Outdoor Adventure USA

So we all know that putting gear on the roof rack adds weight exactly where you don't want it... way up high. But, there are times when it can't be helped, the inside of the vehicle is bursting and there is more to load. This problem is exacerbated when you drive a Land Rover so half of the carrying capacity is taken up with tools and spares!

In the past I have used Pelican cases when I need to add gear to the roof as they are tough and resistant to the elements. However, I have had a couple "beefs" with Pelicans on the roof. First of all, Pelicans are rather heavy, even when empty a 1560 weighs in at 17lbs. Two or three Pelicans on the roof (I rarely need more than one) and you can easily have 35-40lbs up high before you add gear. Another issue is that once loaded the Pelican can be pretty damn heavy, especially when you have to lift it up high. Pelicans are easy to strap down... but not so easy to strap down in such a way that you can access its contents without un-strapping.



Don't get me wrong, I have many Pelican cases and I will continue to use them. They have all served me very well and on the rare occasion that I have had a warranty issue; it has been handled quickly and easily. But I decided to try something new.

I have been using Kriega products on my moto for a few years now, the product line has proven to be well designed and of very high quality. In short, I have been very happy with every Kriega product that I have purchased (and yes I have more than a few ) Recently Kriega redesigned their US series of bags specifically to ease the mounting of the bags to the back of a moto, but also (in my mind) making them a crossover item that had potential applications in the 4x4 world.

So, for our New Years camping trip I decided to try some Kriega bags on the roof rather than the Pelican of trips past.


It was a bit odd... I usually make sure my clothes are inside the truck and tents/sleeps pads etc go on the roof. The Kriega bags are rather square in shape which would work for a sleeping bag but not a tent or pad, so I opted to put clothes in them. The Kriega US bags are dry bags, and have never let me down on the moto, so I had no reason to be nervous... but just for good measure I left three Kriega bags on the roof with our clothes for two days in the rain before we left. Just before departing I opened them up to check... dry as a bone.



I carried two US20 (20L) and one US10 (10L) on the roof (the above photo shows one of the US20 on the left and the US10 on the right) and I was very happy with how they worked.

I will post up more later with a bit more details on the rack loop mounting system.

Aaron:

That's a great way to not only shed some weight, but also to make access a little easier. Plus, if you drop one on the ground, there is not much (or anything) to break, assuming that it only contains sleeping bags, etc.

The roof rack on the vehicle becomes an indispensable storage place, especially if the family is along for the trip. In the past, even with a modestly large vehicle, my kids filled the back seat and with more clothes, bags and equipment to bring along, I was forced to come up with a way to carry the stuff that wouldn't fit in the truck. Like you, I have a fair amount of space on the roof and it seemed like the perfect place to carry the extra stuff. Thus, the roof rack, soft sided carrier was born. It closes with a zipper and has huge flaps that are kept in place with a couple of straps. With all that space available up top, things were not so crowded inside the truck and that made for more comfortable travel for the family and the driver (less squabbling because of cramped quarters).