| You have decided to take a road trip with the | | | | aerodynamics, and save fuel. There are several |
| family. Now the question is to find room for all the | | | | options: a rear mounted carrier, hitch, or trailer. |
| gear. One method is a roof basket or roof box. | | | | Rear Mounts are like a back pack for your car or |
| At first this seems to make sense, but there are | | | | crossover SUV. |
| many hidden issues. | | | | - Look for one that mounts easily in a few |
| The dark side of roof mounted carriers: | | | | minutes, is well engineered, rugged, weather |
| 1. Awkward Loading: A roof basket or roof box | | | | resistant, and comes with heavy duty hardware. |
| carrier requires lifting the gear above your head | | | | - The better ones are versatile; designed to fit |
| or climbing on the roof to load the gear. You may | | | | sedan trunks, minivans, SUVs etc. and allow you |
| need a ladder -- it is cumbersome and can take a | | | | to open the lift gate or trunk when attached. |
| half hour to load or unload. | | | | - They should be aerodynamic, easy to load, fold |
| 2. Extra Hardware: Many roof top carriers require | | | | up to the size of a briefcase, are weather proof |
| extra hardware, such as lifters or cross rails, | | | | and durable. |
| which add cost and are time consuming to install. | | | | Hitch Mounting requires a rear hitch. |
| 3. M.P.G. Loss All roof top carriers create | | | | - They carry gear on a flat shelf and stick out |
| significant aerodynamic drag, causing your engine | | | | 2-3 feet behind your vehicle, so watch it in |
| to work harder and burn more fuel. Field studies | | | | parking lots. |
| by consumer groups indicate that roof top | | | | - Also, the large box type units can take up a |
| carriers reduce fuel efficiency by a whopping | | | | large amount of storage space and cost quite a |
| average of 20 percent. | | | | bit. |
| 4. Safety: Roof tops carriers sit high on the | | | | Trailers require a hitch as well and can carry a |
| vehicle making it more unstable in cross winds, | | | | substantial amount. |
| and if not mounted securely, they can fly off. | | | | - Can cost thousands of dollars. |
| The overall vehicle height is significantly increased, | | | | - Hauling a trailer increases overall vehicle length. |
| so you have to be careful in parking garages. | | | | - Storage is the largest problem with trailers --- |
| 5. Higher Cost: The roof mounted carriers can | | | | most people simply don't have room to store a |
| cost quite a bit. After you add up the overall cost, | | | | trailer |
| of the roof box, and the mounting hardware and | | | | It is a good idea to do your research. Ask |
| rails, they can range from $450-$900. | | | | yourself how often will you carry your gear, what |
| 6. Storage: The large hard roof boxes are bulky, | | | | type of gear, what is the total cost (cargo carrier, |
| and consume valuable storage space. | | | | extra hardware, M.P.G. loss) do you have a hitch, |
| A new method to carry gear or luggage is to | | | | is ease of use important, where do I store it |
| attach it behind the vehicle, out of the wind | | | | when done with it? |
| stream. Rear mounts load quickly, do not impact | | | | |