I just bought a 2007 Edge SEL without the fancy roof window but with roof rails. Want to put a box and/or bag (in a basket?) on the roof for a road trip in August.
I am not experienced with boxes or baskets or bags but believe that whatever it is has to ride above the roof and not sit on the roof as bags seem to be designed to do. Therefore in my thinking, a bag would need to sit in a basket.
Hope to purchase and install cross bars from FORD and simply find a box or basket/bag to clip onto the elliptical bars however much of what I am reading above suggests that preferred way is to use towers with factory rails and forget about using the FORD cross bars as the anchoring method???
Roof is short between stubby antennae and rear door w/ spoiler raised so box or bag needs to be fairly short front to back. Possibly wider, almost square, for optimum cargo volume within the recommended load limit.
Questions: Can I use the factory rails with self-installed cross bars as the foundation for my carrier?
Q: Anyone recommend box vs. basket/bag configuration? Manufacturers? Styles and sizes?
Q: I may someday want to put kayaks or bikes up there and believe Thule or Yakima probably has systems that clamp to the elliptical cross bars? Am I correct?
Feedback appreciated.
