You cannot just go ahead and put a roof bag on your vehicle if your vehicle has a sunroof. You need to confirm whether you can use a roof bag on your sunroof or not.
Can you put a roof bag on a car with a Sunroof?
You cannot put a roof bag on a sunroof unless you have crossbars and roof racks way above the glass. Placing your roof bag directly on a sunroof can lead to the glass breakage, because the glass is not designed to hold very weighty items.
So, it is advised to install roof racks on your sunroof to help distribute the weight of your roof bag evenly and reduce pressure on the glass.
All the better if your vehicle comes with pre-installed crossbars, since that will make it easier to place your roof bag on it. The roof bag will spread its weight conveniently on your roof racks without affecting the glass of the sunroof below.
How much weight can you put on a sunroof – this is important
The sunroof is capable of holding between 50 to 200 pounds depending on the type of sunroof, whether normal sedan sunroof or panoramic sunroof.
The sunroof is quite different from the normal kind of vehicle roof. Because of this difference, there is a difference in the weight that the sunroof can hold.
You should take note of this and ensure that you do not go above this weight limit. If you do you are only jeopardizing yourself and other road users. You should take this seriously.
| Types of Sunroof | Expected Weight |
| Normal Sedan Sunroof | Between 50-80 pounds |
| Panoramic Sunroof | Between 120-200 pounds (Avg is usually 165 pounds) |
Let us take a look at how you can put your roof bag on a sunroof.
How to put roof bag on a sunroof
Putting a roof bag on a sun roof is not so different like when you want to put a roof bag on an ordinary roof. The important thing there is that there should be installed crossbars on the sunroof.
One thing you should take note of is that you should not put a roof bag directly on a sun roof because of the weight on the roof bag. It may affect the sun roof.
What you should do is that you should install a roof bag at first. That is what will be explained in this segment of the article.
Get the roof ready
You should first of all make sure the roof top is free from any form of dirt.
If there are dirt on the roof top of the vehicle, it could disturb the anti-slip mat and could also cause some scratch on the top of the vehicle.
You should take note of this as it will help you have a smooth installation of your roof bag on a sun roof.
Make sure that the glass is also closed and not open. When you want to install the roof rack where you will place the roof bag on, it will obviously cover the sunroof. You should expect that.
Ensure that your crossbars are tightly fixed
This is important when you intend to ensure that your roof bag will stay rigid on the sunroof. You need to ensure that the cross bars and roof racks are well fastened and tightened.
You wouldn’t want your roof bag to cause a rood accident, will you?
Install your roof rack on the sunroof
The roof rack is where the roof bag will sit when you want to put it on the sun roof. With the roof rack you will be able to tighten the straps of the roof bag on the roof rack to enable stability while you are on transit.
Before you start to install your roof rack, it is very important that you check the manufacturer’s manual to ensure that you do not make any mistakes while installing it.
It is going to save you a lot of time and stress. You will do the installation with easy.
Put the Anti-slip mat
The next thing you need to do is to put the anti-slip mat or pad on the roof top.
The importance of putting the anti-slip mat before putting the roof bag is to help protect the sunroof from scratching.
When you buy some roof bags, some of them will come with an anti-slip mat while some of them will not.
This mat should not be neglected. If the roof bag you bought does not come with an anti-slip mat, what you need to do is to get yours immediately.
Do not try to make an installation if you do have our protection anti-slip mat ready. If not your roof bag will be slipping while you are on transit, your sunroof will also be exposed to scratching.
This is not good at all and it is not healthy for your roof at all. That is why the anti-slip mat is very important.
Put the roof bag on the roof rack
When you are done installing the roof rack on the sun roof, The next thing you need to do Is to load your roof bag on the roof rack.
Place the objects that have sharper edges in the middle of the bag and those ones with less sharp edges at the side so that the sharp edge will not puncture your bag.
When you do this, you will prevent items that have sharper edges from puncturing and spoiling your roof bag.
You should also centralize the roof bag and make sure that the heavier items are at the middle of the bag and then the lighter ones are at the edges.
Doing this will help to create balance on the roof rack and also on the vehicle.
Secure the roof bag
This is another important thing you should not neglect; it will help you to keep your roof bag safe on your roof rack.
If you do not properly secure the roof bag, while you are on a high speed, it is possible for the roof bag to slip and fall off from the roof of your vehicle.
The best way to go about this is that you should make use of the extra straps that usually comes with the roof bag to make them go under the side rails.
You should tie the end of the strap so that they do not flap in the wind. You should repeat all the process again if you have more straps.
The number of straps a roof bag has depends on the brand itself, some brands of roof bags have a more straps than the other.
This is very important, remember.
You should follow these steps religiously so that you do not miss any of them. When you do that you are actually making it very easy for you to put roof bag on your sun roof.
What should you consider before putting a roof bag on a sun roof?
If your vehicle has a sun roof and you want to put a roof bag on the sun roof, you do not need to just go ahead to put the roof bag on the sun roof, you should take note of some certain things.
This is because you are dealing with a different kind of roof from the regular ones. This one has a sun roof, with a glass on top which allows light to enter the vehicle and also for you to have a great view of the sky and you will be able to see the stars.
Take a look at some of these things that you need to consider before you put a roof bag on a sunroof.
Check the weight limit of the sun roof
Before you put anything on the sunroof, this is the very first thing you need to do. It is not just applicable to a sunroof only, but also, other kinds of roof. You should check the vehicle manual and check the maximum weight limit.
If you do not do this and you go ahead to overload your sunroof, you are simply putting your sunroof in danger and if care is not taken it will not only jeopardize you, but your passengers and other road users. You should take this seriously.
Be mindful of the sunroof glass
A sunroof obviously has a glass on it which is able to open and close at any time you want to. When you want to put a roof bag in the sunroof, make sure that it is not directly on the sunroof, this is because the weight of the roof bag could affect the sunroof.
That is why you need to first of all install the roof rack on the sunroof so that the sunroof will be protected when you are putting the roof bag on it. This is very important and you should not neglect any of it.
These two things are what you should consider before putting a roof bag on a sunroof, they are so important that you should not neglect it. Ignoring anyone means jeopardizing your sunroof.
What bag is good for your sunroof?
Rightline roof bag for sunroof
This roof bag has a 100% waterproof build, the water-resistant feature will allow you to be able to use this roof bag even while it is raining. You will not have to bother at all. That is the essence of the waterproof protection.
You will have a rest of mind that your roof bag and the luggage in your roof bag is safe when you are driving under the rain. It has a small capacity design which is 10 cubic feet of storage, designed for compact cars and can be used for vans as well.
You will find it very easy to install this cargo bag when you buy it newly, the manufacturers made it possible. The capacity is quite small, which means you will not be able to put so much in this roof bag.
The advantage of the small capacity is that you will be able to clean, and store this bag easily, because of the small size.
Pros
- Waterproof construction
- Weatherproof
- Security features
- Easy to install
- One-year warranty
Cons
- Small capacity
Final Verdict
One of the major downsides of this roof bag is the small capacity that it comes with. Why people may not like it is because it will not be able to carry a whole lot of load when you are traveling with your load. I
t limits you if you are type of person that travels by road with large luggage. If you are a family person, you may like to get a bigger roof bag with a capacity of about 15 cubic feet.
The warranty is also a very good one. With the warranty, you will be rest assured when you get this cargo bag, if the cargo bag has some factory fault, you can always take it back for it to be replaced.
You are not going to have any regrets in buying tis roof bag.
Final words on putting a roof bag on a sunroof
Now that you have realized that using a roof bag on your sunroof may not be possible if you intend to place the roofbag directly on your sunroof. You should consider using a protective pad and using cross bars/ roof racks on your car.
That way you can safeguard the glass and ensure that there is balance when you want to move your car with a roof bag ontop of it, from one place to another.
If you want to do this you ought to take note of the things you need to take note of is the weight limit of the sun roof, because overloading the sunroof could cause jeopardy.
You should take this very seriously. Also, you need to consider the glass on the sunroof. You should first of all not put the roof bag directly on the sunroof, you should make use of the roof rack. The purpose of doing this is for safety.