You probably want to find a cargo carrier for carrying luggage or gear for your family on road trips or other outdoor adventures. However, there are too many options for you on the market. How to choose and judge which ones are suitable for your vehicle and your personal needs? By following this article, you can find some recommended options from us. We mainly create content around cargo carriers; after reading other posts on our site, you will gradually become an expert on cargo carriers.
Yakima SkyBox Carbonite Cargo Box
It is the first recommendation in this article. Why do you consider it in the first place? It comes from a big brand-Yakima that guarantees quality and offers effective customer service after your buying actions.
The Yakima-Skybox aerodynamic cargo box only has a black color option, and the universal black color fits all vehicles. Thus, you don’t worry that the cargo box ugly stands on your car. It has five size options for customers: 12, 15, 16, 18, and 21 cubic feet; you can choose one that fits your family size and personal needs.
It fits on most factory roof racks and Yakima round, square, and aerodynamic crossbars. Consequently, making sure that you have a pair of compatible roof racks is vital before your purchase.
The Yakima Skybox cargo box builds with recyclable plastic materials, and it is waterproof, sturdy, and durable. It protects your belongings from any harmful circumstances and extreme weather conditions. The dual-opening feature allows you to open it from both sides to load it with convenience.
You can install it on the roof rack without a tool in minutes because of its easy-to-use assemble hardware.
Shield Jacket Rooftop Cargo Bag
It is the second recommendation in this article. It is much cheaper than the first Yakima one because it is a soft cargo bag.
In general, roof bags are cheaper than hard-shell cargo boxes; if you only use a cargo carrier in a low frequency, you can consider a roof bag because it is foldable and less expensive.
The Shield Jacket cargo bag is in black, and it fits on most vehicles with crossbars. It weighs 6.84 pounds, so you can fold it and put it in your backpack. It offers you 15 cubic feet of interior space for carrying stuff for your road journeys or other outdoor activities.
You can use eight built-in tie straps to attach the roof bag to the roof bars in minutes alone. It can hold two medium-sized suitcases and two sleeping bags within its 43 x34 x17 inches body bag.
If you want to use a cargo carrier more often, you can consider investing in a roof box. You can know the differences between cargo boxes and roof bags in an article on our site.
Leader Accessories Rooftop Cargo Bag
It is the third recommendation in this article. It offers an anti-slid mat to prevent your stuff’s sliding in the roof bag while it is in motion. A 15 cubic feet of inner space allows you to pack many essentials on a road trip or a holiday camping event.
Its dimensions are 44 x 34 x 17 inches, and you can use the numbers to check if your gear or luggage box’s length or width fits the roof bag’s size.
It is waterproof and sturdy for heavy-duty jobs, and its zipper system is also durable and waterproof. Consequently, it is a considerable choice for people who wants to use a cargo bag as an added storage for their car.
We do not strongly recommend it because it gets many negative customer feedbacks on Amazon. Most complaints are about its quality, and it is ugly and hard to use.
Thule Sidekick Cargo Box
It is the fourth recommendation in this article. It is the smallest hard-shell cargo box on the market, and it only weighs 3.7 pounds. You can install it on your roof rack alone with a tool in minutes because of its easy-to-operate U-bolts hardware. It opens from the passenger side, and you have to step over to the passenger side to use it on the highways to avoid potential risks from traffic.
Its dimensions are 54 x 25 x 15.5 inches, and it only occupies a part of your roof racks; consequently, you can mount other cargo carriers or mountable gear on the rest part of the crossbars.
It comes from the Thule brand. It provides customers with eight cubic feet of storage space for stowing stuff on the roads. It fits on most factory crossbars and the Thule round, square, and aerodynamic rack systems.
EGO BIKE Universal Cargo Basket
It is the fifth recommendation in this article. It is for people who don’t like either cargo boxes or rooftop bags, and it is more compatible with carrying bikes, transporting kayaks, or holding other large stuff.
It is also easy to install with u-bolts hardware in minutes, and its materials are metal. Thus, it is super durable and sturdy. Its dimensions are 40.16 x 25.6 x 2.37 inches, and it works on most factory roof racks. Wind noise occurs while it is in motion, so you can learn some solutions to reducing wind noise in an article on our site.
Thule Pulse Cargo Box
It is the sixth recommendation in this article. There are three size options in the Thule Pulse series: Medium, Large, and Alpine. You can choose one that fits your family size and your personal needs. We have a post about this product on our site, and you can learn more in another post.
Thule Pulse Cargo Boxes Buying Guide
It fits most factory rack systems, and it is also compatible with the Thule roof racks.
RoofBag Cargo Carrier
It is the seventh recommendation in this article. It has four size options for customers, and we highly recommend the 15 cubic feet option for your family. Its price is affordable, and it is a USA-made product.
When you use it as an added storage space on your roof racks, it will protect your belongings from water, dust, and other unwanted natural materials. Its aerodynamic design reduces wind noise, but it will always affect your gas mileage in a tiny amount.
If your roof size is around 58 inches or longer, you can attach it to your side rails or crossbars with straps. The straps are seatbelt-grade products that can hold 3000 pounds of pressure. You cannot use it on a panoramic sunroof.
Conclusion
In this article, you can find some top-rated rooftop cargo carriers that can help you to transport what you want to bring on a road trip or other outdoor adventures. If you feel that rooftop cargo carriers don’t offer enough space for your stuff, you can also add hitch-mounted carriers to your car and carry even more on the roads. Most people choose to use car bike racks to carry bikes, and they choose to mount a hitch-mounted box or basket to load more large items.
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