Who has used a Rooftop Cargo Carrier?

[Mickey Fan in PA]

We are driving down in May and I am looking into purchasing a roof top cargo carrier to put on top of the van. Anyone have any recommendations? I am looking for a waterproof one so that leaves out all the hardshell cases.

Thanks!

 

[maciec]

We are looking at buying one also. DH wants to get a hardshell one, but I want to get a soft. You may have just settled the argument.....I thought that the hard shell ones were waterproof?

Melissa

 

[KathyR]

Thule and Yakima make the best IMO.

The hardshells are waterproof. We travelled w/our new Thule in a rain and snowstorm from Indiana to New Hampshire, and everything remained dry as can be! No problems at all!

 

[mobetsy]

We have two of them (had recently bought one and used it when we got the second as a gift and didn't have the heart to admit to the duplication), the soft kind. They have served us well, but have their limitations. We've been in wet weather with them, but not extended periods of downpour; I generally put the sleeping bags in trash bags just to be sure. We have roof racks, and the soft kind sure is easy to get on and off; we've used them for camping, and it's nice when we get to a spot to be able to take it off, fold it up, and not have the carrier on top in the interim. I also like that it has some give in the packing, and that we can cinch it down tight. When using the carrier and making a stop to eat or shop or do touristy things, we're not obsessive about security, but we try to park where we can see it, or where others will be able to see it easily, just to reduce the chance of theft. Nothing irreplaceable goes in them.

 

[WDWorld2003]

We've had a Thule for four years and have taken it on several long trips out west and used it for all of our camping gear. It has never leaked through many mountain rain storms, etc. (Also, Thule and Yakima have good resale value). It's also nice because the hard shell locks tight so there's very little chance of theft. Our van was left out overnight several times at hotels.

We bought bigger than we thought we needed and we're glad we did as we fill up every inch!!!! The downside is they are hard to store. My husband rigged up a pulley system and it hangs in our garage. Good luck with your decision - we love ours! It has a bumper sticker from every place we've visited!

 

[Mickey Fan in PA]

Thank you for all the valuable information. The reason I thought the hardshell were not waterproof because their description never lists it as a feature. I've only seen "water proof" or "water resistant" as a feature when a manufactuer describes a soft case. Are the hardshell really waterproof?

 

[crz4mm2]

We bought a soft one a couple of years ago. Used it right after we bought it. It is 'water resistant' but NOT waterproof. We ended up in rainy weather and the inside was very wet. I wrapped our suitcases in garbage bags and didn't have a problem after that. Had I known it wasn't waterproof, I would have bought the hard shell one.

I would definately get the hard one

Cathy

 

[WDWorld2003]

As I stated above, our Thule has been through many rainstorms and never leaked. If you buy a hard shell, I would stick with Thule or Yakima though even if they are more expensive. I think in the long run you'll be glad you did and will get many years of service from it.

 

[NotUrsula]

Just FYI, I was in our local Galyan's yesterday and they were having a clearance on some Thule models. That might be just that store, or Thule might be discontinuing some models right now; it might be worth checking into.

 

[Lucky4me]

We have a a hard shell from Sears that's 10 years old. We've traveled in rain, sleet and snow and it's never leaked once.

 

[IMISSDISNEY]

Last February I purchased a soft roof top carrier from Target for our trip to Disney .I can't remember the exact price but I think it was under 50.00 . It was water resistant not waterproof but we did wrap the luggage in construction grade garbage bags and everything was fine. The name brand was Axius and it has 15 cubic feet of space. Hope this helps.

 

[monarchsfan16]

We have a Thule and it's completely waterproof. They're made of hard plastic, nothing's getting in there. They also lock, which is great, leave the car wherever. We use it all the time when we go up north (NH) to go cross country skiing, usually for the skis. We use it also when we hit the outlets, because there just isn't enough room in the trunk for everything we buy (we're BIG shoppers). We've had that thing out in blizzards, ice storms, rain storms, you name it, and the only thing that gets inside it is if you're loading it and it's raining/snowing, etc. But it's great, and we're happy with it.

The soft ones are not water proof at all. One of my girl scout leaders used them for some stuff when we went on a weekend "camporee". We hit a nasty thunderstorm on the way and everything inside it was soaked. Was very glad my stuff was in another car.

 

[drogerstn]

We have been happy with the soft one we bought at Wal-Mart for around $30. We have only used it once a year for three years. If we used it more often, I'd consider investing into a hard-side carrier because I think they'd be easier to load and unload and be more secure and they are waterproof.

Three things I like about the soft-sided carrier: 1) low cost; 2) takes up very little storage space when not in use (ie. box on the shelf in the garage); and 3) easy to mount onto the roof of our vehicle.

As mentioned in other posts, we put items in a plastic bag if we want to keep them dry.