I purchased the Roof Top Cargo Bag for a trip from Maryland to New Mexico. It was a four-day drive of around 8-9 hours per day. I was able to put a lot more than I thought would fit in the carrier. We used space bags for some of our clothes and bedding, duffel bags for our luggage, and I had two large Rubbermaid totes for some items I didn’t want to throw away but the movers wouldn’t take (aerosols, glues, paints, etc).
I purchased some non-slip drawer liner (around $7.00 at Wal Mart) to place between the carrier and the roof so it wouldn’t slide around in transit. I cut the roll in half and it was just longer than the Sherpak, so it worked great. The carrier did not side around at all. I also bought two camping sleep pads to place inside the Sherpak to protect the roof of my vehicle from the weight of the boxes in case there was any bouncing, these were $10.00 each and I will use them while camping.
It took a bit of experimenting with packing configuration to get the best fit, and as I told my wife would happen-by the morning of the last day, we finally figured out how to pack it so it had the lowest profile and best fit.
I had also purchased a set of ratchet tie-downs in case the included straps were insufficient. This was completely unnecessary. The straps that came with the Sherpak were very strong but a little difficult to adjust.
I would say the only hassle with the carrier is that it is necessary to unpack it every night because it could easily be cut open with a knife and all your stuff stolen. When we unpacked the carrier we simply placed all of our non-essential items in the car and took our luggage inside. It only took about 5 minutes in the evenings and 10-15 in the mornings. Not bad at all.
During our whole trip, we never encountered anything more than a light sprinkling of rain so I can’t attest to how well it did (or didn’t) protect the items inside from moisture. However, I noticed that depending on how we packed the Sherpak, the top cover would sometimes cover more of the sides than at other times. If I had one suggestion for the manufacturer, I would suggest that they put straps/buckles from the top of the cover to the bottom of the lower half of the carrier in order to keep the sides in tight. At one point when I thought we were going to hit some rain, I got out and duct-taped the top half to the bottom to ensure no water could get inside. The tape also peeled off easily and didn’t leave any sticky residue (I removed the tape the same day I had put it on). Overall I feel this is a great product (more expensive, but far better than any others I looked at). The material is very tough and seems like it will last many years of occasional use. I would say its only disadvantage is that it is not lockable so it has to be removed at the end of every day if you are on a multi-day trip.
MATERIALS – RF-Welded Seams for Maximum Water Protection, Deeply Recessed Zipper, and Heavy Duty UV-Resistant 19oz Abrasion Resistant Vinyl Keeps Your Storage Secure and Dry
HEAVY DUTY – Using Self Repairing #10 Coil Zippers, Heavy Duty Buckles, and 6 Utility Strength D-Ring Lash Points
VERSATILE – Universal Fit on All Car and SUV Rooftops Without the Use of Roof Racks — Fits on Front and Sidebars as Well
EASY INSTALLATION – Straps Quickly and Easily to Cars Without Rack Systems
DIMENSIONS – 18″ x 40″ x 48″ CAPACITY – 566L/20 Cubic Feet
