ed1chandler
Member
Hey, all
I just got back from an 1100 mile road trip with my family of 4 and our luggage in my '02 Jetta GLS TDI. The good news ... I averaged 49 mpg with the A/C on most of the time. The bad news ... it was pretty close quarters.
I'm looking for a good option for a bit more cargo room. As I see it, there are three options: A trailer, a hitch-mounted cargo carrier, or a roof rack. I'm going to eliminate a trailer right off the bat because I don't want to screw with having to pay for the plates ... much less the hassle of backing into places. That leaves me with either the hitch-mounted cargo carrier or the roof rack. Does anyone have any guidance for me as to which is better and why?
Unless I'm wrong, with a hitch-mounted cargo carrier, my towing capacity (which I gather to be 2000 lbs) isn't nearly as important as the tongue weight because all of the force is driving straight down on the hitch. All of the compatible hitches I've found are "Class I" 1.25" hitches with a tongue weight capacity of about 200 lbs. The cargo carriers, themselves weigh about 50 lbs, so it looks like I'm carrying an extra 150 lbs or so of cargo. That's about three suitcases and that's probably enough. I'm also assuming that a hitch-mounted cargo carrier is more aerodynamic since it's essentially "drafting" the car.
I can't find any information about roof racks and their capacity. Can anyone tell me how much weight you can safely carry on a roof rack and (assuming that capacity depends on the rack) what brand or style of rack I might want to consider?
I'm leaning towards the hitch-mounted carrier, but am open to being talked out of it. The only downside is that the cargo carriers are all either 48" or 60" wide, ... and either way they'll obscure the tail lights when they're loaded. Anyone have any guidance on that?
So, the short version is this ...
If you had to get a hitch-mounted cargo carrier or a roof rack to carry additional luggage, which would you get and why?
Thanks in advance.
I just got back from an 1100 mile road trip with my family of 4 and our luggage in my '02 Jetta GLS TDI. The good news ... I averaged 49 mpg with the A/C on most of the time. The bad news ... it was pretty close quarters.
I'm looking for a good option for a bit more cargo room. As I see it, there are three options: A trailer, a hitch-mounted cargo carrier, or a roof rack. I'm going to eliminate a trailer right off the bat because I don't want to screw with having to pay for the plates ... much less the hassle of backing into places. That leaves me with either the hitch-mounted cargo carrier or the roof rack. Does anyone have any guidance for me as to which is better and why?
Unless I'm wrong, with a hitch-mounted cargo carrier, my towing capacity (which I gather to be 2000 lbs) isn't nearly as important as the tongue weight because all of the force is driving straight down on the hitch. All of the compatible hitches I've found are "Class I" 1.25" hitches with a tongue weight capacity of about 200 lbs. The cargo carriers, themselves weigh about 50 lbs, so it looks like I'm carrying an extra 150 lbs or so of cargo. That's about three suitcases and that's probably enough. I'm also assuming that a hitch-mounted cargo carrier is more aerodynamic since it's essentially "drafting" the car.
I can't find any information about roof racks and their capacity. Can anyone tell me how much weight you can safely carry on a roof rack and (assuming that capacity depends on the rack) what brand or style of rack I might want to consider?
I'm leaning towards the hitch-mounted carrier, but am open to being talked out of it. The only downside is that the cargo carriers are all either 48" or 60" wide, ... and either way they'll obscure the tail lights when they're loaded. Anyone have any guidance on that?
So, the short version is this ...
If you had to get a hitch-mounted cargo carrier or a roof rack to carry additional luggage, which would you get and why?
Thanks in advance.