I know that quite a few people have been successfully using the OEM roof rack system with cargo boxes. I am about to order the OEM roof rack for our Clubman from Outmotoring.com, but I am considering ordering the Thule Quest soft bag to go on the car. Has anyone ever used one of these bags? They are 13 cubic feet of space and seem like they would work well. The thing that is attracting me is that it is only $80 compared to one of the expensive boxes....and you can fold the bag up and stuff it in the car if you are not using it. Any input would be great....thanks all!

-Chris

 

The problem with the "Bags" is that they require a flat surface to sit on. They Can Not mount to the OEM Roof Rack very well.

Although it is stated "It easily attaches to aftermarket and factory installed roof racks" that is not really the case with the MINI OEM Roof Rack.

The OEM Roof Rack spaces the bars about 29" apart so the bag would have to sit on the roof and up over the rear bar. The instruction tell you to mount the front of the bag behind the front cross bar and then start loading the bag, and drape the rest of the bag over the rear bar if the bar space is less than 40" (length of bag).
Here is the link to the instructions.
http://www.thuleracks.com/instructio...102,%20846.pdf

You do not state if you have a sunroof. If you do this bag will sit directly on the sunroof and IMHO that would be a really BAD situation. Thule does not specify in the instructions any restrictions about sunroofs but I would not put anything like this on the sunroof.

One thing that Thule does state is "This product will NOT prevent dents from improper loading, securing or driving".

IMHO this would be something i would want to stay away from. Yes there are the benefits to this bag like its ease of storage when not in use and price, but the damage it might cause is worth much more. For example how much would it cost to repaint the roof of your car after it is scratched and dented, a lot more than a solid box will cost.

 

We have a sunroof on the Clubman, but we rarely use while driving....almost never when I am in the car. Would it help if a board or some sort of flat brace were put inside the bottom of the bag to keep it rigid?

 

I use a roof bag on my Sportsrig Trailer (Which is just a roofrack on wheels). It works great. But, I think schatzy is right, you need to find one that will fit. Check out amazon.dot.com - there are tons of choices/sizes out there. Get one that will fit between the rails. A soft-sided bag on the rails would be a PITA. I'm also guessing it would be extra noisy (not something I need to worry about since my car blocks the wind from the trailer), and not as secure. Read the reviews on Amazon.
Be aware that I've seen several complaints of the paint on the roof of cars getting scratched when dirt gets between the bag and the car.
Be careful that you get one that attaches to either the side bars or the cross bars, whichever you want, but most don't do both.

Bags vs boxes
can be broken into, even lockable ones can be slashed
are more amenable to different-szed items
are lighter
are cheaper
Both will decrease your gas mileage
the waterproofness of bag has been debated quite a bit

 

I have broken into my hard box and it was rather easy with a large screw driver. Probably only a few seconds longer than if someone slashed a bag.
Definitely agree, but they do not make good items for transporting skis, poles, snowboards or anything with a sharp edge.
I have two boxes (Yakima Rocket Box 16 cuft and Thule Vista 12 cuft) (the vista is about 15 years old) both weight less than 25 lbs each. I had a bag at one time and it weighed in at about 19 pounds.
Yes they are
I have very little if any loss of mileage with my box on. In fact it was on all winter and I would say there was no decrease in mpg. I will be using it this weekend on a trip to Maine so there will be 5 hour test drive of the mileage when it is on during the summer.
I also find that stuff gets wet inside my hard box at times. A lot of that depends on how much water is on the road and how hard it is raining. But when I had the bag i would always put the contents in plastic bags as the bag, although "water resistant" did not keep anything dry.

 

I am using the Quest on my Clubman for the first time next week. Just installed this on the OEM base rack system... http://www.discountramps.com/rooftop-cargo-rack.htm
...although I got it for about $15 less shipped by buying it on ebay. Its not perfect however as I could only use two of the stock clamps though today I drilled a couple more holes in the sides so the mount rails could be moved in order for the other two mounts can be used ....works great! I havent actually put luggage in the Quest yet though I did fit it on the rack and it seems to fit almost perfectly. BTW I like this rack as its only 2 1/2" high vs others which are 4+ inches high. Will be traveling from WNC to WNY next week and when I get back I'll try to remember to post an update!

 

One other thing to think about is the fact that these bags need to be filled up or the loose part of the bag can start flapping around.

Used ours once, won't use it again unless it is packed full.

 

We have used these in the past, one of the reasons we went with the Roof Rails (easy install for the bag). We were able to pick up a couple of these from Harbor freight for not that much dough.

1. They are most certainly not weather proof. Resistant maybe but not "proof". We end up wrapping things in plastic before they go in the bag as someone recommended prior here.
2. As with anything DO NOT OVERLOAD! Don't try to put 200lbs of crap in there...it may fit but your roof may not hold it!
3. Put soft things on the bottom to help prevent damage to the roof.
4. You can also put down a moving pad below the bag to prevent scratching on the roof. The vinyl on the bags does not work well with paint....LOL.

Good luck in your quest to find the best one!

 

I used to work for the company that makes Rola and can highly recommend their bags. Many features that are better than the Thule,Yakima units. Look at the platypus bag in particular. Rola has their own website or there are several web outfits selling the product.

www.rolaproducts.com

 

My understanding is that in the MINI Accessories book they have at the dealership says the cargo carrier rack is required IN ADDITION TO the base roof rack install to hold the bag. I don't remember what it was going for there, but I think it was like 200+ which is the main reason why I haven't purchased one yet.

The cargo carrier rack is a wire rack that provides a flat surface for things to sit on (like this bag, or a suitcase or two) a few inches above the roof so no paint is damaged.

 

I use the Thule 630 Ranger and love it. It's a bag so it rolls up and can be stored easily but it has a hard bottom so it doesn't rest on your roof:

http://www.amazon.com/Thule-630-Rang...8786903&sr=8-1

 

There and back again....

About 1,500 miles...no prob. My set-up performed suberb! Here we are at REI in Pittsburgh.

 

I haven't had any experience with the bags, but I recently splurged on one of the travel boxes:



I just drove through a pretty bad thunderstorm up in NY today, and it kept everything pretty much bone dry.

The bikes on the other hand were a different story.