Jun 23, 2011
Car Toppers vs. Car… Backpacks?
So obviously we’re gonna need some sort of packing solution for our minivan for our upcoming trips. 7 people and all our gear is not going to fit, no matter how much swagger is in our wagon.
We bought one of those old boxy car toppers at a thrift store (we even got it half-off), but I’m a little doubtful that we’ll have all the pieces and/or be able to figure out how they all go together without the manual. I’ve scoured the internet for any instructions for the darn thing, but can’t find anything.
In the course of researching that, I found this:
It’s called a saddlebag, but I prefer to think of it as a backpack for our van! So cute!
Why I think I might get it:
- better gas mileage without something on the top of the car.
- Stores in a very small space when you’re done with it because it’s collapsible.
- It’s much cheaper than most car toppers.
Do any of you have one of these? Do you think it’s a good purchase? HELP!
Molly, If you’ve got a hitch on the van consider a hitch platform. If you don’t have a hitch, consider putting one on. I just did with our Sienna and would be happy to help you guys get one on yours; have the tools and the know-how. Hitch is useful for all sorts of other things, too.
I was going to suggest the hitch as well. Car toppers are a pain. I speak from experience with a month-long trip to Alaska in an extended van with our whole family of 10 kids, the youngest being 5 months old, and 3 car top carriers.
Andy, shoot me an email so I have your email address, okay? If you can help us with this that would be AMAZING! Thank you!
Hi there…long time reader…but I think this is my first comment. We have a van “backpack”. I’m not sure it’s the same brand but we have had GREAT luck with it. We have used it on the back of our Toyota minivan as well as our Nissan Pathfinder. It works great with both. The one tip I have for you would be to buy a sheet of plywood for the bottom. We have found that we never have it completely full (or have odd-shaped items) and the plywood at the bottom helps it sit evenly. That doesn’t make it so packable when you’re not using it though. We usually end up just taking the whole thing off and taking into the place we are staying and can put the plywood out of the way. We have used it without the plywood as well and it does work just fine….just a little more stable with the plywood. I hope this helps – sorry for writing a book! :)
We never had one of this, we have had both a “Big Mac box” car topper, and a similar but collapsible “fabric” car topper like this one.
The down side to the Big Mac box was storage. It’s a BIG thing to keep around.
The down side to the soft one was rain. Certainly it was supposed to be waterproof, but in heavy rains, water always got in through the zipper, and sometimes just soaked through the cracks that inevitably spider their way through the waterproof lining of the fabric from repeated folding and unfolding.
We must have gotten our soft one at least 10 years ago – maybe they’re better now. But that was our experience.
I’d be worried about the “backpack” making it a hassle to open the tailgate and get things like a stroller out easily. I agree with the hitch thing – those are the easiest, best, and sturdiest. They swing out of the way, I think, so you can get into the tailgate.
We’ve had roof top carriers. We stopped using them just because of the gas useage. We’ve just learned to pile seven people along with gear in the van for our two month trips by packing very, very light – something that is much easier when we are not hauling baby stuff anymore!
Another hint… if you have carseats on a long trip, go buy a cheap vinyl tablecloth. Tape, tuck, or tie if over the back seats, cut holes out for the seat buckles to fit through. Then buy an old sheet and spread that over the tablecloth. Install your carseats right on top of the sheet. Even boosters can go there since the seatbelts stick out. Trust me – it’ll save your seats from staining with all the food and gooey things kids will drop down there when you can’t stop and pick them up. At the end of the journey, just roll it up and throw it all out. Do NOT look at the mess in it… please don’t.
T
Whoaaaaaaa, now that’s a cool idea! I’ve never done the hitch thing, but the collapsable idea is fantastic! Good luck with it!
Hi Molly!
We’re contemplating a similar question before our vacation… This is the one my husband is liking at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000H6P55W/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1308872622&sr=8-1
The one you like looks so cool! Look forward to seeing what you choose.
Thanks for posting. We went camping in our trailblazer last month and barely fit in with 2 kids! We want to go camping again and bring our dog (hopefully getting him from the rescue next week!), so we need more room on the inside… Also looking to put our 4-year-old in a backless booster to save a bit more room. Keep us updated!
We have a family of 5 young kiddos and travel for family several times per year in a minivan. We like the hitch mounted cargo carrier that hangs off the back of the car. Rob puts a tarp down piles it up and then straps the cargo to it neatly. We can still open the back of the van with this carrier. He’s an engineer so he’s really good at loading it up to the max nd likes it for gas mileage savings (over top carriers)
I don’t remember which one we bought, but here’s a link to the type of carrier we have.
http://www.discountramps.com/hitch-mounted-cargo-carrier.htm
Happy Trails!
Lisa
Love the car back pack! We haven’t had to purchase one of those yet, but we only have 3 kiddos, so we can put down one of the very back seats to make more room. However, I will say don’t underestimate the stuff you can pack into the floorboard storage. We have a Dodge Caravan and it has storage where you would normally stow the middle seats and we fit TONS of stuff in there. Just don’t forget you pu it in there after your trip : )
Wow, that looks really neat! My biggest concern would be something others mentioned: can you still open the back tailgate with it on?
Oh! I like the look of this! We are going to have our car for as long as we can squish our family into it (I’m going to hold off on the van for as long as possible) but this looks like a viable option for storage and travel! :) Let me know how it works out!
Check out the Thule Transporter Combi Hitch box. We have one and LOVE it. Makes car travel so much easier.
[...] remember when I asked you if car toppers or car backpacks were preferable? Well, turns out God had another answer. I should’ve known better than to just give two [...]
Sooo, what was God’s solution to your dilemma?