Going on a long trip and do not want to take my motor home because of fuel cost and very cold weather and motor homes not compatible. Does anybody know if any body makes a roof mounted luggage carrier for the pruis? How would it mount since there are no gutter rails for straps to mount to. Anybody else have any solutions on luggage? Also, what about a trailer hitch? Would it void my warranty? Is it possible to find one and install? Ron
Yakima makes #124 pads that fit the late-model Prius. Use them with Q-towers and 58" cross bars to form your rack. Then either use a cargo box or any of the "basket" cargo carriers bolted to that. A hitch will not void your warranty unless it screws something up that you need fixed later. Highly unlikely. CoastalTech makes one that fits well (I hear) - you just need to figure out a way to get CoastalTech to fill your order... Here's the Coastal Hitch Page.
Thule also makes a roof rack for the Prius. Both Yakima and Thule are top brands... and i would be happy with either. If you already have an investiment in either company... there might be an advantage to stay with that brand. /Jim
And, to point out the obvious, the cargo area can hold a lot of luggage, particularly if you fold the back seat down. You may not need a roof rack or hitch. Test with empty suitcases... There was a thread on the old site about MPG impact of roof racks and trailers. I believe, IIRC, that a hitch and low-profile trailer got better MPG, but there was a significant hit for either.
