Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I used this to haul a 75-pound, 74-inch-long flat-pack furniture box about 100 miles on top of a 1994 Toyota Camry, and it worked just fine. I had my doubts when I bought it. I lost an upholstered chair on the Washington, DC Beltway once -- tied it down with rope and it took off like a kite. But this Highland carrier did the job. When putting it together, save yourself some aggravation and loop the straps through the plastic bases BEFORE you attach the bases to the crossbars (the instructions tell you to do the reverse, which makes the threading next to impossible). The pieces attached firmly to the roof of my Camry, with flat metal hooks going on the sills of the open doors. Once the doors are closed there's no way the hooks can come out. Make sure the straps are tight before you close the doors. This can be a little tricky as there seemed to be some slippage through the buckles, but with a little tugging and wiggling they snugged up pretty well. Note that the rubber feet that fit on the plastic bases provide grip and protect your roof when the carrier is on, but they fall off easily when it's not in use. I don't know why they weren't permenently attached. The maximum recommended load is 150 pounds but I didn't test it to the limit -- the crossbars look sturdy but they're hollow metal tubes, and they bounced a little under the weight of the box. Also, the bars have a textured finish but seemed a little slippery, so I wrapped some gritty no-slip tape around them (the kind used on stairsteps) to prevent any slippage. I attached the box to the carrier with two ratchet tie-downs (highly recommended over rope). The tie-down straps were looped once around the box and under each crossbar and the box didn't budge the whole trip home. One other thing, make sure to tie up any dangling straps -- the sound of them whacking against the roof of your car can be very disconcerting. An inexpensive solution that's good for temporary use with light loads on short trips in cars that don't have roof racks.
Update: Used the carrier to haul two of the same box on the Camry, bringing the load right up to the 150-lb maximum -- rock solid all the way. I laid the long boxes side-by-side with the longest width down to spread out the weight as much as possible, then duct-taped them together and fastened them down good and tight with tie-downs and rope (Overkill? perhaps, but better safe than sorry and sued.) My next car will probably be a small SUV, but until then I'm glad I have this carrier. Inexpensive, easy to use and remove and does the job.
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