Q: I’ve got a Mazda5 minivan with integrated side rails on the roof and am looking for a roof rack set to load a soft carrier onto. Looks like you guys have several options and expert advice. Can you advise on an option for me?

A: We actually offer a cargo bag (the Yakima FarOut Pro Roof Bag) that can mount directly to the roof of most vehicles without any additional racks. However, your Mazda 5 has sliding rear doors, which I believe may not allow this, though you may be able to mount it through the front doors. This would be the best option, since you will only be using it once in a great while.

Otherwise you will need a base rack to attach a cargo bag. The least expensive, yet still quality, option will be the Inno IN-XR Roof Rack System (includes IN-XR stays, B117 cross bars and TR120 fit hooks). NOTE: this assumes your Mazda 5 is a 2006-2010. If not then the actual fit and components may be different.

Using this base rack will give you many more options of cargo bags to choose from. Here are a couple to look at:
SportRack Sherpa 13 Car Roof Bag – bare bones, budget bag.
Thule 846 Quest Roof Bag – middle of the road in features and price.
Thule 857 Caravan Roof Bag – best bang for your buck.

Nice customer install photo of a racked up and ready-to-roll 2010 Mazda CX-9 roof rack base system using the Yakima Control Tower base system with Landing Pad 11s, 48" roundbars, and a Yakima 50" Fairing and SKS 4 pack of locks.

This 2010 Mazda CX-9 roof rack system is using the Yakima Control tower system with Yakima #11 Landing Pads, 48″ roundbars, and the Yakima 50″ wind noise deflector fairing and a set of SKS 4 locks with keys.  With this Yakima base system in place, carriers such as bike racks, kayak racks, luggage boxes etc are ready to be attached.

Complete details for 2010 Mazda CX-9 complete base rack system for rooftop.

Photo of 2010 Mazda 3 Hatchback Roof Ski Rack Featuring Thule 91725b FlatTop Ski Rack.

It doesn’t get any simpler than this ski rack for a Mazda 3 Hatchback with factory cross bars.   Just attach the Thule 91725b Universal Flat Top Ski rack to your factory cross bars, load up to 6 pairs of skis or 4 snowboards (can mix snowboards & skis too) and you are ready to go.

Full Mazda 3 Hatchback Ski Rack details…

2009 Mazda 5 roof base rack system using the Inno IN-XR complete base system.

Here is a shot of a 2009 Mazda 5 roof rack using the Inno IN-XR base rack system with TR120 Fit Hooks for factory fixed mounting points. 

More details for ’09 Mazda 5 complete base rack system.

Image of 2002 Mazda Protege 5 roof top Bike rack. Features Thule 532 Ride-On Adapter Kit and Thule 518 Echelon roof bike rack which connects to the Ride-On which then connects to the factory rack.

A bike rack for a 2002 Mazda Protege 5 with a factory rack can be as simple as purchasing the Thule 532 Ride-On adapter kit which makes it possible to make almost any roof bike carrier attach to a cars factory rack.  In this case the Thule 518 Echelon Roof Bike Rack is used to mount to the Thule 532 and produce a perfect Mazda Protege Bike Rack!

More info on bike rack for 2002 Mazda Protege 5.

1995 Mazda B4000 pickup truck camper shell roof rack featuring Yakima 1A Hi-Rise Roof Rack and Yakima Side Loader Brackets.

Oh yes – there is a perfect solution for everything. This roof rack for a 1995 Mazda B4000 pickup truck cap uses the Yakima 1A Hi-Rise raingutters roof rack which comes with a set of 4 Yakima 1A Hi-Rise Towers and a pair of 58 inch crossbars.  The Yakima 1A Towers attach to the Yakima Side Loader Brackets which are artificial raingutter brackets for custom installations like installing a roof rack on a camper shell seen here.

More info and photos of 1995 Mazda B4000 pickup truck camper shell rack.

Sunny shot of a 2003 Mazda Tribute kayak rack for factory racks using the Malone Stax Pro kayak stacker with Malone MPG167 foam blocks/straps.

This 2003 Mazda Tribute kayak rack uses the Malone Stax Pro-MPG111MD with the MPG167 Block Kit and Straps to easily carry two kayaks on top of the ’03 Mazda Tribute’s factory crossbars.

Installation page for 2003 Mazda Tribute kayak racks.

Bird's eye view of a Mazda 3 roof rack system for two kayaks using the Inno IN-SU base rack with K303 Fit Hooks and an Inno INA 262 wind noise deflector fairing. Transporting two kayaks is the Thule 830 "The Stacker" kayak rack.

From up above, we can see a Mazda 3 Kayak rack for two kayaks using the Inno racks IN-SU base system for naked roofs with the Inno K303 Fit Hooks and the INA 262 wind fairing.  The Thule 830 Stacker kayak stacker is shown doing it’s thing.  The Inno IN-SU base rack comes with locks and keys and the Thule 830 “The Stacker” kayak rack comes with load straps and tie downs for two kayaks. 

Visit the 2007 Mazda 3 Kayak Rack installation page here.

Thule 460R Rapid Podium roof rack

Using the Thule 3069 Podium Fit Kit, along with the Thule 460R Rapid Podium Foot Pack and pair of Thule Rapid Aero load bars, to install the Thule 460R Rapid Podium car rack system to a 2006 Mazda 3 5-door hatchback, this video delivers a good demonstration and explanation on how to mount a roofrack to a car, van or pickup truck cab roof that has factory installed fixed attachment points. Many modern vehicles have fixed point attachments located on the roof top. These points allow for the installation of an aftermarket multi-purpose base rack system. The Thule Racks 460R Rapid Podium system delivers a superb, clean and premium integrated look when installed. There are many different styles and types of fixed point attachments on the various vehicle makes and models, hence Thule Racks offers many different Podium Fit Kits to fit these specific configurations (the video uses the 3069 Fit Kit on the Mazda 3 as an example).

Thule 460R Rapid Podium video