Car Carrier question

[SuzySunshine]

Not really a house question but we don't seem to have a car forum.

We are driving to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving with my family of 4 plus my parents in my 7 passenger SUV. With that many people there won't be enough room for all of the luggage, even though I don't suspect we'll have a ton.

So my question is do we get a carrier to tie or attach to the top or do we get one of those hitch mounted platforms that goes on the back?

The soft top carriers look to be around $80 - $100, my car already has the roof bars. The hard top carriers seem to start about $150. The rear hitch mounted carriers also seem to be about $100, I already have a functioning hitch installed.

I would think the one in the back would be better for gas mileage but my husband's concern is that we would have to unload it if we needed to open the tailgate. The only reason I could think that would be necessary was when we stop at a hotel the first night and if we had a flat tire.

Experience with either? Suggestions?

[Pollyanna]

The soft ones that go on top are awesome! Easy to use, especially since your SUV isn't too tall and your hubby is tall. The soft ones allow for flexibility when loading and gives you more packing space. Plus, they fold up nicely when not in use.

[Mrs. MD, Esq.]

I've used the soft one with really great results!

[v-girl]

We've used the soft top - it was great!

[peggyfromwastate]

I looked into this and saw the rear hitch ones recommended bc of gas mileage. They have ones that swing out so that you can still open the back door-- I was thinking we will need to stow our luggage somewhere else bc our dog is a little big to share the cargo space back there with luggage. That being said, I'm leaning towards a roof rack of some type bc the hitch thing would make the car way too long.

I'm curious about the roof rack---- this is a stupid question-- but we only have the two bars on the roof of our SUV-- that's not a full roof rack is it? Is a full roof rack having two bars plus two more across? Do you know what I mean? Our two bars are on the sides of the car basically parallel with the long edges off the roof and that's it.

[poky]

I'm curious about the roof rack---- this is a stupid question-- but we only have the two bars on the roof of our SUV-- that's not a full roof rack is it? Is a full roof rack having two bars plus two more across? Do you know what I mean? Our two bars are on the sides of the car basically parallel with the long edges off the roof and that's it.

Yes, generally you'll need crossbars that attach to the built-in bars; the major brands all have adapters; we have a set of Yakima ones for our Element.

[Pollyanna]

That's what we have Peggy on our Suburbans and nothing else was needed to use the soft sided carriers. Maybe it's different for the hard ones but I'm not sure.

[Michele]

I have a Thule hard top that we used on my Wagon and now it fits on my van. It's been great! I have the cross bars that came with it/we purchased at the same time.

[peggyfromwastate]

Do soft carriers keep things dry? Cheri I'm thinking that given your planned road trip you might run into some big storms?

[SuzySunshine]

I think you can but waterproof ones but I'm not sure something on the back would be any better for water??

[Pollyanna]

You can just bungee a waterproof tarp over the top of the carrier to keep it dry and bug free

[diggitydot]

No, the soft carriers won't keep anything dry unless they're specifically designated as waterproof. We learned that the hard way.
After the debacle with all of our shit getting drenched, we purchased a waterproof one that is more aerodynamic. It looks almost like a hard one, but it holds a LOT more, has metal supports, and is made of a much firmer material.

[SuzySunshine]

DD do you know what brand it is?