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3 full edges, or even 1 full and 2 opposite half or 3/4 edges would have been mush easier to work with. 2 other straps were frayed even more and were close to ripping off. And tightening the straps as directed is not a good thing. I purchased this cargo bag in May 2009 after reading the reviews here on Amazon. The design should have the straps run from front to back, so the tension is not on the rubber of the bag, but on the nylon of the straps. About halfway through the return trip, one strap ripped free from the bag. In the future, I will only marginally tighten the straps, and will have to use additional rope or bungee cords to attach the bag to the car roof racks more tightly.I was teetering between 2 and 3 stars (wish there was a 2.5 option), but went with 2 because the product does not work as designed and as directed in the instructions.
I took the advice of some of the reviews on here and duct taped the straps to prevent them flapping in the wind. I'll have to see if they follow through and send a new one as stated.I don't have any trips in the near future which would require using the bag, but I have experience now to work around the design deficiencies.As for the design, the weak point seems to be where the straps attach to the bag. So I was able to get a positive response from the company, unlike some other reviewers. We made it to our destination some 550 miles later. We did have some rain, but I did not notice any water leakage, even with the ripped strap attachments.I called customer service today and was told to fax the receipt and they would ship out a new carrier bag.
Overwhelmingly positive, but after using the bag on just one trip, I have to wonder.First, the bag only zips on 2 edges, which made loading a bit of a challenge. Luckily I had bungee cords in the car and was able to secure everything to complete the trip. After our vacation, I loaded up again for the return trip. Finally got it loaded and strapped down per the instructions. No rain, so no issues there, but a few of the strap attachments were frayed.
But I haven't had a chance to use it again since then. Amazon did a great job replacing it. Hopefully I just got a bad one. The second time I used this roof carrier, one strap ripped out entirely, another two were just about gone. Good thing I checked it mid trip.
Even after 600 miles of fast highway travel the Kar Pak Carrier looks like it just came out of the box. The Kar Pak Carrier made the trip both ways without a single hitch. We'd heard nightmare stories of other people's experiences with soft carriers, but we didn't experience any of that.
We have a minivan so we normally have a lot of room for luggage. Luckily, when we bought the minivan it came with a luggage rack on top, but we still needed something to put all of our gear into.Like most people, we were vacationing on a very tight budget. My family recently made a 300 mile trek to the Gulf of Mexico.
We looked at all type of carrying accessories and the 15 Cubic Foot Highland 10391 Kar Pak Waterproof Soft-Sided Car Top Carrier was available for a lot less than other models. Highly recommended. This time though we were carrying 2 adults and 4 children.
We needed an inexpensive way to get more storage space.
Thanks Amazon . I can't believe how inexpensive the car carrier is. We love it and it is great for our summer trips with the granddaughters.
The bag seems durable, but time will tell. We used additional straps to secure the bag to our SUV on the way back home, even though it didn't need them (an additional $20 at Walmart for adjustable straps). We used the cargo bag for a 3 hour trip to and from Kansas City, all in dry weather. I will update my review, hopefully to a 5, once the bag has gone through a rain storm. And, put the zipper facing the side and back of the vehicle, not the front. The bag held more than I expected and the zipper and material were very cooperative when closing and opening the bag. Caution: Stay away from the Rain-X cargo bag if you live in a cold climate - the bag material is not flexible enough to allow the zipper to properly close without breaking the zipper or tearing the material.
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