Thule Motion Rooftop Cargo Carrier Reviewed

We recently set out on a cross-country drive to visit a family member.  Since our destination was over 1000 miles away, we opted to drive only one vehicle to carry 5 adults and our dog, Merlin.

You may wonder why we took our pup with us.  He is approximately 15 years old and has arthritis.  He can no longer get up without assistance.  Leaving him in a kennel is not an option.  So, he made the trip with us.  

Merlin is a Labrador Retriever and requires as much room, or more, in the car as any adult.  We put one seat down with his bed on it so he would be comfortable on the long drive.  He was fabulous on the trip!  However, with 5 adults and a full-size doggie, we had no place for luggage.  Unfortunately, the people wanted to be able to change their clothes a few times on the trip, even though Merlin thinks that is silly.

A month before the trip, my husband spent a lot of time researching cargo carriers that would fit on top of our SUV.  He wanted one that would mount securely and would not fly off the top of the car.  He also wanted one that would minimize the drag on the car.  Plus, he wanted a reputable brand that would lock closed.  Last, but by no means least, he wanted one large enough to carry our luggage and supplies.  

Those are not unreasonable expectations for a cargo carrier on the top of the vehicle, but those combined concerns did limit options.

Before he even started looking at carriers, he looked up the manufacturer's specification for the total weight that our SUV could carry on it's roof.  We did not purchase the largest cargo carrier available.  The combined weight of the roof rail crossbars, the expected weight of the luggage, and the weight of the carrier itself,  had to be considered before the cargo carrier size was selected.

Now that we are home and our packed cargo carrier traveled over 2000 miles on the roof of our SUV, I can highly recommend the Thule Motion XT Rooftop Cargo Carrier - Large.  Not only does it have a streamline attractive appearance, it has a lightweight construction that is extremely durable.  It didn't shake, rattle, bounce, fly open, or fly off of our SUV.  Plus, our luggage was safely locked inside so we didn't have to worry about opportunistic thieves when we stopped along the way or overnight.

 

Features of the Thule Motion XT Rooftop Cargo Carrier (Large Size)

 Thule Motion XT Rooftop Cargo Carrier, Titan, Large, L (16 cu ft)
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• Exterior:  77" x 36" x 17"
• Interior offers 16 cubic feet packing space (69" x 31.5" x 15")
  
• Dual Side Opening - Opens from Either Side of the Vehicle
• When Open, Lid Has Supporting Side Lid-Lifters
• Secure Closure Indicator on Lid
  
• Offers a Quick Mount System that "Clicks" When Secure on the Recommended Cross Bars
  
• Plastic Construction
• Weight of Carrier: 42 lbs 
• Carries 165 lbs of Content
• Additional Sizes Available
  

 

Things We Considered Before We Purchased Our Cargo Carrier

First, we checked the Vehicle Manufacturer's Data for the maximum weight limit allowed for our vehicle roof rack when the vehicle is in Motion (not the weight allowed when the vehicle is parked).

We ensured the Combined Weight of the following did not exceed the vehicle manufacturer's maximum roof mounted weight specifications:

1.  Weight of the Crossbars  
2.  Weight of the Cargo Carrier  
3.  Weight of the Carrier's Contents

 

Considerations When Selecting the Right Cargo Carrier 

I am sure there are more things to consider, but these are the things we found most important to us before we purchased, mounted and loaded our cargo carrier.

 Thule Motion XT Rooftop Cargo CarrierCheck Price
1. Roof Rail Crossbars* 
   
2. The Cargo Carrier Manufacturer's Maximum Carrier Content Weight Limit (combined weight of luggage or items to carry)
3. The Cargo Carrier Manufacturer's Specified Maximum Vehicle Speed Allowed with Cargo Carrier Installed
4. Mounting Considerations (front, back, center of roof) for the carrier.  We had to consider the lift gate on our SUV
   

 *Thule specifies crossbars that are safe to use with their cargo carriers on their website.  Our selected GMC crossbars were not listed, so we emailed our cargo carrier's manufacturer to ensure the roof rail crossbars we selected were safe to use with our vehicle and our cargo carrier before we bought them.

We mounted our carrier in accordance with our vehicle manufacturer and the cargo carrier manufacturer's instructions.  Both have specific limitations and guidance on how and where to mount the rooftop carrier.

Even after we considered all of these things in advance, we still weighed each item as we were packing the carrier to make sure we were within the specified weight limits of the roof rails, the carrier and the luggage combined.

On our trip, we saw several "interesting" ways that people carried their luggage or supplies on their roof.  Looking at those terrifying and potentially dangerous "techniques", made me grateful that my husband considered safety first before putting anything on the roof of our car.  

 

The Thule Motion XT Rooftop Cargo Carrier

We did need a lightweight step-stool for loading and unloading our luggage from the roof of our SUV

 Thule Motion XT Rooftop Cargo Carrier, Titan, Large, L (16 cu ft)Check Price ACSTEP Folding Step Stool 2 Step Ladder Heavy Duty Metal Stepping Stools for Adults with Anti-SlipCheck Price

 

 

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