Right after der Scheißwagen died, we were in a pickle because all five of us needed to go up to see the outlaws in the Mazda 5 and there was no way there would be room for us plus luggage plus presents. I ran out to Walmart of all places and picked up a Rightline soft car-top carrier. It's basically an oversized, heavy-duty, waterproof duffel bag that straps to the top of car.
- It doesn't require a roof rack of any sort
- Driving in the rain doesn't seem to affect anything that's inside the carrier at all
- Inexpensive
- It folds up to a very compact size for storage
That last point is probably what I like most about it. There are some downsides, though:
- Getting it installed in the center of the vehicle can take some time since it's soft
- You run the risk of crushing what you put in the carrier when you're strapping it down
- It doesn't look as nice as one of those expensive boxes
Overall, the upsides far outweight the negatives in my view.
