especially the huge boot, which is longer wider and deeper than the A4's eve with the seats down!
Mike

Just thought I'd post a picture of my A2 with Audi bars and Kamei Delphin 380 holidaying in Norfolk. Fantastic!

silly question: How far apart are the bars?

Bret

Can only say that they are wider at the front than at the bak at this point in time!

Sorry not to be more helpful. If you click the roofbox co link it might tell you.

Regards

Neil

I think he means how far apart down the length of the car - ie where did you mount them on the roof?

yep - that's what I meant, as we have a box and may have to downsize to one car (i.e. mine). It would be interesting to know if the box would fit, as it's pretty big....

Bret

Oh, sorry!

If you open the doors you will find a very faint mark (an arrow I believe) on the inside of the door frame under the lip of the roof indicating where the bars should be mounted. I imagine you can move a little off these points but not too much.

Helpful?

Regards

Neil