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Topic: Soft roof box

aella851

10/3/2016 at 9:18pm
Location: stafford
Outfit: artemis 600 sprite musketeer td

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Anyone use these. I tried carrying a large roof box one at 420 and 340 and i felt off balance. And trying to stand on steps as well to put it up. I can't see me wanting it permently on my car. So I thought about soft roof bags. Anyone have one and share their experiences or a smaller box

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08/4/11 - 10.04.11 grantham
11/4/11 - 15/04/11 bala
28/4/11 - 02/05/11 kingsbury water park

Back to camping after a few years off

mjdb

10/3/2016 at 9:37pm
Location: Shropshire
Outfit: Karsten 3m with sleeping unit Kos 6

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Hi, yes we have a roof bag. It's great & never let us down...never leaked & we secure it with ratchet straps over the roof bars. Its great to store as it hangs on the garage wall, just like the umbrella type camping chairs we have, & the pack size it not much bigger than 1 of the chairs.
That said when it is fully loaded & weighing in at about 45kg/ 50kg it needs 2 people to lift onto the roof.
This is 1 of the reasons we have to stop camping ....for the foreseeable future anyways as i have a dodgy shoulder & neck & can no longer help my hubby lift the bag onto the car roof.
I would recommend a roof bag, ease of storage & gave us that well needed extra space we required ...but very difficult for 1 person to lift on & off the car roof.

Maddie.

spiritburner

10/3/2016 at 9:55pm
Location: NE England
Outfit: Citroen Dispatch Campervan plus tents

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We were considering the soft Thule Ranger for our Berlingo as our old rigid box is too long. The plan would have been to pack items in dry bags & put them in the already fitted roof bag. I would lift them out before removing the roof bag once we reached our destination. I would never consider lifting the whole thing off packed even if I could manage it. These also fit securely to the roof bars like the rigid ones do so no need for straps to keep it on.

mjdb

10/3/2016 at 10:13pm
Location: Shropshire
Outfit: Karsten 3m with sleeping unit Kos 6

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Ours had fittings to fit direct to the roof bars but we felt it was more secure with ratchet straps added to the equation too. Maybe not needed but never used the bag without them.
We used to put the inflatable beds & bedding in the roof bag ...bedding in vacuum bags. Never though of attaching the bag first as flimsy & awkward to load on the roof....but again never tried it.

Maddie

spiritburner

10/3/2016 at 10:18pm
Location: NE England
Outfit: Citroen Dispatch Campervan plus tents

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The Thule one has a rigid base & is easy to fit. Also often turn up on ebay much cheaper than new.

TimCESmith

10/3/2016 at 11:26pm
Location: London
Outfit: Karsten 350 + SE CA EA RA FW & ZIG

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I have a Thule Ranger. It has never leaked a drop, but you need to fill it (not difficult - it's not exactly big) or it will flap about. You can't leave it on your car empty. If you do leave it in situ with a mind to 'get round to that in the morning' any rainfall will pool in it & make you wish bitterly that you'd deferred that beer and spent the approx 3 minutes required to whip it off and stow it. Believe me, I'm still bitter about that sneaky beer, even 3 years on.

The weird 'rapid' fixing system it comes with is all very well but ENORMOUS. Luckily I'm a wing bar type and use the wee T-bolt fixing kit which leaves some room inside for actual luggage.

Best thing is that it rolls up neatly AND has a rigid base, and it is very light to cart about. It can be a bit of a struggle to get the zips closed, but that's worth it for the waterproofness. Amazing product really, but I tend to use my big fat Farrad 640 a lot more these days.

For the avoidance of doubt, it's not physically possible to fit the Ranger onto your vehicle securely after you have filled it with stuff. You should definitely put it on the roof FIRST, and THEN put your stuff in it. Short people or those with tall cars should stand on something in order to achieve this.

aella851

15/3/2016 at 8:40am
Location: stafford
Outfit: artemis 600 sprite musketeer td

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Ive been watching one on ebay but they only hold 280l
But i know the big roof boxes i wont be able to put on as they are long and bulky.
But the tent will take up 3/4 of my car boot under the parcel shelf.
Will have to ,ale a quick desision as what to go away for two nights at easter to test new tent out

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08/4/11 - 10.04.11 grantham
11/4/11 - 15/04/11 bala
28/4/11 - 02/05/11 kingsbury water park

Back to camping after a few years off

TimCESmith

15/3/2016 at 6:57pm
Location: London
Outfit: Karsten 350 + SE CA EA RA FW & ZIG

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The big ones tend to be 20 - 30 kgs, but Farad do a 630 litre beast which is only 17.5kg. Unwieldy, but probably light enough to sling onto the roof of a normal car single handed.

purplenel

15/3/2016 at 7:33pm
Location: Stafford
Outfit: Robens Woodview 600

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We have a hard Thule one. We got it from the roof box shop in stone staffordshire - he does ex rental ones. He also, obviously, rents them out, so maybe you could try before you buy? It isn't that heavy just maybe a bit awkward. We have used it to store the tent over the winter as we don't have much space.

MrsCrafty

16/3/2016 at 12:36pm
Location: Suffolk
Outfit: EasyCamp Cosenza 600 Vango Midas 800

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We have a Handiholdall, it is 320L, and rolls up into it's own carry bag. We also purchased the Handi Duffels, so we can attach the empty bag to the roof bars and then lift the two duffels into it, admittedly has taken us a while to work out that they do get quite heavy! We tend to put the sleeping bags, clothes, shoes, coats, etc in them, leaving the boot free for the tent and associated paraphanelia.

Have been really pleased with it. Might be worth a look.

http://www.handiworld.com/handiholdall-115.html

lidds0

16/3/2016 at 4:22pm
Location: Yorkshire
Outfit: None Entered

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You might just find a Thule Backup Box and Easybase easier to manage than a roofbox. They sometimes come up for sale on ebay etc.

aella851

17/3/2016 at 8:52pm
Location: stafford
Outfit: artemis 600 sprite musketeer td

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Quote: Originally posted by lidds0 on 16/3/2016
You might just find a Thule Backup Box and Easybase easier to manage than a roofbox. They sometimes come up for sale on ebay etc.

Will need a tow bar as well as the box and rack thing. Looks really expensive

-------------
08/4/11 - 10.04.11 grantham
11/4/11 - 15/04/11 bala
28/4/11 - 02/05/11 kingsbury water park

Back to camping after a few years off

lidds0

19/3/2016 at 11:52am
Location: Yorkshire
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Yes, that's true. They're good but they're a bit pricey and especially if your car doesn't already have a towbar fitted. Scrap that idea!

Have you decided on a soft roof box / bag?

aella851

21/3/2016 at 4:23pm
Location: stafford
Outfit: artemis 600 sprite musketeer td

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I'm thinking I might have to get a small hard roof box as they got more litres inside them. As my tent will take lot of room in the boot. Will have car seat and 12 yr old in the back and a teen in the front and I'm driving. I did look at the soft top. Some good prices on eBay for the soft roof boxes. Think I'm going to wait for my tent to come. Put some of the camping bits I've already go and see how it fits in boot first then will see what I will get for the roof

-------------
08/4/11 - 10.04.11 grantham
11/4/11 - 15/04/11 bala
28/4/11 - 02/05/11 kingsbury water park

Back to camping after a few years off

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