Roof top luggage rack

[slduck]

Just wondering if anyone has had experience using the luggage rack on the top of vans/SUVS. We are considering purchasing the soft-zipper type ones for when we travel and need to use our 3rd row seat. Although its a long time until our next trip, we know we'll need the extra space to travel with 5 of us. I have no idea how they work. Do they leak? What are the best types?

Thanks!

 

[bcinohio]

We have a hard shell case that we purchased at Sears and we love it. It is the 18cu one and we have never had a problem with leaks. We have used it on our Ford Windstar van and now we have a Freestar van from Ford. We usually pack in big duffle style bags and we put an old blanket down on the bottom so the bags don't get ripped from the hardware used to connect it. The hardest part in putting the bags up on top because they are very heavy to lift over your head to store. We love it because we travel with 5 people and we need the extra room. It has a lock on it so when we stop for the night we pack an overnight bag and the big ones stay put.

I hope that helps! Have a great trip. We leave in 5 weeks for the Pop!!

 

[minkydog]

We have a soft-side luggage carrier and it has good and bad points. It is lightweight and easy to store. It's easy to put on the roof--one person can do it. However...it's not waterproof, so we always load our luggage into a large plastic bag in case we encounter rain. And it's not really lockable--you wouldn't want to leave your stuff in there overnight. For us, the soft-side has been fine. We don't use it often so it just sits folded up under the bed.

 

[Jacksmom99]

I second the vote for the hard sided one from sears. We made 3 trips with it. We put everything from our duffle bags to DH's golf clubs and the stroller inside. When I put the stroller and the golf clubs in, I packed softer things around them so they wouldn't slide around. Our carrier even survived Hurricane Charley with ALL of our clothes in it except for the overnight bag. Not a drop of water got inside. I figured it was better to keep it fully loaded during the storm, although during the storm I was having second thoughts and was having visions of finding my underwear hanging from trees in the hotel parking lot.

 

[DisneyTarheel]

We've used the following from Sears on our Honda Odyssey with excellent results:

Car Top Carrier

Railing Rack

 

[WAHMto5]

We also have a hard shell one and LOVE it! It locks very secure. We also bought a Hitch Cargo Carrier like this:
http://www.autoanything.com/hitch-bed-accessories/65A1302A0A0.aspx

This was also great and gave us a bunch of extra room!

 

[irisbud]

A little OT, but I hope your roof racks are better than mine was! I had a 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe that we took through a car wash about 6 months after I bouth it (new). All of the sudden some large blac plastic thing started flying around. BF thought that it was part of the carwash, and I agreed. When we pulled out, there was loud clanging on our roof. We stopped and got out to look, and the right side of the rack had somehow broken apart. A couple of small pieces had fallen off, and the rest was just bouncing on top of the car (the left side was still attached). We had never even used it! Thank goodness for warenties...

Anyway, if I were going to put something up there (I now have an 05 which has not fallen aprat on me yet, so I MIGHT consider trusting it) I would use one of the hard plastic ones, considering variable weather conditions.

 

[RangerPooh]

A few years back I purchases detachable rack system from Target. The type that suctions cups to your car roof and clips inside (through the windows). We were unable to take DHs truck at the last minute for a trip so it was all about my sedan. Anyways, the carrier is a soft sided pretty large compartment that zips shut. It is similar to the one in this link (we also have the hitch carrier for the truck, which can suprisingly hold ALOT of weight)
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...284426-1597704?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B0001BYHN4

The downside is that it isn't waterproof so anthing that can get damaged is placed inside plastic bags. Also if we needed to stop for things someone stayed with the car (until we got a small lock). It's worked out pretty well for us. I am also able to load it myself.

 

[silverspark7]

my family has the hard case. we call it a Big Mac (because it's shaped like the box) hahaha. As far as my knowledge goes, other than being a pain to climb up on top of the truck to load and unload the luggage, i don't think we've had problems...

 

[halld6479]

I have a kia suv I I purchase a soft carrier for the top I load mycarrier before I leave my home in IL. I carry a small bag of items I will need in overnight stay on way down I never have taken it off or unloaded it along the way, we usually are on the road to nights, we park as close to our rooms as possible, and have never had a problem at all. last year we drove thru one of the worst storms in fl. going down and coming back I had one outfit that got wet from all the rain, and it was close to the spot where the zippers met.if you are worried about wet you might place your case inside a big plastic bag beofre placing it inside the carrier. we travel 55 and 75 and never worry about our stuff on top nothing but cloths up there. gosh taking a plane you have a great chance of losing your luggage I think.

 

[goofyfatherof2]

I have the Sears hard luggage rack. I agree with everyone else, but it does making parking difficult sometimes. When you park in a parking garage you may be oversize, I was. I have had to find special "oversize" parking for tall vehicles.

 

[alicenwonder99]

We bought the soft sided one (I think it's a Samsonite). We've had it for about 5 years now. With 6 in the family, we need it for ALL of our road trips. We even used it with our old minivan that didn't have a luggage rack.

The 2 times driving to WDW, it rained from Chicago to Chattanooga. Dh put plastic garbage bags over everything before he zipped it up (and ours came with a lock...but if someone really wanted to steal our luggage, I'm sure it would have been easy to break off). Anyway, we just bring 2 duffles for our overnight stay in Chattanooga. And by the time we got to WDW, our luggage was dry except for a small corner that dh didn't cover properly with the plastic.

Dh says the carrier we have holds alot more stuff than those hard cover shells. I would guess that we have around 6 pieces of luggage, and a couple of duffles in there...oh, and add a pack n' play. And there's room for a little bit more.

HTH

Mary

 

[tacomaranch]

We own a new Chevy Uplander and we bought a Thule Cascade cargo system for our van. It opens on both sides and easily fits all our snowboards and skis. We also use it in the summer if needed for our wet water gear. I can't say enough about this system and how much it helps keep our van clear in the winter. It is expensive but worth it. It also has a huge warranty for years and years.

Spend the money and get a good cargo system.