Product Description

This folding roof top carrier adds plenty of extra storage space to vehicles and folds flat when not in use. It's easy to assemble, provides 13.5. cubic feet of storage, and features a 2-piece lightweight aluminum frame with rugged rainproof material for added durability.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1889 in Automotive
• Brand: Rola
• Model: 59150
• Released on: 2007-04-13

Features

• Adds 13.5 cubic feet of storage
• Folds flat to a 3" height to reduce wind drag and promote fuel efficiency
• Zippered access panels on the sides and rear make loading and unpacking quick and easy
• Installs easily with universal mounting hardware that fits round, square, and most factory OEM racks
• Measures 57" x 33" x 17" when opened to capacity

Customer Reviews

Collapsible stuff-stuffer
Excellent product, good experience.

My wife flew from Oregon to Arkansas to drive our daughter back from college in our BMW325 after graduation. Stuff accumulates, especially if you get an art degree. I wanted to make sure we could bring back as many of those $300/credit hour paintings as possible. We own a sleek locking Yakima clamshell carrier for our SUVs in Oregon, but it was too big to check as luggage with SWAir, and too expensive to ship via UPS or other shipper. Complicating the matter, we also have 2 sons who just finished their freshman and sophomore years at college in Oklahoma. We will be making cross-country road trips for several years so I decided to buy a new topper and have it shipped to my daughter.

Carriers come in 2 basic types: clam-shell plastic cases, and nylon "sail-bags". The clam-shell cases are great, but the good ones are expensive and difficult to store in a dorm room. The bags look ridiculously awkward and fuel-inefficient. They hold their form in the pictures (is that a good thing?) but they must blimp out when you strap them down. That bothered me too - I don't like the idea of strapping a bag on the roof with no airflow below. The Rola carrier seems to be the only product with the best of both worlds. My wife and daughter's fiancee installed it in minutes with no problems. It sits up nicely on a rack and holds its form even when fully packed. It doesn't have any locks, but you can easily add them to secure the zippers.

After 2100 miles, rain showers in Colorado, Idaho, and Oregon, there were no leaks, no air noise or rattles at any speed (up to 75-80mph), no rips or tears, and no other damage. All surfaces and parts made the trip in good working order. The aerodynamic front airfoil catches bugs, but they wash off easily. There was a decrease in mpg from normal driving, but I expect most of it was related to the weight involved - 2 passengers up front and every square inch of space in and above the car packed to the gills. I think their mileage (20mpg) was comparable to what we would have seen with our Yakima carrier. In short, it was a great product for our application. The boys will take it back to school in the fall, fold it up and store it under the dorm bed. Ship-shape.

Having to return the item
The unit arrived without any outer packing, just in the point of sale type box. That was not sturdy enough to hold and despite FedX adding tape during shipping, there were several wide-open gaps in the box when I received it.
Expecting the worst, I immediately began assembly to make sure there were no parts missing.
Assembly is not easy. Instructions are clear. The time involved is mostly spent trying to stretch the fabric enough to jam the aluminum frame in. Once completed, the unit appeared to be well made and pretty much what I expected.
Here's when the major problem developed. I attempted to place it on my MDX and the holes would not line up with the factory installed roof rack. This was a surprise since I had called and confirmed that it would fit. It does not.
I called Rola tech support and after some research a helpful tech told me that for some reason the unit had been redesigned since being tested with the MDX. Hole placement has changed. Well, I have now tested the unit with an MDX (o4) and it does not fit.
I will attempt to mend the box enought to ship it back.

Held up in all weather conditions
I recently purchased this roof top carrier for my family's drive from Minnesota to South Carolina. The first day we had this carrier, one of the straps ripped off where the front panel attaches. This was before we had it on top of the truck or anything in it. It came apart right at the seam- a major defect in the stitching that should not have been overlooked by the manufacturer. Being that we only a few days before we left MN, we had no choice but to find a quick fix (which included heavy duty glue and a very strong sewing kit.) The other downside is the handles on the sides flap in the wind creating a very annoying sound so we had to do a little MacGyvering with rope.
We drove a total of 1300 miles in 3 days and it held up GREAT- better than expected!! The day we left MN is was -15 degrees and we encountered strong winds, snow, ice, rain, and warm temperatures in the south. We packed the carrier with a fold up stroller, 3 large totes filled with clothes, a garment bag with suits, and a large duffel bag that weighed about 50 lbs. with more clothes and blankets. Not one single item was wet or affected by the weather. This carrier is easy to install, easy to pack and unpack and perfect for storing in small places. It would have earned all 5 stars from us, if we did not have the issue of the strap coming apart. It is worth the money and we look forward to our next road trip with all the stuff we can bring!