CURT 18115 Universal 42 x 37-Inch Black Steel Roof Rack Rooftop Cargo Carrier

For this year's summer fun I wanted to go further in our adventures with my little 2013 Mazda 3. Did a lot of research on compatibility, price comparison, and other reviews. Then went for the ROLA Roof Rack with the Curt Cargo Carrier. A perfect combination! The ROLA Roof Rack - There are many choices for universal roof racks that are appealing and affordable. BUT they will either damage the paint at the point of contact OR damage the weather stripping at the door. Sure, you could save a couple hundred if your fine seeing 4 scuff marks or worse on your roof everyday or if you don't mind raindrops tapping your shoulder and pooling on your leather seats. Luckily the Mazda engineers had the foresight to include anchor points on this model. There were only a few roof racks to choose from that are compatible with my Mazda 3 and they were double or triple the cost of the universal racks. I decided on the "ROLA 59833 Removable Anchor Point Xtreme AP-GTX Series Roof Rack for Mazda 3 Hatchback". The reviews were great and I didn't have to pay extra to thule around town and yakima'bout having a label. Easy to install (about 20 min). The black compliments the trim. And now my sporty little Mazda 3 is adventurous like those pristine Subarus that only see dirt when taking their labradoodle to the dog park. The Curt Cargo Carrier - This one was much more difficult to select. Do I go with an open basket or a closed bag or a hard shell? Then there was the issue of spacing (between bars and connection points) and orientation (having front/back instead of along the sides). And of course spending more on the roof rack meant I had less for a carrier. I opted for the "CURT 18115 Roof Rack Rooftop Cargo Carrier 41-1/2" x 37" x 4" Mounted". An excellent decision as I wasn't limited to what a case can carry and didn't need to worry about a ripped soft case or broken zipper. Plus this cargo carrier is adjustable in it can fit on a wide range of roof racks and can be expanded with an extra accessory. Easy to setup by myself in minutes. Sturdy construction. And just looks cool. The protruding thread from the connection points aren't a problem if you can load items between them like camping chairs, sleep pads, etc. The distance between the connection points and the bars on my Mazda 3 is offset by maybe half an inch but it's ok with this cargo carrier. The carrier has these wide "feet" that can attach to any set of bars on the basket to accommodate different roof rack separations. And because the feet are wide there's some leeway if you need a little more or less distance. Get a cargo net and extra bungee cords and you're good to go. So give your beloved Mazda 3 a new personality and go exploring!

My rack came in damaged. It appeared to have been an open box deal as the box appeared retaped and some of the items were opened and rattling around inside. The box was damaged and two mounting pieces were broken. Don't get me wrong, I love open box deals and I almost always go for the Warehouse deals. What I was upset with was the fact that I paid full price for a damaged product. I called Amazon CS and they offered me a replacement. Like I said, I like open box deals and shipping this thing back would have been a nightmare due to the damaged box. When I explained that, they offered a partial refund instead which I was more than happy with. Now, the product itself. The rack seems solid and well made. The fairings aren't plastic like I thought and they actually seem pretty well designed. The brackets that hold the fairing on the other hand... I am going to need to replace two of them... Snappy plastic that likes to break on installation. The size is good, perfect for my needs. I still have room on the top of my Outback to mount my radio antenna. Installation was relatively easy, instructions pretty straightforward. It would have between easier with two people. I.am going to replace the wing nuts that secure the basket to the roof with standard nuts. The wing nuts are exhausting to use on my roof as they require a ton of effort to use on thinner bars. I also plan on sealing the joints and replacing bolts with steel ones to minimize future rust. On of the other top reviews details how to do this, so I won't repeat it here. One of the Allen nuts was improperly cast, it had no head. Easy to replace, but shoddy manufacturing. I will update this if I ever have issues in the future, otherwise you can presume it's still a 5 star! First impressions: 3 star Satisfaction with customer support: 5 star Hardware quality: 3.5 Cost for value: 5 The overall reason that this gets a 5 star is that, despite lack-luster manufacturing and cheaper parts, it still has a great value for the price. The cost of upgrading parts to make this a truly nice piece of hardware is minimal, but it will take effort. If I disliked that kind of thing it might get a 3 or 4 star, but I can't do that as, to me, it is not a 3 star item

In a few words: A great value for the money. I own an Isuzu VehiCROSS, and I wanted a roof basket that wouldn't look out of place on it. Most baskets are too boxy or angular; I wanted something with some curve to it. I also wanted good quality. The Curt 18115 roof basket fit all of those needs. While inexpensive and light weight, once put together it is very solid. After I installed it, I could grab it and rock the whole car and it didn't budge an inch. I feel that it could easily carry whatever you put on it for your adventures. Assembly was very easy, a few screws torqued down with a small allen wrench (which Curt helpfully supplies) was all that was needed, and it was ready to go on the roof. It was easy to install by myself, but some people may want to have a helper around (especially if you have a lifted vehicle). Once in place, it was just a matter of locating the plastic supports and u-bolts in the right spots, centering it up, and torquing down the supplied knobs. At that point, it was done. The hardest part was getting the thing centered! Are there any negatives? A few. All of them are minor, and can be easily and cheaply fixed with a little effort. First, when installing the front wind fairing, take care with the plastic brackets that hold it on to the basket. I put my basket together on a cold day, and when I was tightening up the screws for the brackets, the bracket cracked. Fortunately, Curt Mfg. sent me replacement parts when I emailed them, but if you have the option, put it together on a warm day, or put the brackets into some hot water for 5-10 minutes to make them a bit more flexible. I did that with the replacement, and it worked great. The u-bolts have a fine-pitched thread; tightening the knobs down to get the basket solid on the bars took a great deal of time and effort. After the bolts were snugged down, you may also be left with an inch or more of the bolt ends remaining, which can snag on things you put inside the basket. If this is the case for you, keep reading! Lastly: Rust. Since the rack is steel, and uses steel bolts and nuts, water can get into the seams of the tubes that slide together and quickly forms rust. Mine rusted fairly quickly after a heavy rain; a bit of water got inside the tubes, and led to rust, because the inside of the tubes aren't powder coated. So in lieu of these issues, I decided to take matters into my own hands. This is also why I gave the product fewer than 5 stars. Fortunately, in the Amazon reviews for the Curt 18117 extension, another user gives a good set of tips on what parts to buy and how to prep things, which I'll reproduce here. These notes are slightly different. You don't have to follow them exactly (with the exception of the nut and bolt sizes); if you want to mod things another way, go for it! 1. First, off any existing rust with a rag or other means, before it becomes a real problem. After cleaning, use some grease or spray oil/penetrant. Apply it to the problem surfaces of the tubes, such as where the tubes slide together, and on the insides of the tubes. I sprayed a generous amount of Liquid Wrench silicone spray inside mine. 2. Fit the tubes together, then use a dollop of black silicone sealant at each joint; smear it around and work it into the seam. Then put another dab on each screw hole on the top and bottom tubes. 3. Replace all fasteners with stainless steel screws and nuts: 15 pcs - M6-1.0 Stainless Steel Nylock Nut - Fastenal #1L2550000A40000 ($0.43 ea) 8 pcs - M6-1.0 Stainless Steel Acorn Nut - Fastenal #11508471 ($0.27 ea) 5 pcs - M6-1.0 x 16mm Stainless Steel SHCS - Fastenal #MS2550016A40000 ($0.48 ea) 3 pcs - M6-1.0 x 40mm Stainless Steel SHCS - Fastenal #MS2550040A40000 ($0.84 ea) 3 pcs - M6-1.0 x 25mm Stainless Steel SHCS - Fastenal #MS2550025A40000 ($0.64 ea) As you can see, these parts will only cost a few extra dollars. They are worth the peace of mind. Note that you will need a different size allen wrench, as the one supplied by Curt will be too small for these screws. 4. Once you have the screws in place, take a break and let it dry for 24 hours. 5. Once the sealant has cured, use more sealant on any other spots which may collect water and rust; you basically want to seal up every hole you can on the rack using the sealant. Let the sealant dry for another 24 hours. 6. After this last round of sealant, you may then want to give the rack another protective coat; use whatever you think is best for your application and aesthetic desires. For myself, I am planning on using black PlastiDip. I purchased 3 cans of the stuff, plus a spray handle. I should be able to apply 2 or 3 coats. After you have the rack completed, you can mount it on your vehicle. I also intend to put pieces of rubber hose over the u-bolts, to give the roof bars a bit of additional protection. Also, I am going to replace the knobs with additional nylock nuts. If you do this, use an extended length 10mm socket to drive the nuts on. The extra length of the socket will allow for the extra bit of the u-bolt to pass (if that is an issue for you like it was for me). Afterwards, you can take a rotary tool and cut off the end of the bolt, leaving about 1/4 to 5/16 of an inch exposed. Then put one of the M6 acorn nuts over the end (you can add a touch of low or medium-strength thread-locker compound to the bolt as well). That should complete the install, and there shouldn't be any further issues with rust. Note that if you intend to add the basket extension (Curt #18117), you will need four additional 16mm screws. I really suggest getting the extension if you have the room for it. You will need about 30 inches between your roof rails for it, otherwise it won't be very stable on your roof. Hopefully my pictures illustrate what I discussed above. I intend to update this review as I complete the project.

Awesome Rack, feels sturdy, should last no problem. I read the reviews before ordering, so I knew I needed to do a little work to this rack to make it rust resistant (Thanks to all who reviewed and made suggestions. I am very happy with how it looks on my 2005 Chevy Tahoe. Mine came on time (Awesome Amazon as always). Mine was not all scratched up. All the holes lined up without issue. my welds all looked good although they do not weld around fully around the pipes as it is probably not needed and keeps costs down. This didn't bother me as long as it holds up and I think it will be fine. I would recommend this to anyone willing to spend a little time/money making it rust resistant. I painted the Rack W/Extension with two coats of Rust-Oleum Flat black (3 cans $15) prior to assembly. I replaces all bolds, nuts. I purchased stainless steel bolts, Nylon nuts, and acorn nuts. (Bolts were M6-1.00 x 15mm, M6-1.00 x 25mm, M6-1.00 x 40mm, the Nylon Nuts/acorn nuts for both the bolts and u-bolts were M6-1.00 ($34 in stainless). I put it all together minus the wind screen. I then used black Silicone ($4.99) and filled in all the areas where water could get in/out (about 1 hour). Next I put the wind screen on and proceeded to mount it. I then proceed to mount the rack on the vehicle (used 10mm deep socket as other reviewer suggested). I intend to leave it in place, so I used the Stainless nylon lock nuts in place of the knob nuts on the U-bolts. I used my Dremel tool with cutoff disc and shortened the U-bolts above the nylon nut yet under the rack level and then caped the tops with stainless acorn nuts. I did the cutoff right on the vehicle to save having to take it off and put it back on. If installing on a Chevy Tahoe the fit is really tight, I had to move mounts in towards the center more to get it to fit in. The U-bolts do rub on the top of the vehicle and will probably rub through the paint in time (I'm ok with this). Over all the rack looks great is sturdy. I will test it tomorrow on our vacation and update after a month or so to see if it starts rusting or coming loose.

I read the reviews very closely for this cargo rack before purchasing it. It took me about three weeks to take the plunge and order it. I did what others said they did with regard to spraying the screws with silicone, and I used Rustoleum on the bottom of the cargo rack to keep from rusting on my van. I do plan to take this off after returning from our trip. We installed this onto our 2014 Honda Odyssey. We installed Honda crossbars and rails back in March from Amazon, b/c this does not come standard with a Honda Odyssey. We didn't realize that the bars didn't move, so the first car top carrier that we purchased in March did not work on our van....which we found out into our trip. The biggest issue I have with this cargo rack is how long it took to screw in the u bars. Someone suggested using 6 x 100 mm nuts instead of what was provided, but I only did this on one of the u bars. The screwing in the u bar takes absolutely way too long....your hands will hurt after doing this. It is good to use the 6 x 100 mm screws with a ratchet instead of the screws provided, because it is much easier and time efficient. I also put the nylon nuts on the top of the u bars to keep from ripping open my items on the carrier...this worked well....the u bar screws are way too long. Also, the instructions provided with this rack were ridiculous. I had to ask my neighbor's contractor if he would come and help me make sense of how the u bar, plastic, and metal piece were supposed to go together. The fact that he struggled to figure it out made me feel good. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND that the way you snap the plastic piece onto this is under the cargo rack not on top of it. the u bar is on the bottom under the rack with the plastic piece on top of that, and then the metal joint on top. It is very confusing. We drove with this cargo rack and the carrier we bought in May across the country, and it worked perfectly.

I have used this carrier with the extension for longer items like tent, pop up canopy, and other items that I don't want to or can't carry inside the vehicle. The only obstacle is weight and lifting the item into the basket. I have also used the side of the basket as a mounting point to create an awning on the side of my van. For the price and durability this is a great product. I lost about 2-3 mpg because of wind resistance, but the trade off is the ability to carry items that will not fit inside the vehicle. I sealed all the joints with silicon to help prevent water entry and rust inside the tubular frame. Assembly is pretty simple, but the mounting brackets leave about a 1/2 inch length of bolt sticking above the floor of the basket. The potential of poking holes or tearing items being loaded, unloaded, or carried could be a problem. They can be cut off, but this may make it difficult for removing or re-mounting the basket. The better route is to be creative and find a way to cover or pad the bolt ends so they do not create a sharp protrusion.

Wow. I bought this inspite of some (most) reviews warnings of miscellaneous problems regarding quality and accuracy of manufacturing. I am regretting my decision pretty significantly now. I bought this item plus the extension for my 2005 Forester. I'll just go straight into pros and cons and end with the major issues that resulted in the one star rating. Pros The greatest pro about this rack is the price, obviously Pretty easy to mount - no major issues whatsoever in the department. (I think) They changed the wing-nut for the U-Bolt so it isn't SUCH a forearm killer. Not a huge pro since the bolt is still way too long. Cons Extremely poor craftsmanship - no attention to detail Difficult to assemble. I am not expert but am no slouch, either, in this kind of stuff. It was a serious pain. Boxes are ginormous for shipping and the entire process of assembly and/or unboxing makes things pretty discouraging for an exchange. That not entirely the manufacturers fault for this item but the extension came in an equal size box. I can only imagine I will be getting some rust throughout this based on the Quality. My BIGGEST complaints resulting in my pretty much hating this product. Clearly, this item was made poorly based on the results attention to detail. The female ends (makes sense once you receive yours) to connect the extension were either too long or bulged out so the bolt holes wouldn't align. I ended up having to butcher them shorter to either 1. cut off the excess tubing so the holes up top could fit or 2. so the bulge wasn't preventing the holes from lining up. I tried to take pics of the aftermath on one. Also, the U-bolt to connect the rack to your roof is made too long so it extends into the cargo area and become a hazard to anything you might have riding in it. I haven't fixed this yet but am planning on resolving the issue myself. All-in-all, if you don't mind a low quality investment then this is your bet. I was expecting a few flaws but this thing is really just a cheap hunk of metal with crappy welds. VERY disappointed. I don't think it will let me comment on what each picture is describing but I'd be happy to explain if it's ever in question. I don't really ever review things and if I do, it isn't so negative but I am truly disappointed on this one. Update - 8/2/2016 Rust. This rack is pretty much toast. I don't feel like having rust dropped all over my roof. Trying to seal it seems futile considering the thing rusts from every nook and cranny. Junk.

I wasn't sure if this rack deserves 5 or 4 stars but eventually thought that even though there is room for improvement, this is already a very good product and that for the price, it's a really good deal. What I like about it: * well built * not expensive * has a pretty good amount of storage space what needs to be improved: * assembly should be easier * installation should be easier * fairing part looks cheap and kind of wears out pretty quickly Overall, I have used this rack on my Sienna minivan all summer. It looks great and it is very functional. The rack itself looks like new, but the fairing looks like, well, not very new... Too bad it is not as well built as the rest of the rack. I see no need to buy more expensive racks. For camping, I pack two rugged plastic boxes and a large duffel on this rack and secure with bungee cords - it's as solid as a rock. For other trips, I've used this for camping chairs, bags and sometimes coolers (though these may be tougher to load and unload).

La canastilla me pareció muy buen producto muy resistente y se ajusto bien a mi vehículo, caben muchas cosas; lo único que si pediría que tuviera un candado para evitar que se lo puedan robar.

This rack has been great on my 2016 4runner. I bought the rack extension to go with it as well. With the extension in place I did find the rack to actually be too long for my vehicle. I ended up cutting off about 3 inches of the extension rack, and welded the inserts back on. Now it fits from the sunroof to the back edge of the shark fin antenna. I have used it for a bunch of camping gear this summer and it has performed great! Next step will be to attach some LED floods to the back. I will probably remove the rack for the winter though, and give it a quick shot of paint as it seems there is a bit of rust showing on the joints. For the price, I expected that. Will try to follow up with a longevity report.

Excelente canastilla muy bien hecha ...ligera...resistente...fácil de armar....la pintura de buena calidad.... Toda se ensambla a la medida...... Muy buena tomando en cuenta costo beneficio....recomiendo ampliamente anexo fotos

Good product . Make sure to grease all pieces that insert into each other, bolts, nuts and thumbwheel nuts that secure it to the cross rails...they rot a soon as water hits them. Makes some wind noise on the highway but bearable . Put it away when not in use ...creates extra air drag and won’t rot and stain your roof. Get the middle extension piece and the net...worth the money . Don’t overtighten the thumbnuts as they strip easily. Overall good product but you gotta remember where it’s made ....

The cage itself is good. The supplied mounting hardware is complete garbage. And to give some credibility to this review I am a Licensed Mechanic. I have overhauled Diesel engines, by the hundreds, right in the field where ever they died. I've drilled and tapped broken exhaust studs, installed hell-coils, dealt with cross threading and damaged threads etc. etc......so I know a little bit about threads and hardware. I fought with this stupid mounting hardware for the past half-hour. It's almost like every u-bolt is standard and the wing nuts are metric. When I get to work tomorrow, I'm casting the supplied hardware to the depths of hell where it belongs and I'm making my own! But at least the cage is good! And looks great on my 4 Runner.