Rightline Gear Sport 3 Waterproof Rooftop Cargo Carrier for Top of Vehicle, Attaches With or Without Roof Rack, 18 Cubic Feet, Black

We planned on taking a trek down to Phoenix from Provo (and back) for Christmas with 7 people in the minivan. With luggage and winter gear, that doesn't leave much room in the van for everybody, much less presents!After looking around, I decided on this particular carrier (I actually saw it at Target.com under a different brand name and then searched for it on Amazon.com) due to it being the largest carrier I could find, being soft-sided, waterproof and reasonably priced (especially compared to some hard carriers). Before buying, though, I read the reviews here, especially in regards to it needing to be full. I was impressed the vendor took time to reply to a few comments and that the current version of the carrier resolves some of the older negative concerns (such as it not being waterproof before).Long story short, I was very pleased with it!:* It's absolutely huge - it held luggage for 7 people, a few pillows, blankets and even some kids sleeping bags.* "full up" - Because I had read about it needing to be full, I tried packing it as full as I could, but it's so big there were still a few empty spots in corners, between cases, etc... Generally speaking, though, it was as full as it could be for me to comfortably zip it up. We tied it down very tightly between the crossbars on my roof and pushed in the corners. We then drove from Provo to Las Vegas at 80MPH (there are several stretches in Utah where 80 is the legal limit, btw) in some pretty good wind. The case performed perfectly, didn't appreciably lower our gas mileage, didn't create any unbearable wind noise, stayed perfect stable (we did buy the mat to go underneath, but it wasn't really necessary) and was in perfect condition when we arrived in Vegas. After going down to Phoenix and finally back up to Provo (about 1400 miles, round trip), the case is still in great condition!* Weatherproof - we didn't get too much chance to put it to the test but the little rain we did get didn't get in the caseAll-in-all, we absolutely loved the case. It's easy to put up, holds a ton of luggage and was a great value. It was exactly what we needed for our trip!One note - if you do use the non-slip mat underneath, only use it under the back half (or so) of the carrier. We found once we hit certain speeds (especially since the speed limit is so high on I-15) that if any air got underneath the carrier at those speeds the mat would vibrate against the roof and would be incredibly loud.

I am not one to write reviews. However, I won't buy a product unless I like the reviews... lol Anyhow I only have great things to say about this product. My husband is deployed and before he left he moved all my stuff from cali to ga. I had family that needed my help during deployment, then I had to drive from ga to texas. I was nervous because I was going to have to do it by myself. So my husband order this for me instead of buying cross racks for our jeep cherokee. Now we have rails on our jeep. We bought a productive mat for the roof prior to putting this bag on top. Before putting it on top of my car I laid it out on the floor and put everything I wanted to in it so I knew what i could fit. Especially being I am a woman and once it gets put on top of my car I am not strong enough to take a 80 lb suitcase down. I was able to fit 2 80lb suitcases (laid flat) in it as well as a 50 lb suitcase (on its side) plus a couple other things stuffed between. The straps it came with are okay, but I am so happy my husband ordered some ratchet straps. My brother inlay showed me how to use them so that when I got to my destination in Texas I would know how to un strap it. It worked like a charm and I went through some crazy tornado type sever thunderstorms to wear I couldn't see 5 feet in front of me and had to use my hazards. I was worried about the bag and that it would leak, but nothing did. Everything was still dry, nothing moved around, and the bag still looked in perfection condition except for the bugs splattered all over it. The only thing I had to do was ratchet one of the straps a little tighter half way through after the crazy thunderstorm. I used 3 straps, the other 2 were fine and didn't get loose at all. This bag is amazing. Even after a 14 hour drive and crazy weather conditions it still looks brand new. Its a great quality bag and I highly recommend it.

This car carrier is useful and functional if you read and follow the instructions. I say this based on a 1,000 mile round trip from Ohio to Michigan. When we bought a 2014 CRV our hard shell carrier was incompatible with the roof rack on the car. I did an online search for something compatible with a CRV and Rightline is what came up.First off let me say that compatibility is a loose term.The 2011- 2014 CRVs have roof racks that are not adjustable so we could not move it to better accommodate the carrier. We could not fit the clips on to the CRV - the inside rim will not hold them. We bought the accompanying mat, placed the carrier on it, and fastened the straps inside as if we had no roof rack. I then used bunji cords for additional protection and fastened them from one rack to the other across the of the carrier. That secured the load just fine. We held 70mph for a lot of the expressway driving.Packing the carrier is an adventure the first time. We packed for two weeks of camping. We used old suitcases for the towels and peripherals and positioned them in each of the four corners. This gives the carrier shape and stability. We then bagged the sleeping bags, tarps, beach blankets and towels and packed out the carrier in-between the suitcases. You must make sure there is not a much wiggle room or the carrier will flap and tear. It took a try or two to get it right, but in all fairness this was the first time we used this after 25 years of using a hard shell container. You have to expect a little trial and error. For the trip back the packing went much more smoothly and everything held. The instructions caution you not to hook bunji cords to the loops on the carrier because the force could tear the loop and split the carrier. We did, however, use a couple of bunji cords through the loops and fastened them inside the car. Not necessary, but it did give an extra measure of protection without putting any stress on the loops.I give this 4 stars because it is roomy and priced fairly. I do think the compatibility was little misrepresented because the clips did not fit, and the roof rack was not adjustable to the size of the carrier. I think these items should have been noted when when I searched for a carrier compatible with the 2014 CRV. That being said i am happy with the carrier and will continue to use it.