Car carrier for our roof rack - ideas?

[Torontogal]

Hi all,
We are doing the 22 hour drive in a couple weeks (yes, we are crazy!) and wanted to know if anyone uses those roof rack carriers?
We looked into Thule brand and they are very expensive. I know they are designed in such a way as to not rock and sway while driving. Are there other companies that sell this type of thing? Also, can one rent Thules? There will be 6 of us travelling and want us to be as comfortable as possible without luggage and other items on top of our laps!
Thanks so much.

 

[tlbwriter]

What type of car do you drive? There are owner/enthusiast boards for all different types of vehicles out there, and if you can find one, someone will have suggestions for a good brand/model for you.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

We have the typical Sears carrier that you see so often on the road. In-laws bought it for us 2 years ago. We use it on our Town & Country. Never had a problem. Surprisingly, it didn't even seem to affect our gas mileage during our May trip to WDW. In-laws borrowed it for their trip to the beach. They used it on their T&C with similar results. If you do a search on here, I think you'll find a long thread about them. I remember seeing it some time in the past month. All comments were positive.

 

[MommyBoo!]

We were looking at these . Combined, they are an extra 16 cu. feet which is more than others we were looking at. Also, check with your dealer on the weight restrictions for your vehicle. The dealer told us up to 150 pounds for our 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan.

Has anyone used these before?

 

[Torontogal]

We are driving a Toyota Sienna.
I heard that you need to look for a nice, sleek design (more longer than higher) since the more boxier ones tend to shake all over. The Thule tends to be screwed on to the roof rack - they are just pricey! I want to see if there is a good alternative.

 

[DebMcDonald]

I have a ford windstar and we have the rubbermaid ones that is some type of cloth, they are under $50 by far and we have even driven through the rain without any problems.

 

[alexb]

We bought one from Sears several years ago and I think it's 20 cubic feet and we paid about $150 for it. It's their "sleeker" version and not the big box. We bought it for our Explorer and it didn't affect the handling or mileage, at least that I could tell. I could never tell if the carrier rocks and sways when it was on top. All you need is 2 cross bars on the roof of your vehicle and it attaches easily to them. We also looked at all the brand name carriers (Thule, Yakima, etc) and they cost more than what we were willing to spend given how often we would have used it and have used it. The Sears carrier was a good purchase for us and has served us quite well. I'd suggest going and checking them out.

 

[bigmac5]

This is such great timing. My husband and I were discussing this last night and thought that It would cause driving problems and increase milage costs. We have a Ford Winstar and will be travelling from Canada and the extra space would be nice. How difficult is it getting things out of a carrier?

 

[alexb]

I'm 6'4" and I have to stand on either the running boards or the rear bumper to put stuff in or get it out of the carrier when it's been on our Explorer. We now own a Honda Odyssey and I haven't put the carrier on it yet. I'm assuming that I will still have to stand on the back bumper or bring a step ladder/stool to get into it. I suspect this would have to be done regardless of the make of the roof top carrier.

Another option, if you have a trailer hitch, is a metal tray (for lack of a better term) that goes into the receiver hitch and then you could strap down you luggage onto it. I've seen several vehicles with them but I don't know any of the brands. I would assume a sporting goods store, RV center or hitch installation center would have them.

 

[Nschur]

We bought a Yakima Hard carrier. It has about 17 cubic ft and is one of the long sleek ones. It was about $350. One feature it has that I think is really neat is that it can be opened from either side. The biggest drawback is getting the darned thing on top of my wife's Yukon. I usually back my truck right up to the Yukon and put it on while standing in the truck bed. We put things like strollers, lifejackets extra diapers and small suitcases in it. That really gives us a lot more room in the back plus I can still see out of the back window. By the way having a obstructed rear window is against the law in Georgia. Getting things in and out is not usually a problem. I'm 5' 9" and I just stand on the rear tire while my wife or bell services hands or takes things from me.

 

[GaTech]

We bought one from Sears several years ago and I think it's 20 cubic feet and we paid about $150 for it. It's their "sleeker" version and not the big box. We bought it for our Explorer and it didn't affect the handling or mileage, at least that I could tell. I could never tell if the carrier rocks and sways when it was on top. All you need is 2 cross bars on the roof of your vehicle and it attaches easily to them. We also looked at all the brand name carriers (Thule, Yakima, etc) and they cost more than what we were willing to spend given how often we would have used it and have used it. The Sears carrier was a good purchase for us and has served us quite well. I'd suggest going and checking them out.

I bought the same one from Sears 2 months ago and have been on 2 trips with it. It has worked great and it definately passed the rain test on both trips. Didn't notice any handling or gas mileage changes either. One tip no matter what carrier you buy, put something like a bike in your garage where you normally park your vehicle. After several hours of driving and finally getting home, a bad way to end the trip would be to crash the carrier into the top of your garage door. No, I did not crash the carrier I actually thought of before our first trip.

 

[Torontogal]

Thanks for the info. guys.
The Sears one looks like a great alternative.
When I looked at the Thules and Yakimas at a local dealer the guy told us to avoid the softer materials because they do leak adn get wet. I guess he was simply trying to sell us an expensive Thule!
Are the Sears ones available at all the Sears locations in the US? They are really tough to find at the Sears here....

 

[Jacksmom99]

We used my dad's Sear's carrier, the sport version, not the boxey one for 3 trips. We have a ford windstar, and I NEVER noticed it on top of the car. In fact I ended up driving around with it on top of my van for 2 months until I got to Maine to return it to my dad. We loved the carrier. I did have to climb onto the bumper of the van to put things in it, or stand on the side when the doors were open to access the front, but it wasn't really an issue. The bell services guys at the Beach Club actually watched in awe as I managed to pack two full luggage carts in to the carrier and the back of the minivan. Another plus for the carrier is that they are weather resistant/waterproof. Ours survived hurricane Charley and not a stitch of clothing or the open roll of paper towels got wet!!!

 

[Zoesmama03]

We were looking at these . Combined, they are an extra 16 cu. feet which is more than others we were looking at. Also, check with your dealer on the weight restrictions for your vehicle. The dealer told us up to 150 pounds for our 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan.

Has anyone used these before?

maybe its for the top but my Dodge Neon is rated to pull up to 1500 lbs but that is for trailer use.

I agree check the ratings before deciding on anything.

 

[Zoesmama03]

One thing that might help cut down on amount of luggage is plan to do some laundry mid trip or something. I'm sure most the resorts on and off site have laundry rooms. Plus if you plan to buy any tshirts or clothing that you might use. I always end up buying atleast 1-2 tshirts so I don't bring that many because of course the next day I want to wear my new tshirt.