Advice/tips on luggage racks?

[TISHLOVESDISNEY]

I think we may need a luggage rack for either the top of our Toyota Sequoia, or one of the racks that uses a tow hitch.
DH is concerned about mileage with the ones that go on top of the vehicle. Anyone have experience with this?

We will probably use it for less stuff on the trip down from Iowa to Pensacola beach, it's the trip from Pensacola to Orlando that we'll need to really utilize it. We will be picking up my DD19 and her BF19 ( they are flying down), their luggage, and then adding that to the 5 of us and our luggage.

Does anyone have experience and recommendations with different luggage racks?


TIA!

 

[rwdavis2]

Although not a recommendation, I seriously doubt a luggage rack will have that much effect on gas mileage. But look for ones that have an aerodynamic (wedge) shape.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

Either way your not going to fit much in it. Maybe three suitcases and smaller items. We used both. Pros and cons to both. On the drive home we ordered a material bag for on top of the Oddysee van. We were going auto train, easy to take it off and back on.
It's not water proof , just water resistant, so pack anything in heavy plastic yard bags first. The hard shell are more waterproof, more expensive. Tule I think is the brand that is a good choice.

If you have a hitch, you could get a tule that goes in the hitch, it will be easier on gas. But, I would worry about dept of trans regs about lights, plus your own safety. We bought a slide in unit, wired for lights and put reflectors on it. The one we had was a holder not enclosed.

For the kind of money involved, can't you ship to a 24 hr Fex Ex?

If it's the short part of the trip, I would get the cloth bag, it folds into a square a little bigger then a brief case, a large yard bag and stick their luggage in it. Anything of value take in the car. I loved ours and used it several times. Once we ran into a deluge of three in rain in a half hr in Jacksonville. The front suitcase got wet on the front (zipper was faced that way, make sure it's in the back). But even without plastic bags, it was only the clothes in the front. Not a loss, a pain because I had to do laundry.
I had a tarp in case of a storm, but it came on us fast and furious. If I had a redo, I would have put the cases in the plastic bags.