On our way around Killington yesterday, a few situations arose where the roof bin came in handy:

1. 5 bottles of Harpoon that needed to stay cold. I filled up the bin with snow and packed in the beer. It worked amazingly well! My reward: a cold beer when we got back home.

2. After dinner at the sushi/chinese joint, our takeout needed to stay cold. Once again, i threw it up in the bin with the left over snow. Up there it stayed until I was ready to eat. Hopped up, grabbed the package, tossed it in the microwave, good eats!

Sadly, this is the first use(s) I've had for the bin. Now that I know how handy it can be, I look forward to throwing other thing that don't belong up there.

A little trick I learned from my wife years ago could come on handy for that fist use:

It your beers freeze, you can put a few on the dash board up against the windshield and crank the defroster to quickly thaw them out.

Speaking of that whole concept, I'm suprised no one has pursued the possibility of drilling a drain hole in the rear compartment under the cargo area so that compartment can be used a little ice box/cooler. (or maybe someone has and I missed it)

Right on! Finally a use for the bin

I use the bin for wetsuits/gloves. works rather well.

since the bin has no use for me

i like to stare at it... its pretty :p

I have used the bin many times to carry left over food from resturants. Now I mostly use it to carry tow straps and other ropes and stuff.

i put all the take out food up there on the way home. i hate the smell of food that spreads around the cabin.

You know, I don't even think that I've opened that thing yet. Does it actually have a floor or is it the roof of the truck?

Yep it has a floor that is like a plastic grate.

:rolleyes: I can't believe I totally forgot about that thing. Now those are a couple good ideas. Cooler... place to put straps and stuff. I think I may just start using that thing.

In the summer it makes for a great dryer!

The metal hooks on the straps rattle around in there unless you hook them in and snug them up a little

the source of a friend's rattle for a few weeks

I suppose you could also hide (small) holiday gifts in there... keep them away from tiny, snooping eyes!

How about your hitch ball and some tow rope? That's what I've got stowed. I kept the hitch ball in the cardboard box that it came in so it doesn't rattle up there.

Right now I just got muddy shoes up there. I would love to keep more things like my recovery strap and what not, but without a locking bin, I don't want people to walk off with my stuff...they can have my muddy shoes if they want them.

Of all the changes the X has gotten..
nissan should have included a lock for
the compartment

agreed...also the glovebox on the 05s. the frontiers had them

I have to try putting some beers in the bin to keep them cold......oh wait a minute I live in Florida. Maybe I can keep some take out warm.

I contacted Southco (the manufacturer of the current roof bin handle)and they are sending me a locking handle that they say I might need to use some of the current parts to get it working due to the current handle being a specially made handle for Nissan, but when I get I'll let all of you know if it works or not

How many beers does it hold?

I had 5 in there with it completely full of snow. With careful planning, I'm sure you could fit 8-10 bottles. Cans would be an entirely different story

well, i have the dam (THOR) mod done to my air dam. well, its off of a 2002 X, it came with my bumper. anyway, i have no use for the bin, so i just leave it off in the winter cause the ice slides around up there. i have sunroof, so its off during the summer too. but i never thought about putting anything up there, but since its open on top, i dont think i would want to anyway. i saw a soccer mom a few weeks ago with a big cooler up there. maybe i could hook up my mini fridge up there and lock it down somehow.

Looking forward to finding out how the locking handle works.

B.