Date: Mon, 7 May 2018 09:07:21 -0700
Reply-To: Cunegonde <cunegonde.van.westfalia@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Cunegonde <cunegonde.van.westfalia@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: roof top storage container
In-Reply-To: <5aefcf49.1c69fb81.10dc8.f1ccSMTPIN_ADDED_MISSING@mx.google.com>
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We’ve tried several solutions for Cunegonde. We drove about 5-8k miles/year, a combo of fast highway and logging road bashing to improvised campsites. Not much RV or urban parking.
I’m very short, so we mostly load the luggage rack box from the *inside* of the Westy, through the front tent window. I stand on the closed kitchen lid or empty front table arm. No need to carry a ladder, but we have a folding stepstool.
We mostly gave up on the “luggage rack” except for the spare gas can. We now use a receiver hitch platform & custom box. See 4) below.
1) Large dry bags in the Westy “luggage rack” tub, the kind used for whitewater rafting, work well. They’re UV resistant, come in a lot of different sizes and shapes, hold almost anything because they’re soft, and some even have pre-installed attachment points and straps. We hold them down to the rack with webbing straps and make it more secure with a steel cable security net. And they make a great bathtub set out on the ground. Because they’re soft, slight mishaps gauging overhead clearance are survivable - and the bags can be patched while out on the road. Guess how I know. I think the main one we used was about $125 for the bag and $150 for the net (which I also use on my motorcycle luggage).
Downsides: They’re a pain to pack, not at all aerodynamic when full (we lose at least 2mpg on the freeway), the security net whistles in the wind and catches vegetation, and they wear out in about 3-4 seasons.
2) Plastic pelican-style waterproof crate sideways in the Westy “luggage rack” tub. Ours was military surplus, about 12” tall. Required custom locking steel hold-down straps for security. Very convenient and perfectly weatherproof. And a great support for off-road driving spotlights! Around $100 plus fabricating the stainless straps.
Downsides: Not the most efficient use of the tub space. Too big an mpg hit for our needs (3-4mpg: 16mpg was not acceptable for us with the 1.9l WBX engine). Unbearable wind noise at speed. We had repeated break-in/removal attempts. Fortunately the luggage rack and stirrup loops weren’t damaged.
3) Currently constructing an aluminum, flush-fitting tub cover that hinges/clips on the staples. A dry bag is going under that. The aluminum lid will open to the back (towards the poptop front window) as needed to accomodate the expanded soft bag. We currently have a prototype corrugated signmaker’s white plastic tub cover ziptied to the staples. Unloaded, with the new to us 2.1l WBX engine, I get about 19mpg at 60mph. But the main virtue is the “luggage rack” tub cover reduces some of the cabin wind noise.
4) We now carry most items on the rear bumper receiver hitch. We have a simple steel grating platform (and locking hitch pin) for random items, and an aluminum locking box the size of the platform for when we need more security. The box internalky bolts to the platform and has tiedown points on the lid for light bulky items. I made the box short enough so the hatch just clears it. No ladder needed, stuff is accessible from both outside and also from the bed under the cover of the hatch.
Downside: I had to custom fabricate the platform box; everything we could find commercially didn’t allow the hatch to open. Of course the platform makes the car about 3’ longer and gets in the way of direct hatch area access. The license plate oil/coolant is just barely usable with the box in place. And the backup/brake lights are obscured. I need to install an LED 3rd brake light inside the hatch window.
Haven’t done a significant road trip with either the receiver hitch platform or box. I’m somewhat concerned about the overhang when we’re on ungraded roads. I’ll find out soon enough! | 
