Thule Motion rooftop box in gloss black, or Force in matte black?

[RobS10]

I was all set to go with the gloss black Thule Motion as it looks nicer and would think dirt and bugs would wash off easier then the matte black Force, but started thinking about scratches as I do take our 4Runner on 17 miles of Forest Service road to get to our cabin and have occasionally clipped a few tree branches. For those of you that have one or the other, does the gloss black finish get scratched easily, or how easy is it to keep a matte black finish box clean? I will not be leaving the box on the vehicle all the time, probably just during the summer. Of course it would also be nice to save the extra $100 on the matte black box.

 

[Humble Leader]

FWIW - I had two matte black cargo boxes on my roof for about 2 years. never had a scratch on them. drove on highways, dirt roads but never through tree branches. they got really dirty and the finish started to look a bit odd but no scratches. If you're budget conscious - get the cheaper one. if budget is no concern get the one you think looks best. you're going to get more scratches taking things in and out of the box than on the road lol

 

[RobS10]

FWIW - I had two matte black cargo boxes on my roof for about 2 years. never had a scratch on them. drove on highways, dirt roads but never through tree branches. they got really dirty and the finish started to look a bit odd but no scratches. If you're budget conscious - get the cheaper one. if budget is no concern get the one you think looks best. you're going to get more scratches taking things in and out of the box than on the road lol

Thanks again for the perspective...the matte one happens to be they actually upgraded the lock to the same one used on more expensive glossy one, so kinda a no brainer. I'm just stoked to not have to lash to big Plano boxes on my rooftop basket, not to mention the Thule box is twice the capacity of my two 27 gallon Plano boxes!

 

[Humble Leader]

Thanks again for the perspective...the matte one happens to be they actually upgraded the lock to the same one used on more expensive glossy one, so kinda a no brainer. I'm just stoked to not have to lash to big Plano boxes on my rooftop basket, not to mention the Thule box is twice the capacity of my two 27 gallon Plano boxes!

I had two pelicans up there. I wanted to the thule box but clearance became a problem so I used the pelicans. I have my roof open now so I can carry bikes on it. some of the gear I had in the boxes I consolidated and with the removal of my third row seats now have side storage in the hatch for that gear. was nice to have the roof free again . Going to get another set of wingbars now. I sold my old set a couple years ago