Cargo Box or Pelican Boxes on Gobi Rack

[RedStripeRanger]

Hey everyone,

Been searching the forum and internet trying to figure out the answer to my current problem... how to keep soft gear (ie clothes, tent, sleeping bags, etc) "weatherproof" on my Gobi Stealth Rack? Right now I have a Thule Atlantis 2100 but that would take up the entire rack. Since I want the ability to have fuel, water, Maxtraxs, and soft gear light stuff up top, that isnt going to work.

I was thinking of running an alpine style box because they are 1/2 the width of the Gobi and I could still mount fuel, water, Maxtrax on the otherside. Problem is its 10" longer than the rack and will not fit unless I put Thule Crossbars on the Gobi. Then started looking at Pelican boxes but I dont like how they could easily be snatched off the rack unless I drill holes and mount them permanently. Same with Larger Dry Bags.

I have no idea what to do and am looking for some advice or personal experience from others have had with this problem. Any suggestions or ideas would be great. Im going to keep reading other posts too hoping to find something.

 

[bluehash]

Have a look at EO2 mounts:http://www.eo2fastener.com/
There is a thread somewhere here on that.

Also, keep the size small for stuff on the roof rack.. Bigger boxes allow you to fill more stuff.. at the same time they come un-necessarily heavy.
I carry 1 1650 on my gobi.

 

[kai38]

Dry bags strapped down to rack
I've place soft luggage into them and kept on roof for 3 weeks on road trip to Alaska. Kept clothes dry during trip.

 

[landsharkman]

I use small cable locks on the stuff attached to my truck ,they will not stop a determined thief but it will stop the casual grab a go thief

 

[Ray_G]

Per Kai38, if you are looking for soft storage go with dry bags strapped down-that will save a lot of space, weight, and drag. What I did recently was 'issue' out a North Face duffel to myself and each kiddo before a long road trip to WI in our Disco 1-the medium sized duffel is still pretty big and was adequate for our needs (note: wife was not 'issued' a bag and didn't comply with cubic space constraints).

Since TNF bags aren't actually waterproof, just very resistant, I belt & suspenders by further putting stuff inside a Keeper waterproof bag. The redundancy was comforting and the bag isn't expensive on Amazon.
Pics:

 

[surly]

We also use TNF bags. One per person, everyone chose their preferred color (there are some wild ones).
What I see as benefits:
1. Very, very durable
2. Water resistant enough. I've used mine thousands of miles on the back of motorcycles and stuff has stayed dry. Using a liner bag is a great idea though.
3. Color coded. We know who's is who's.
4. Size small is great for one person for a week. YMMV of course so it's good to check sizes, perhaps compare to something you already have. Your boss, for instance could get a larger bag
5. Being soft bags we can cram them places a tote wouldn't fit.... Though we love the Wolfpacks...
We got ours from Backcountry.com on sale pluse Ebates on top of that made for a great deal
Sizes are:
XS - 1525 cu in
S - 2560 cu in
M - 4395 cu in
L - 5495 cu in
XL - 9460 cu in