Best Roof Cargo Boxes and Bags for Camping Trips

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If you sleep inside the vehicle, your gear has to live somewhere else, and the roof is the obvious answer. The hard-versus-soft choice is the big one. Hard boxes are aerodynamic, lockable, and genuinely weatherproof, but they cost several times more, need crossbars, and have to live somewhere when not in use, which is a real problem in an apartment. Soft bags cost less, fold flat into a closet, and some strap to bare roofs without crossbars, but zippers are their weak point in sustained rain and they billow at highway speeds if underfilled. Check your car's dynamic roof load rating (usually 100 to 165 lb including the rack) before buying anything, and remember the rating drops to nearly nothing for off-road washboard. Capacity from 10 to 18 cubic feet covers most camping loads. Whichever you choose, put light bulky things up top (bedding, chairs, tents) and keep dense weight low in the car, both for handling and for the roof's sake.