ROADSTER REVIEW 1 July 2013

Junk on the trunk OR How to travel in a Miata 

by Curt Springstead : Delaware Valley Miata Club USA

We recently received an e-mail offer containing a members’ discount of 10% from the manufacturer of the boot-bag. This ingenious product described as "the luggage rack: evolved" is a great alternative to the many solutions offered to address the limited trunk space in cars like our little Miatas. The firm generously provided us one of the boot-bags for us to try out and then raffle to the members. The web site (www.boot-bag.com ) had many photos of this product in use and a video on how to install it, so I was very excited to see how it worked in real life.

Boot-bag Mazda Miata Luggage Rack

The package arrived from the UK just two days before the annual picnic and good thing it did. I had just realized there was way more material to be handed out at the picnic than my NC could possibly carry. I was surprised how small the package was; it made me wonder how much it would really hold. With a quick look at the installation video and a check of the instructions I was ready to try it out. The boot-bag comes in two sizes, the original at 28 X 15 X 8 at $145 and the Vacation 35 X 15 X 8 at $165; we had the original to play with.

I opened the boot-bag and started stuffing it with Mazda merchandise. I did try to put softer items on the bottom which is how I would pack for a trip as well. I figured even though a thin non-slip pad was provided there was no need to test if hard items might damage the aluminium trunk lid. The bag held a large amount of material even as I was careful to not overload it so that the zippers would close properly and that the weather shield flap over the zipper would do its job as well.

Now it was time to fasten the bag to the trunk with the three straps provided. No need to plan too far ahead since a great feature is that you will have full access to the trunk with the bag in-stalled. As directed I laid one strap across the open trunk and two straps front to back with one end under the trunk near the hinge. I closed the trunk, placed the special pad on the trunk surface after giving it a quick clean with some detailer spray to remove the nice even layer of green tree pollen. I set the bag on the trunk and latched a couple of closures that help make the bag water tight. Next you simply lace the straps you laid out into the buckles on the bag. Since this is not my bag I did not cut the straps to length but used the bit of extra to provide a little more protection by tying the loose ends of the straps to reduce the chance of loosening and keep them from blowing and potentially hit-ting the car. Even loaded it was easy to open the trunk and fill it with the rest of the material.

As recommended, about 10 miles down the road I stopped to check the straps while my wife got a coffee and was happy to see there was just a bit of tightening to do. A key here is not to prove how tight you can make the straps, just make them snug as the directions indicate because the non-slip pad will keep the bag from sliding. Some who looked at the installed bag were concerned about the straps rubbing the trunk edges but I saw no evidence that would be an issue since they don’t seem to move in any conditions and are made of a smooth nylon fabric.

After about 60 miles on various road conditions I noticed only the expected loss of rearward vision. No movement or noise was evident on either the highways or the twisty roads near the picnic site. Once we arrived at the picnic I quickly removed the tie downs and attached the carrying strap provided to the bag and carried it easily to the pavilion. The only function we did not test was the weather resistance but the bag is very well made with welded seams and a generous flap that covers the zipper that is on three sides of the bag allowing easy access.

Overall I would be very happy using this to handle extra luggage on a trip. The product is well made, does not appear to be any kind of risk to the finish or surface of the car presuming you use common sense. You do lose your rear view mirror perspective, but I did not find that a big issue. The price, $150, is much better than the hard racks I have considered making it a good value, too. One feature is that when folded into the provided storage bag it is small enough to tuck in the trunk when on a long trip in the event you find the need to provide extra luggage space once on the road after a bit of souvenir hunting. If you have been looking for a solution to more trunk space I highly recommend the boot-bag.