Roadsterbags

[Germs]

Has anybody any experience of the "Roadsterbags" you see advertised in various places? Does this luggage fit any better than the usual suitcases/plastic bags etc., and what is the quality like (particularly interested in the R230 SL500). Thanks

[r129sl]

Don't know.

This may be of interest: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-MERCEDES-LEATHER...

[nickwilcock]

I bought a set of Roadsterbags for my R170 SLK32 AMG and in terms of boot space optimisation, they are excellent!

The two large cases fit side by side below the luggage cover:



and the third fits in the well below the boot floor:



Quality is adequate for car travel, but I wouldn't submit them to the tender mercies of airline baggage crunchers. The handles are made from some form of tape, so that they don't waste space - but would probably be ripped off by a determined Thiefrow gorilla in nought seconds flat....

They are NOT made from leather, but from some good-quality nylon material.

Edited by nickwilcock on Sunday 3rd February 18:19

[Germs]

Thanks for that Nick, I'm tired of stuffing plastic bags and holdalls into wherever there's a little bit of space and hope these bags will make for a calmer method of packing.

[nickwilcock]

The R230 SL500 is probably the most attractive car ever made by M-B. However, it has a boot which, with the roof up, is actually 9% smaller than that of the R170 SLK - which has the largest and most practical boot of any SLK model.

However, with the roof down, the situation reverses and the SL has 62% more boot space. Hence the rather odd shape of the Roadsterbags for the SL500:



Two fit side-by-side underneath the load cover, the third in the boot well underneath the other two. I'm not sure how easy it would be to carry the rather cuboid cases in and out of an hotel though... The SLK bags have a handle on the top and another handle on the side; I assume it'd be the same for the SL bags but cannot tell from the photos:



A lot better than plastic bags!

And if you need to transport small animals or children:



Only kidding - 'Ceramicat' isn't a real cat!

Edited by nickwilcock on Monday 4th February 07:56

[Dog Star]

I had them for my old R170 (sold them to a PHer, as it happens) and they were indeed a very good way of making optimal use of the boot space.

As stated they aren't heavy duty though.

[Germs]

Thanks all for the replies - Roadsterbags won't have any to sell until April so it's plastic bags until then!

[mj01]

Seriously considered getting Roadster Bags for my R172 SLK 350. However, I decided to stick with the two black nylon Packable Holdalls I'd used with my Elise (from Blacks / Oswald Bailey / Halfords), plus two new black nylon holdalls from Tesco Direct (Classic Holdall) to make use of the extra space in the SLk's boot. The packable holdalls are tough but thin ripstop nylon and if not packed to full capacity will mould them selves to the space available in the car's boot. By sticking with black for the new bags I've achieved a 'matching' look at a fraction of the cost of roadster bags, whilst also having bags of a more conventional shape. The Tesco bags are c.£5/£10 each and are a sturdy woven nylon fabric and seem good quality. The Tesco Direct website gives the dimensions of the bags so you may well be able to get a combination of small, medium or large bags which will make the most of the space in your boot whilst also giving you a coordinated look. Hope this helps.

[nickwilcock]

mj01, that I can well understand given the rather odd shape of the R172's boot...

[mj01]

Not too strange a shape, and having managed with c.100 litres in the Elise, having 225 litres roof down and 335 litres roof up in the SLK is bliss, and even my wife should have trouble filling it! That said, we did tour the Alps for 15 days and 3,00 miles in the Lotus without a problem - although it limited the amount of wine and cheese we could bring back at the end of the holiday!

Edited by mj01 on Tuesday 5th February 20:27

Edited by mj01 on Tuesday 5th February 21:03

[nickwilcock]

Ah, but with the R170's 348 litre boot (roof up), you can put the small roadsterbag in the well, the other two on top of each other (or upright, side by side) and yet still have room for 2 x 12 bottle cases of wine....and some smelly cheese, of course!