Roof Box or Roof Bag

Marakith

Marakith

Marakith

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Joined
22 Nov 2004
Posts
412
Location
London
Hi there!

I'm about to do a LOT of driving across the UK and Europe with the family. We've got a mid-large size MPV. It has a 3/4 length sunroof and raised roof rails onto which we can mount bars.

We're looking at a roof box to get some more space. But the prices are crazy and I don't like that they're so bulky to store, so we're considering getting a roof bag instead. They're a lot cheaper and can be folded up, it seems.

Has anyone mounted a bag onto roof bars? By which I mean the roof bars that connect to roof rails and go across the car? I worry it might sag. Thought I could maybe put some tensioned bands between the roof bars to support the weight of the bag, but we'll be driving a LONG way so I don't want anything to go wrong.

Also - I'm guessing the bags aren't as waterproof as the manufacturers claim - or at least not as waterproof as roof boxes.
 
We got an Ocean 80 second hand off local market place for under £100. Was an ideal size for us. Always see them going for pretty low prices. And rail mounted aero bars arent expensive.
 
We have a Thule Ranger 90 which we used recently for a center Parcs trip and it did the job nicely. Can't advise on how waterproof it is as the weather was scorching for the week. Folds up nicely into a drawstring bag. It seems to be of a water repellent material and all the seams and zips have a waxy strip on the inside which should keep moisture out.




Can't comment on cheaper roof bags, but I'd imagine the base is made of something flat and stable. The Thule has two plastic trays at either side and the middle material between remains fairly taught.

We have also just bought a Halfords 420L roof box for an upcoming trip to Devon, as the weather has been a bit more variable lately and it will be more secure than the bag when we do an overnight stay halfway there. Picked up cheap off FB marketplace (<£100) and will likely offload it again for similar money once we are back. Takes up too much room in the garage as it's huge.
 
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I've got a couple of bags - though they go on the tonneau cover rather than roof - I've not had much trouble personally but I probably wouldn't buy them against over a box, but some of my relatives have had issues with water ingress and the straps/eyes ripping out, etc. on a variety of brands from good to no-name. For significant use rather than the odd day trip I'd lean towards a box though expensive.
 
We found a fair few roof boxes going really cheap at the local car boot sales. Enough that we were spoilt for choice, and most in barely-used condition. No-one wants them due to the storage bulk, but for £20-40, it's certainly a cheap solution.
Bonus if the mounting bars included fit your vehicle, but they can otherwise be had for about £100.
 
I have a roof bag... used it with our old nissan QQ. absolutely brilliant, you can fit more in it than a box and its more forgiving on the shape. i tended not to go mad on the weight, so it sat mostly on the glass roof of the QQ.

never did our roof any harm but i would not risk it with our new car (which has already had a replacement glass roof put in it due to a crack)

i must admit i would have preferred a box despite the advantage of the bag taking more shapes and sizes........ but we have no where to store it... the bag can be stuffed easily in the shed or attic.

btw ours is really thick water proof material and has a big flap which folds over the zip and sticks down with velcro. you drive with the part of the bag with no zip facing the front of the car. it has been 100% waterproof despite some horrendous rain.
 
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Diagro said:
Do the roof bags not damage the paint?
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ours sat on glass however if we didnt have a glass roof i would get one of those baskets which go on the roof rack and put the bag in that....... tho at that point you are starting to get to the point where you may as well just get a box as the basket has to be stored somewhere then.
 
I use a Thule roof bag on roof rails. It rolls up for easy storage, holds lots of stuff and hasn't leaked ( yet ) .
 
I'd imagine the fabric ones would weather a lot quicker if permanently left on the car, compared to the plastic/hard material. But if it's used for a few trips a year then it should last a while.
 
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