Trailer Vs Roof luggage rack

[alexilic]

I love my Prius! Almost 5k, and it gets better and better. However, I do miss my Tundras carrying capacity. When we take a weekend trip, especialy camping or when there is 4 of us, we don't have enough room for all of our equipment. I don't want to drive the minivan till Toyota brings the hybrid version out in the states and I'm the first one to buy it!! :P
So my question. Do I get a small trailer(not much bigger then what you see some of the motorcycle cruisers tow behind them, or do I get a roof rack and one of those closable luggage things? What will be worse for MPG? Safety? Othere comments?

Here is the pic of us camping in Apple River Illinois.

Alex

[Peter7307]

In my experience:

Small trailer:
easily removable when not required,
lower centre of gravity for heavy items,
less weight on roof and lower drag,
can be removed from car without unpacking,
takes up extra space somewhere when not on car,
usually lockable and more theft deterent
BUT
extra costs (some places charge by number of axles) ,
tow bar and lighting fitting needed
adds to car length and weight,
can be a pain to reverse,
extra items to maintain.

Roof box;
needs rack,
can be noisy,
smaller volume,
weight limits,
adds drag to vehicle,
adds weight higher up,
aesthetics a consideration?

My choice would be the small trailer with two wheels and the ability to both lock the items securely and stand it on one end for storage.

I am sure others will add their comments.

Cheers , Pete.

[patsparks]

You are making me jealous, here it isn't legal to tow with a Prius because Toyota give a maximum towing capacity of 0 kg so that is what I can tow with it legally.

A roof rack also isn't recommended for Prius and I imagine would knock the snot out of the fuel economy. I believe Toyota are concerned with the electrics over heating or being over stressed. Not sure why you can't tow with a Prius but you can 550kg unbraked with a 1.5 litre Yaris or echo.
http://www.toyota.com.au/toyota/vehicle/Sp...867_662,00.html

All I want to tow is a very light trailer and a 220kg motorbike, total weight about 300kg but the law prohibits it.

[PA Prius]

Our family of four also considered the various options before making our 7,500 mile 4 week camping trip this summer. The picture shown in my avatar was not our final choice. The Thule box was nice, but I knew there needed to be a more aerodynamic solution-- we used our Saris rack with front air deflector attached, mounted the two bicycle rails on the outer ends of the rack, then put our two tents, four sleeping bags and pads, along with our hiking boots into four dry bags. We then layed a thin foam pad (the non-slip pads used under throw rugs) directly on the roof to protect it, then we tucked the dry bags neatly behind the air deflector and between the two bicycle rails. We also included a tarp that started at the back, between the pad and dry bags, up and around the front of the dry bags and returning to the back. This was to make the top smoother for aero purposes. This worked great and we averaged 49.7 mpg on our trip. Considering our cargo and trip I would be glad to hear if anyone has done better in any kind of vehicle. I think veggie oil vehicles would be the only more environmentally friendly way to go, or bicycle, or walking, but these were not options for this trip.

You can read more details and see a few more pics from our trip at-
http://www.priusownersgroup.com/?page_id=2840

PA P

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[a priori]

I thought I had seen someone offering a "hitch" support to fit a Prius. This would be either a 2" or 3" square horizontal mount. Couldn't a platform or rack be attached to such a hitch mount (or whatever it would be called)?

[Tadashi]

I would go with the roof rack. I have the Yakima landing pads that are mounted to my roof. It takes me about 1 min to lock in my racks or take them off. I can travel at highway speed without any noise and I do not use the plastic shield thing. When I do not need the rack I only have 4 oblong little bumps on my roof which does not affect my fuel economy. For a cargo box I recommend the Thule Spirit Box 689s. They are 16 cu ft but very low profile and streamlined. It also has locks, openable on both sides, and sliding claw feet to be used on any racks.

[Bob Allen]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(chitown guzzler @ Aug 18 2007, 10:58 AM) [snapback]498150[/snapback]</div>

I love my Prius! Almost 5k, and it gets better and better. However, I do miss my Tundras carrying capacity. When we take a weekend trip, especialy camping or when there is 4 of us, we don't have enough room for all of our equipment. I don't want to drive the minivan till Toyota brings the hybrid version out in the states and I'm the first one to buy it!! :P
So my question. Do I get a small trailer(not much bigger then what you see some of the motorcycle cruisers tow behind them, or do I get a roof rack and one of those closable luggage things? What will be worse for MPG? Safety? Othere comments?

Here is the pic of us camping in Apple River Illinois.

Alex
[/b]

Nice photo of a Prius in the wild.... I think you'd be way better off with a roof rack than you would with a trailer even though the trailer will hold a lot more. The owner's manual specifically states that towing is not recommended (even though some have done it) but there is no caveat against a roof rack. I think the extra weight and inertia of a trailer has some negative effect on how the computer coordinates the ICE and the electric motor. Mileage will suffer in either case, but you have no warranty risk with a rack.

[alexilic]

I forgot one option... a hitch with a "shelf" sticking out of it. Apx 2' deep by 4' wide. I see a lot of the suvs with them.. why they need more space??? baffles me..

I appreciate all the response..
Alex

[sfprii]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(chitown guzzler @ Aug 18 2007, 09:30 PM) [snapback]498516[/snapback]</div>

I forgot one option... a hitch with a "shelf" sticking out of it. Apx 2' deep by 4' wide. I see a lot of the suvs with them.. why they need more space??? baffles me..

I appreciate all the response..
Alex
[/b]

We're debating the same issue, roof rack or hitch mounted cargo carrier. Anyone have experience with the hitch cargo carrier?


YSC

[n8kwx]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sfprii @ Aug 18 2007, 11:01 PM) [snapback]498546[/snapback]</div>

We're debating the same issue, roof rack or hitch mounted cargo carrier. Anyone have experience with the hitch cargo carrier?
YSC
[/b]

No direct experience, but look for a thread called "how many bikes can my carrier hold". I'm not sure if I would suggest the hitch carrier as people have bent their hitches with bike racks.