What Size Rental Car Does our Luggage Fit?

[mousemom11]

I'm trying to figure out if our luggage will fit in a full-size rental car. We're going to be gone for 3 1/2 weeks this November, so we will be bringing more than we normally do on a trip. Here's my best guess of what we will have for the 4 of us:

• 1 large suitcase
• 3-4 medium suitcases
• 2 duffle bags
• 1 CPAP bag
• 1 laptop messenger bag
• 1 large backpack
• 2 smaller kids-size backpacks
• A partridge in a pear tree

We can probably get the CPAP, messenger bag, and backpacks in the car with us. So the question is, do you think we can get the suitcases and duffle bags in the trunk? I'm guessing the partridge in a pear tree will have to go on the roof.

If the luggage won't all fit, then I'm thinking that the next best thing would be to rent a small SUV (like a RAV4 or Escape) so that we can stack the luggage in the way back. Although, I'd rather not have to pay for a more expensive vehicle just to transport our luggage.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

We usually get a full size when traveling to WDW, and the space all depends on the make of car we get. We usually travel with one large suitcase, two medium suitcases and carry-ons - and sometimes they just fit in the trunk of the car, other times there is lots of room.

Looking at your list, I'm thinking you'll need something larger, especially if you have 4 people traveling and can't use the back seat for luggage that won't fit in the trunk.

 

[champ.49er]

You may be OK with a full size ONLY if the kids are willing to carry some small luggage on their laps for the duration of the trip (assuming airport to hotel?). I'm in the same situation for my party of 5. My plan is the rent a full size as well and have the excess luggage on people's laps. Yes, it's inconvenient, but for us, it's only for a 20 mile trip on our first and last days in Orlando. All the other days in between, we won't be carrying all our luggage since it will be in the hotel. Of course, I asked the rest of my party if this was OK with them because SUV and minivan prices are extremely high this year.

 

[mousemom11]

You may be OK with a full size ONLY if the kids are willing to carry some small luggage on their laps for the duration of the trip (assuming airport to hotel?). I'm in the same situation for my party of 5. My plan is the rent a full size as well and have the excess luggage on people's laps. Yes, it's inconvenient, but for us, it's only for a 20 mile trip on our first and last days in Orlando. All the other days in between, we won't be carrying all our luggage since it will be in the hotel. Of course, I asked the rest of my party if this was OK with them because SUV and minivan prices are extremely high this year.

That's what I was thinking too. Of course, I just bought the girls new 25" suitcases today. Their old suitcases were the Dora kind for little kids which basically held 2 articles of clothing and a toothbrush.

If worse comes to worse, they may have suitcases on the floor in front of their seats as well as stuff crammed in between them on the back seat and backpacks in their laps. We're also going on a Disney cruise, so they'll have to put up with it for the hour drive from Orlando to the Port.

 

[CarolAnnB]

I would check the rental car websites every week for specials - they pop up all the time. They usually show you on each type of car how many suitcases will fit. I think an SUV or a minivan with the 3rd seat down. If you keep checking either of those classes, you should be able to find something decent between now and November. If you look at southwest.com, it lists all the rental car companies so you can compare by car class. I use that and then check the car company website directly and see if there's anything lower. They don't require a credit card to reserve, so I book the lowest I find and then if a new one comes up, I just cancel the old one. Not sure if you have been to Orlando airport before, but I would opt for one that has a desk in the terminal rather than having to schlep all the luggage onto a bus first.

 

[mousemom11]

I would check the rental car websites every week for specials - they pop up all the time. They usually show you on each type of car how many suitcases will fit. I think an SUV or a minivan with the 3rd seat down. If you keep checking either of those classes, you should be able to find something decent between now and November. If you look at southwest.com, it lists all the rental car companies so you can compare by car class. I use that and then check the car company website directly and see if there's anything lower. They don't require a credit card to reserve, so I book the lowest I find and then if a new one comes up, I just cancel the old one. Not sure if you have been to Orlando airport before, but I would opt for one that has a desk in the terminal rather than having to schlep all the luggage onto a bus first.

Good advice CarolAnn. Realistically, I'm not sure that all our luggage would fit in a full size car. But I found a mini van at Thrifty for only about $50 more than a full size, so I've reserved that for now. I hadn't thought about using SW to compare - that's a great idea. And I totally agree, the less schlepping of the luggage, the better.