Cold Weather Performance of Cargo Bags  

Question:

Expert Reply:

Carpod was not able to provide me with any details about how the bag would perform in sub-zero temperatures. The polyester material of the bag seems a bit thin to me, leaving me doubtful about its super-cold weather performance.

I like the Extra Large Cargo Bag, part # 988501. The bag has a large 18 cubic foot capacity and is constructed of a thick PVC coated ripstop nylon for maximum durability. The material is waterproof, but we cannot accurately describe the bag as waterproof because the zippers would allow water to enter if you tried to submerge the bag. The zipper flaps would do a good job of excluding all but the most determined raindrops.

Any flexible fabric such as the one this bag is constructed of will lose flexibility in the extreme cold, and tearing or cracking is a possibility. Any zipper will not work quite so well. You can minimize the chance of damage by handling the bag gently until you can move it inside and allow it to warm up a bit. Rubbing the teeth of the zipper with a candle will lubricate the zipper so that it operates more freely in cold weather.

This bag would not be compatible with the Carpod carrier you mentioned, but would work very well with the Pro Series Carrier, part # 63153. Using the # 988501 bag with this carrier would provide more storage (18 cubic feet vs. 13.76 cubic feet for the Carpod model). This option would also provide 500 lbs of weight capacity compared to the 450 lb rating of the Carpod rack. This option would be dramatically less expensive.

expert reply by: Mike L

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