Will be taking a long trip this summer with the family which means little to no room inside the cabin for luggage and other items with a large dog in tow as well. I would love to get a roof basket that clips to the gutters but dont want to spend the $$$. Anyone else have suggestions on a basket that will attach easily to the roof rails on a 2004?

 

1)Check craigslist.

2) If you get some cross rails you might be able to bolt a half rack up there fairly cheap and easy. The setup below will run you $200. I wouldn't put a ton of weight up there but it should hold luggage just fine.

The rails are $60- Roof Rack Crossbars - Raised Railing Rooftop Load Bars

The rack is from Walmart $148- SportRack Roof Basket - Walmart.com

 

I can take pictures of my setup later since I will be using it to do some weekend family camping. I already had a basket for another car and also had one of the large square weather proof bags so I just purchased some crossbars and mounted the basket there with a net cover and some straps to hold stuff down. The basket is about a long as the factory roof rails but about 6 inches narrow. Then I just lay the bag behind the basket on the roof and strap it to the basket and inside the care on the rear oh **** handles. Not as cool looking as a real roof rack for the disco but it works. I have dogs I travel with so usually have an outdoor gate system up there and then a couple suit cases and bags when I travel for a few days. I hope to run across a used roof rack for the disco but have yet to see something popup on craigslist here in KC.

Here is what I actually have for reference
Cross Bars

Roof Basket

roof bag

Yes I know cheap setup but works as long as not much weight. (under 200) The bag and basket I actually had mounted to our car for long trips and has held up great considering I wasn't expecting much out of them but kept stuff dry in plenty of rain and not really any signs of rust on the basket

 

This is my set-up using the Thule 953 rack attachment and Cabela basket. I also use a trailer for additional additional storage on longer trips (wifey and 3 sons). I purchased the trailer for $600 on Craigslist. I like the trailer option as it helps with gas consumption. Plus, we can leave the trailer on the hotel when we take sightseeing trips during the day.

 

Thanks everyone for their replys. I have been scouring Craigslist for weeks, hopefully something pops up. Interesting thought on the trailer.

 

Fellow Bostonian:


Our family of four and two labs use this when we travel to Hilton Head Island. Kids in the back seat and fidos in the far back inside the cab, like your set-up. I also use a weather proof tarp to cover the luggage so that they don't get wet and then bungee or strap the puppy down. If you're hauling bikes on your hitch, then this setup won't work.

You may have to get a hitch extender so that you can swing open your rear door to let the dog out. Just remember, the longer the hitch extension, the less weight you can put on the hitch hauler.


Highland Steel Hitch Cargo Tray - Walmart.com

 

Forgot to add a couple of other notes for you...


1. We use our Mitsubishi Outlander to make the trek to HHI. Hatchback, so rear door swings up to let the dogs out.


2. We fit the largest suitcase we have (mom and dad stuff) and the kids each take the equivalent of an airline carry on. So, three luggage pieces fit nicely on the hitch haul. We even buy a fresh 40 pound bag of dog food for fido and lay it on the hitch haul. The other thing we do is bring what amounts to the size of a decent ice cooler (though it is not an ice cooler). Here is where I store "knick-knack" stuff like games, dog bowls, and all the little incidentals that seem to creep their way in as must haves for traveling.


3. I use something like this to encase everything I'm hauling.


Hitch-Haul Expandable Rooftop Cargo Bag, Car Top Luggage Bag, Rooftop Luggage Carrier, Weather Resistant Cargo Bag, Hitch-Haul Cargo Bag


4. Found this on craiglist Boston:
Roof Rack


5. If you go the hitch mount scenario, I don't think you really need to swing the rear door all the way open to let out fido. Maybe just 20 inches or so? Therefore, you won't need a huge 24" hitch extender.


I know your post was looking at a safari rack system, but thought I'd throw this option out your way for consideration.

 

your welcome to use mine for your trip pm me

 

Like the idea of the trailer hitch platform, a little less wind drag than something on the roof.

 

A few additional points to my first post...

I have the flexibility of using either a roof rack or the trailer since I have both. My choice of one or the other or both is dictated by the location of my trips.

Using a roof rack is a hindrance on the trips involving the city. Many parking garages are inside buildings and height is an issue. The trailer makes more sense. Here is an relatively inexpensive Harbor Freight option:

78" Tag-Along Trailer - 600 Lb. Capacity

You can also install an additional luggage rack to the top of this trailer box to carry more cargo on the outside.... or other stuff such as bikes and kayaks.

A roof rack may decrease your mileage by 1 mpg as some have expressed in the past. however, one nice thing about my Thule 953 rack and roof basket set-up is it can be easily mounted and dis-mounted. I simply unscrew the four ***** on the four rack legs. My wife and I can then unmount the entire rack (with the cargo box attached) and store in the garage. The four **** also have individual locks which means the roof rack is secured to the roof of the truck when travelling.

I like the flexibility of being able to use both options. Here is a pic of our last beach camping trip where we used our roof basket, trailer and a hitched mounted Thule 4-bike rack. I fabricated a longer tongue to the trailer so that I can also carry the Thule bike rack at the back of the truck (i.e., adequate swing clearance for the trailer). This is the dual hitch attachment which I used to mount the bike rack as well as pull the trailer:

Dual Hitch Extender
Multi-Use Ball Mount

Good luck in your search for hauling nirvana