We love to travel as a family because we enjoy showing the kids their world, seeing new sights, and trying new things. Lately we have been in a road trip groove. Last summer it was a Northeast road trip and the summer before that it was a Southwest road trip. We love family road trips, but we seem to have a ton of luggage which makes loading the car challenging. Renting a bigger car is one option but we discovered a more affordable option that solves the cargo capacity problem for good- a car top cargo carrier. I looked around at the various car roof top carriers available and compared options, prices, and reviews. I decided on the Car Top Cargo brand. They agreed to provide a Car Top Cargo 18 Cubic Ft roof top cargo carrier for review.
18 Cubic Ft Car Top Cargo Carrier Review
We knew we needed a Car Top Cargo carrier to create more room for both our kids and our gear on road trips. No one likes being squished up with their luggage all around them for hours on end! The Car Top Cargo Carrier’s durable 4 season HDPE construction has an aerodynamic design. This helps to reduce wind resistance and aids in fuel economy.
The Car Top Cargo carrier comes in a 9 cubic ft size and an 18 cubic ft size. We have a family of four and a large dog who takes up most of our cargo “trunk” space. Clearly, the larger Car Top Cargo carrier made good sense for us. We have a small SUV, a Mazda CX5, and the 18 cubic ft size fits it just fine. I was also pleased to learn that the Car Top Cargo carrier is lightweight. Even I can easily lift it for placement or storage. I was also amazed to learn just how much stuff can fit into a car top luggage carrier!
Car Top Cargo Carrier Installation
The Car Top Cargo Carrier installation is pretty easy. The only trick is that it must be mounted on a roof rack with cross rails. So you either need to have those already (like I do) or get those installed.
There are no special tools required. You just lift the Car Top Cargo Carrier onto the top of your vehicle and gently rest in on your roof rack. Then you use the u-shaped mounting brackets to secure the four corners onto the roof rack by sliding them through the pre-drilled holes in the carrier, covering with mounting plates, and securing in place with threaded knobs. There are more detailed instructions to help you step by step with photos. Or you can watch a quick video is see how it is done.
More Than Just A Car Top Luggage Carrier
You will be pretty amazed at just how much stuff can fit into the Car Top Cargo Carrier and it so much more than just a car top luggage carrier. You can fit strollers, golf bags, camping gear, boating gear, or sports gear! This car accessory basically doubles your trunk space (depending on your current car model). It is rated at 110 pounds of evenly distributed cargo as it’s weight carrying capacity.
We are excited to be able to fit everything we need for our next beach trips including our inflatable stand up paddle board and my husband’s fishing gear.
The cargo carrier is water resistant, but not waterproof. This basically means it should keep out the rain on your road trips but you can’t drop it in a pool! The carrier includes a limited lifetime warranty to be free from manufacturing and materials defects.
When the Car Top Cargo Carrier isn’t serving you as the perfect vehicle storage or luggage box for road trips, you can simply remove it and store it away. Unlike other car top carriers, it nests neatly together, so it takes up little space in your shed, garage or basement.
So now that you know how useful a car top cargo carrier is for solving all your family road trip space problems, you probably want to know how much it costs and where you can get one.
How Much Is A Car Top Cargo Carrier And Where Do I Get One?
Both Car Top Cargo carriers are priced very competitively at under $300. The roof top cargo carrier will come in handy for spring break, summer, and any other trips. That is the beauty of it. For one low price, you can permanently increase your car’s cargo space.
You can purchase the Car Top Cargo carriers at stores such as Advance Auto Parts, Tractor Supply Co., Camping World, Menards, and more. You can even get it through my Amazon affiliate link below!
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