Seeking suggestions for a car top carrier

[ArizonaSportsman]

Hopefully I'm posting this in the best thread topic.

Now that our family is 5... (plus the family dog, so that makes 6) I'm finding we have less cargo space to fit everything. I'm considering a soft sided car top carrier to stuff sleeping bags, tent, etc. in. That should be a huge help.

Anyone have any good experiences with a particular brand/model that you'd be willing to suggest? I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee with roof rails and cross beams - so strapping a carrier should be a piece of cake (ummm, at least I think it should be).

[gr8brew]

Re: Seeking suggestions for a car top carrier

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00D9C...tag=hydsma-20#

Sorry about the huge link im at work.

I have this bag, haven't used it yet. But It has over 1000 reviews 4.3 out of 5 stars. I can say it is nicely built. I found no defects in workmanship I inspected it very closely when open it.

As it stands my first trip this year in June but I may hit it for a weekend at the spur of the moment if the stars align just right. I'll follow up as soon as I use it.


Also I plan on putting all articles in a secondary trash bag. And I also have a few dry sacks.

[MacGyver]

Re: Seeking suggestions for a car top carrier

Personally, if I was going to put something on the roof, I would go with a hard shell over a soft side for better durability, "weatherability" and gas mileage. I don't know that I'd trust cloth to keep things dry in pouring rain at highway speed. They also aren't very aerodynamic compared to a hard shell and produce more wind noise. I don't know if you've considered another option - a hitch mount rack. Better gas mileage still, plus easier access to whatever you have stored. The initial out of pocket for a hitch mount would be greater but, with gas coming up on $4 a gallon (here, anyway) you'd pay yourself back in mileage.

[tplife]

Re: Seeking suggestions for a car top carrier

There is an alternative - The Transporter Combi by Thule. At 13 cu. ft., it's the size of a Corolla's trunk. It's locking, keeps water out, and has lighting. Mated with RideRite air suspension bags to level the rear of the vehicle, you have a trouble-free carrier that doesn't cost more than a rack and roof carrier combination. Our application utilizes a TorkLift 2" receiver Stealth Hitch:

[gr8brew]

Re: Seeking suggestions for a car top carrier

Personally, if I was going to put something on the roof, I would go with a hard shell over a soft side for better durability, "weatherability" and gas mileage. I don't know that I'd trust cloth to keep things dry in pouring rain at highway speed. They also aren't very aerodynamic compared to a hard shell and produce more wind noise. I don't know if you've considered another option - a hitch mount rack. Better gas mileage still, plus easier access to whatever you have stored. The initial out of pocket for a hitch mount would be greater but, with gas coming up on $4 a gallon (here, anyway) you'd pay yourself back in mileage.

The keeper is not cloth. I have an idea its very similar to what they use for inflatable boats. As far as gas mileage, being a former owner of a Yakima Skybox Its very rare that the box gets taken off the day your done with it in fact I've driven months with it on my vehicle after using its. Its a pain in the *** putting it on and taking it off. Then you have to find a place to keep it.

When I sold my last car the roof rack and bike attachments were not in the best of shape I decided not to buy another fit kit and transfer it to my new vehicle. Put it on craigslist and was glad to see it go.

Would I recommend this rack over a hard Thule or Yakima? No but I would point out advantages of it. The original poster asked about soft sided car top carrier and this is the best one I found in my research. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Depends what the end user wants. Aside from leaking, witch may turn out to be none is that it has negative style points.

Here are some pics. I Managed to get it in the box two times. Two zippers the flap and a dime. Welded seams for the straps. The stitching for the straps does not penetrate to the inside of the bag.

[Mike]

Re: Seeking suggestions for a car top carrier

I have both a Sears hard-shell carrier box that is mounted on car-top carriers and a soft shell nylon fabric giant bag both can be mounted without car top carriers

Both work well. I like the hard shell better. The hard shell keeps rain out and is easier to load. The hard shell takes up a lot of space in the garage when not in use. It makes a noticeable impact on mileage. Car TOP carriers are hard to load and unload without a ladder and a helper

I have not used the bumper acrriers, but I like the concept. They seem too small, however.

A small trailer might be a better option

[Shortpants]

Re: Seeking suggestions for a car top carrier

I just started camping again after a bit of a hiatus, but now we are a family of 4, so we had much more gear than I am used to! I went with the super-cheapo Reese Towpower Car Top Weather-Resistant Bag from Walmart for $25 to make sure it would work for us. Best $25 I ever spent! I would love to have a weatherproof hard carrier, but since we were just testing the waters to make sure Hubby liked camping, I didn't want to break the bank with something that may not get used much. We've used the bag quite a few times now and granted we have been lucky enough not to travel in a downpour with it, we have a spare tarp to lash over it, just in case. I was able to put all our sleeping bags, air mattresses, pillows, swim floaties, life preservers, pretty much all the "lighter" stuff in it with room to spare.

[ArizonaSportsman]

Re: Seeking suggestions for a car top carrier

I ended up going with a soft-sided rooftop carrier. I went with a Rola 59100 from Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Overall, I'm very pleased so far. We used it for a 3 day weekend trip. The zippers are heavy duty and there is a fold over flap that velcros down over the zipper. Certainly not going to keep a driving rain out I would assume, but living in Arizona.....I should typically be okay.

It was definitely filled to the brim - and neither my wife or I could hear it....except at one point....I didn't fasten down one of the straps very well so it was slapping the roof of the car. After a quick adjustment, it was silent (or at least made less noise than our engine).

I can definitely see the benefits of a hardtop, but I couldn't resist the convenience/space saving aspects of the soft top carrier. I was able to fold it up and tuck it into a garage cabinet. Space is such a premium for us, so this worked well. Thanks for everyone's feedback and suggestions - it did help me confirm my needs/wants and made the buying decision easier.

[tplife]

Re: Seeking suggestions for a car top carrier

Keep in mind that the hitch-mount boxes don't come loose, don't leak, and are locking. They aren't small, mine is the same square footage as a Corolla trunk, and it's deep and not long and shallow like most roof-top boxes. It is a breeze to load, and for space-swaving, as you can see by the pictures, it takes up only some overhead un-used space in the garage. It's mounted to a Harbor Freight 2" Receiver Hitch, $15.00, and raised and lowered using a rope-and-pullley system, making it a one-man operation: