oWo School Me On Roof Top Cargo Carriers

"Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW!" (theduckduck) 09/05/2018 at 13:37 • Filed to: None

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I have to drive from SE Minnesota to New Jersey next  weekend for a wedding and while we are out there we are going to stop in Philadelphia to visit my wife’s Grandma. Her Grandpa passed away last year and there are some tools that we have been offered we are only going to be gone for 5 days. I am looking at ordering this:

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What say you oWo?

Mazdarati for your time

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 09/05/2018 at 13:50

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That looks like a good way to go. Soft roof carriers always end up being loud, and that gets really old  after about 50 miles.

Ash78, voting early and often > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 09/05/2018 at 13:55

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A well packed roof bag is superior in most ways, at least for occasional use. We have one from Keeper and paid about $50 on Amazon almost 10 years ago — still in mint condition. No discernible wind noise and only lost about 2mpg (my estimate after several 1,000-mile trips) which is about on par with most “fat” roof boxes. I recommend putting down a rug pad or something with rubber mesh, both to protect your roof and to keep the bag from trying to slide around if it’s not fully cinched.

The main advantage is that when you arrive at your destination, the bag can be broken down and tossed in the trunk, so you’re not toting empty space around during your trip, nor advertising yourself as a tourist.

The bigger advantage to a box is “everyday use” — better security, more permanent storage, convenience. If I had a small car, I’d probably have a box on there most of the time. But you definitely pay for it.

Most people with bags you see on the road have them halfway (or half-assedly) loaded, so they flap around. They’re more efficient when fully packed.

Textured Soy Protein > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 09/05/2018 at 13:56

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Driving halfway across the country for a wedding sounds terrible, as does spending money on a roof box, but at least this particular roof box has a hot rod brand name on it.

My wife’s uncle’s grandson recently invited us to a wedding in Arizona. They know us so well that they mailed it to our old address in Wisconsin (we moved to Maryland in April) and used my last name for both of us even though my wife hyphenated her name when we got married...2 years ago. 

The invitation stated that gifts in the form of Costco gift cards or “cash for the honeymoon,” would be greatly appreciated.

We’re not going.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 09/05/2018 at 13:56

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my first thought was (given that you have a hitch) to see what it would cost to rent a UHaul trailer. It would give you much more space. That then lead me to the listofcraig

https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/tro/d/open-trailer-wood-metal-frame/6681636823.html

So Shiney. So Chrome! So Frunky > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 09/05/2018 at 13:59

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I do a similar drive (Detroit to almost Philly) and I put the biggest cargo box I could on my car to deal with the added bulk of Xmas gifts and whatnot. I think the side opening ones are easier to use but as they are usually the more expensive ones you may just want to deal with the inconvenience if you only need it once. I use mine every year.

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > Textured Soy Protein 09/05/2018 at 14:20

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I don’t know the couple getting married, they are my wife’s friends but they are very good friends. I don’t mind driving at all. There is a toolbox that potentially had my name on it so that’s motivation. Also my wife gets to see her Grandma and I think that’s pretty important. I can understand your feelings about the wedding you're not going to though.

Textured Soy Protein > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 09/05/2018 at 14:54

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Part of my distaste for your trip is it's hard for me to wrap my head around the idea of that much driving for a short visit.

tromoly > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 09/05/2018 at 15:07

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That needs a rack, do you currently have one?

vicali > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 09/05/2018 at 15:25

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If it was a one time thing I would look at soft bags. It might not be the solution for tools though..

We had a Skybox 21 back when the kids had strollers and diapers to take everywhere;

It worked great and carried everything, you wouldn’t notice it at all except for the dive in mileage. We bought it used for $500, had it for 5 years, and sold it for $500 ( 303 is your friend).

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > Textured Soy Protein 09/05/2018 at 16:18

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Yeah, I agree but we can't afford plane tickets at the moment. Oh well. It's still an escape right now for both of us even if most of it will be spent driving there and back.

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > tromoly 09/05/2018 at 16:19

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Just got the aero bars that are on the roof.

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > vicali 09/05/2018 at 16:19

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The plan in my head is to put the as much as possible inside the car. Tetris is my spirit animal.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 09/05/2018 at 16:43

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I bought a used Thule cartop carrier off Craigslist. It’s a bit long for my car, but it works great on top of something with a longer roof like our old Explorer or our Outback.

The only real issue I have is unwanted movement. On my car, the stock bars are aerodynamic and don’t resist vertical movement very well. The carrier can start bouncing and will continue doing that no matter the size, distribution of the load or the speed. A set of thicker bars fixes that problem (it doesn’t happen on the Explorer or Outback.

My advice is to make sure your bars are adequate. Thin/aerodynamic is quieter, but in my experience, doesn’t carry the load very well.

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > TheRealBicycleBuck 09/06/2018 at 08:25

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Well it would be going on a 2012 Outback so sounds like I will be okay.