As an alternative to purchasing cross bars and a hard cargo bin for the roof of my Rogue, I'm considering purchasing a soft cargo bag.

I am looking at a couple in particualr by Yakima, and the nice thing is that you don't need have cross bars, the main rails that come with the SL Rogue are enough. And, when you aren't using the bag it folds flat for easy storage.

I was all excited to make the purchase, but then I looked at the install instructions and realized that the weight of the bag sits on the roof, with only some of the weight being distributed to the side rails, depending on how much you tighten the straps.

Does anyone have any experience with these bags, and does anyone know what the weight limitiations would be for the roof of the Rogue? It is supposedly in the owners manual. Thanks.
Modified by kerrton at 2:59 PM 7/14/2008

Page 2-39 of your owners manual:

Quote »Do not load more than 99 lb (45 kg).[/quote]The stated capacity is for the crossbars. The roof may not take that kind of load, esp if it's concentrated in one small area. I would suggest keeping it under 100lbs.

I have never used a roof top mounted cargo bag. Maybe someone here with personal experiece can comment.