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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
48 of 50 found the following review helpful:
 Great Product - Beat any overhead unit! Aug 20, 2008
By Steven Brockmiller
"Traveler"
We took a family vacation in our SUV with 7 passengers and did not have any room to spare for luggage. I started reading reviews all over the internet for cargo carriers. I came across this backpack carrier and was alittle hesitant. All the overhead reviews that I read, the customers were concerned over 2 main points. First was the effect they would have on their gas mileage and second water entering their carriers during rain storms. Well we drove from Texas to New York, then to Florida and back to Texas, over 4300 miles and plenty of rain in between. We were able to load ALL of our luggage in to this carrier, got great gas mileage and most of all it never got a drop of water in the carrier at all. Another great ppoint is that with the overhead carriers, it is really hard to access you stuff during a trip, with this carrier it was a snap. I was totally 100% satisfied with this product and would recommend it to anyone that travels.
21 of 22 found the following review helpful:
 Great Product Jun 13, 2009
By Linda D
As we were looking for a car top carrier we came across this car back carrier and thought it would be ideal for a trip with our grand kids since we needed the back of our car open for our dog. It worked perfectly on our trip and we plan to use it in a few months to take our grand kids to Yellowstone! We also noticed several people behind us on the road writing down the name of the carrier! The only two items that I think could be improved are 1. The carrier needs a more rigid bottom. We had to put a piece of plywood in the bottom of the carrier and 2. Since it covers up license plate it should have a way of attaching the plate securely to the carrier. We took our plate off the car and taped it in our back window but since our windows are tinted it was hard to see it.
17 of 18 found the following review helpful:
Great carrier, same gas mileage Jul 20, 2009
By Jack-of-All-Trades
I evaluated 100+ cargo storage devices. I rolled the dice and went with this unconventional solution. Though the PackRight is rated for 100 pounds, the volume capacity is perfect for sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, etc. Installation only takes minutes and requires only 1 person. My first install was 20-30 minutes. My second install was only 5-10 minutes since my straps were already set for my vehicle. For our next trip, I will try to find a way to bolster the bottom of the bag. It was supportive but did tend to sag. *** Now for a word of warning. I was pulled over by a Colorado State Trooper and given a warning. He could not see my license plate and my home state does not require a front vehicle plate. In the future, I will move my plate to the front of the vehicle and put a dummy paper copy on the PackRight.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Almost perfect Jul 25, 2011
By Andy G
We used this recently for a 2,300 mile trip in our Toyota Sienna and it worked very well. We were taking extra people in our van and just couldn't fit everyone's luggage. The construction seemed very sturdy. Between the over-top straps and the belt passed around the rear door, it felt to me that the bag was very well secured. The saddlebag was rock solid and did just what we needed. We only had a little rain to judge by, but it kept things dry through that.
Our Sienna has a horizontal rear light array, which means the saddlebag covers the reverse lights, leaving the brake and turn lights visible. I called Rightline about this and they believed that was highway-legal. After reading around a bit (caveat: I'm not an expert!) my impression is that we'd be legal without the reverse lights -- understanding that we needed to be extra careful in parking lots since people wouldn't be able to tell by the lights that we were about to back up.
My only real gripe, and what keeps me from giving it five stars, is the support on the bottom of the bag. As several others have commented, you'll really want to create a firmer support. The plastic insert that comes with it is--and I hate to use this phrase for an otherwise well executed product--really pretty silly. Unless you're transporting foam packing peanuts, if you decide to use the provided plastic insert your bag will look nothing like the nice square package shown in the marketing photos. That's not the end of the world, but the thing sags pretty low without more support. You can use the plastic insert as a template for making something better. Since my circular was broken I cut several heavy-duty pieces of cardboard and duct taped them together. That worked okay, but next time I'll use plywood. It would increase cost, shipping costs, and package size, but Rightline could make this a near-perfect product by including a non-silly bottom support--or at least an option to purchase one separately.
Because of the 100lb weight limit we decided to store mainly soft, light things in the bag: sleeping bags, towels, light groceries, and the like. That also made it easier to lift for strapping in place. Lifting it to strap it was a little cumbersome (a 2-3 person job). However, though I've never used a rooftop carrier, I'm sure the saddlebag was much more convenient than that. And I had no trouble unstrapping it and lowering it to the ground solo, though granted I'm over 6' and it might have been trickier for a smaller person.
Downside compared with a rooftop carrier: you have to think carefully about what you put in the bag vs. in the back of the van since the bag prevents access to the rear.
We stayed overnight a couple of times and had the question you'd have with any external carrier: deciding whether to leave it outside or unload it for the night. The saddlebag made this easier than it would have been with a car-top carrier: we unstrapped the bag, dropped a couple of seats, and moved the still-loaded saddlebag inside the van for the night. It was a snug fit but not too challenging. Then when we reached our destination we put the fully-loaded saddlebag on a luggage cart and took it up to our room for unloading. We kept it in a closet then reversed the process when we left. Very convenient.
I also wondered whether anyone would mess with it when we were at a rest stop or restaurant, since the bag is within easy reach and only a zipper-pull away from full access. Fortunately the zippers had holes large enough to accommodate a standard-sized lock. That wasn't seriously secure and wasn't meant to be, just a small deterrent for an unlikely situation.
This is a clever and creative solution to external car storage. Overall we're very happy with how the saddlebag worked.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Great solution for extra room needed while traveling Nov 30, 2010
By campfiregirl
We have a family of 6 and a minivan, so when we went camping this summer we needed more room to take our gear. I purchased this product and by far this is worth every penny. I have used roof top carriers in the past, but never again. This pack hangs off the rear of the vehicle and does not create any drag. You will not notice it there. I cut a piece of plywood to lay at the bottom of the bag for more support and loaded it with gear. We travelled 11 hours each way with no problems.
Also, when the trip is over, just fold it up and put it away for the next use. No problems with storage like with those big hard shell roof top carriers.
This is a 5 star product.
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