Roof Rack Bags

[Celtoid]

Hi All,

I've got an Oval Alloy Tradesman full length roof rack on my disco.

When I go camping I always cover the contents of the rack with a tarp once I've strapped everything down. It's a pretty time-consuming way of doing things and packing is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle event.

I'm looking for an alternate and was thinking about roof rack bags. It would have to be pretty long and fairly deep.

Any recommendations?

Cheers,

Kev.

[loanrangie]

I have one i bought more than 10 years ago to fit a full length rack and i think it expanded to around 50cm high, it now has a split in one corner as i mistakedly left in on the rack while empty and the flapping around split it.
It did its job well and we were able to get all the soft items like tent and bedding in it without over loading the roof.

[POD]

We bought a bushranger rack bag to solve the problem whilst we were on an extended trip about 10 years ago. It came in it's own storage bag complete with a fairly heavy-duty elastic net. A good way to store light, bulky items such as clothing and bedding. We've never had to put it to the test in really wet weather, but it did keep the dust out on outback roads.
Problem with a bag of course is that you can't tie the contents down to the rack, unless you want to make holes through the bottom of the bag, which would sort of defeat the purpose. So no good for stuff like spare wheels & jerry cans obviously. I got a bag of a suitable size to allow me to put a couple of jerry cans behind it.

[AnD3rew]

I have a Rhino half rack bag, it is very tough and completely water and dust proof, also has very strong handles on each end and being only half rack if you load it with light stuff you can load it on the ground and then haul the whole thing up onto the rack.

Only downside is that to fully zip it and seal it and then undo it all again is a bit of a task. It is fine if you load it up and do a big drive and then unload it for a few days before you need to move on again, but of you need to get into it every night it could get to be a bit of a pain.

[G Griggs]

I have just bought one for the same reason. I use it to put clothes, sleeping bags and bedding in. It works well because it is a lot easier to keep a heap of little things strapped down and doesn't flap around like a tarp can.

[Tote]

We had a Rhino bag and were very happy with it until I managed to do up the straps too tight over a solid object in it and chafed the inner lining making it leak a little. Good bag spoilt my by stupidity:mad:

Regards,
Tote

[BMKal]

We have one that we sit on the right side of the rack and put things like camp stretchers / chairs / inflatable mattresses and bedding in. Sits nicely alongside the Oztent and still room either in front of or behind the bag for a spare wheel / couple of Gerry cans etc. Have been very happy with it so far - no leaks or problems.

Not sure what brand it is though - I bought it at one of the large camping stores.

When we had the D2 (it had roof rails and not a full roofrack) I used to pot a sheet of plywood in the bottom of the bag so that it would sit across two of the rails and not sag onto the roof in between.

[Celtoid]

We have one that we sit on the right side of the rack and put things like camp stretchers / chairs / inflatable mattresses and bedding in. Sits nicely alongside the Oztent and still room either in front of or behind the bag for a spare wheel / couple of Gerry cans etc. Have been very happy with it so far - no leaks or problems.

Not sure what brand it is though - I bought it at one of the large camping stores.

When we had the D2 (it had roof rails and not a full roofrack) I used to pot a sheet of plywood in the bottom of the bag so that it would sit across two of the rails and not sag onto the roof in between.

Yeah that's exactly the point....all those odd bits and bobs that have a habit of working loose, even with a million restraining lines.

I'd like a bag that can fill the whole rack or easily be adjusted or folded to work around larger items.

I'll look into some of the suggestions.

Cheers.

Kev.

[Celtoid]

Hi Guys,

Just thought I'd update.

I looked at quite a few options and finally went for the MSA Tourer. It comes in various sizes but was the only one I could find that ran the whole length (just about) of the rack. It's 2.1M long.

It's Vulcanised underneath, is Teflon impregnated on top. It unzips almost all the way round, creating a large flap that you can unfold the whole length of the bag.

Once you zip it back up, it has a Velcro sealed edge that goes over the zip. It also has another heavy fly that goes over the top of the whole bag....it's very well sealed.

Comes with its own securing system....about a million straps :).

It wasn't very cheap though...$470. :(

I'll post some photos when I fit it to the rack at the end of the month in prep for Moreton Island.

Thanks again for the advice.

Cheers,

Kev.