They've changed things up, but I have 66" round bars and the older RailGrab mounts for putting them on factory raised rails, like what the 4R has. I just yanked these off our RAV4 and haven't yet put them on the 4R but am about to for paddleboard and kayak transport. Yakima has simplified their lineup but the Skyline is the current equivalent of the RailGrabs I have.

What 1engineer said.

Also:

• Personally I'd suggest a long weekend camping trip (traveling to a new spot each day) first to get your feet wet. A two week road trip is a very long time for a starter trip, especially for a married couple who has to live with each other afterwards.
• Pack light. You don't need 2 weeks worth of clothes, especially if you're staying in hotels. Most hotels have coin-operated laundry on-site. Bring lots of underwear (doesn't' take much space), but re-wear outer clothes multiple times. I get in this argument with my wife every time we go on a trip.
• The back of the 4Runner isn't flat; I suggest laying the seats down and trying to take a nap in it this weekend, then think about attempting a full night. To fit two adults lying down plus two medium dogs you'll have to clear out the entire mid/rear compartment. It might be better to just recline the front seats and sleep there and let the dogs stay in the back.
• For daily access for a lot of stuff, a small enclosed trailer will be much easier to use and more fuel efficient than a large roof-top carrier. You can rent one from U-Haul for a few hundred dollars for a two-week trip. I have an aerodynamic Sears-brand hard carrier on the factory rack, but we typically drive to a destination and unload. Even better would be a hitch-mounted carrier, but it will have less room.
• Some states are starting to require that dogs be restrained in vehicles, including some states up in your area. I understand the desire to allow a dog to move around to fight boredom, but would you let a bored human child move around like that? From personal experience I suggest an overly large wire cage suitable for both dogs to lie down and move around. I have one that fits perfectly in the rear area and fully fills the base, and we fit a 100-lb German shepherd and a 40-lb husky in it. We pack over, beside, and even under it. Stop often to let them stretch legs. Lower the rear window to let them sniff in safety (no flying bugs or debris to damage eyes) if the temperature is suitable. But then our max trip length was about 7-8 hours once then at most a few hours a day instead of driving every day for 2-weeks.

When it comes to size of a travel box. how big is "too big"?

I see that the skybox has 16, 18, and 21 ft3. For a longer term investment, is the 18 good enough, or should one go for the 21 for the "extra room"?

Also, can anyone confirm that an 18 or 21 will fit and not hit the hatch spoiler?

All good information, thank you.

I was just mentioning to my wife about us "taking a nap" in the back, and then fitting the dogs this weekend to gauge our fitment in that situation.

We were also discussing the laundry situation as well.

We have done trips with the dogs previously in the car, usually 6 hours round trip. Our boy dog is a great rider who enjoys laying down and enjoying life, our girl dog also loves riding in the car, but she never relaxes as she is my co-pilot and watching all things who may harm us somehow haha.

The rooftop is slowly winning here, simply because I figure it will be used in the future. I'm seeing it as investment moving forward.

Finally, I will look into those laws on pet restraint.

I appreciate all the information you all are sharing.

Strange, when I go through the link for a 2016 4R, its saying I only need 50" bars. When looking at the picture however, it looks like that is the only size needed if the box is the only thing that will be sitting on the rack.

Yeah, I have 66" bars because before the 4R the roof was my primary toy hauling location. With 66" bars I could haul four bikes, two bikes and the cargo box, or two bikes and a paddle board or kayak. Back when I ran Yakima's recommended size bar it would limit carrying capacity; even just one bike and the box was a bit of a squeeze.

You have gotten some great advice and I think you are on the right track.

That said,

*Skip sleeping in the back, 2 full size adults and 2 45lb dogs will be tight AND you will have to unload everything to be able to do this. Its a pain when the dog has to pee early morning (or one of you for that matter)......just buy a tent, they are cheap and its so much more convenient. If I was single I would sleep in the 4runner everyday but not with a spouse, pets and gear

*Try Loading up your stuff and dogs before buying anything. we did a 9 day excursion (camped almost every night) and didn't need a roof rack, trailer or sky box. Unless you are taking lots of activity gear (ski's, bikes, etc) clothes , camping gear and some food will easily fit in the cargo space if you pack wisely.

*If it turns out that you do need all the stuff and it wont fit in the back I would go with a skybox on top. A trailer is an unneeded hassle (my opinion) and a roof rack is a great expense considering its upfront costs and then you still have to buy something to store stuff in.

*Regarding traveling with Pets, I would keep them in the back seat and not lay the seats down. Keeps everything separated and you can still use the rear footwells for storage.

Just another .02 addition, as I have also moved cross country twice with a dog and an infant/toddler (like another dog with dirty diapers).

I've used the yakima skybox 16 for both trips. I originally got the 16 because it fit my Outback better. It still works great with 2 kids and a dog for long road trips, but if I were buying for the 4runner I would likely go with the 18 or 21.

My skybox is mounted to 53" Thule aerobars. The thing about using yakima or thule bars with a box is that it gets it high enough to clear the "shark fin" in the back. They stay on my 4runner even when the box is off because they make zero difference in noise and virtually no difference in mpg.

Map out all La Quinta's for the trip. Dogs stay free at all locations and they are usually reasonably priced and clean.

I will second the dog in the back seat, or put them in crates in the trunk. That way you can pack around them and don't have to worry about things falling or moving around on them. It also gives them some of their "own space".

Here are some pics of a Yakima 16 on the 53" thule aerobars and how I store it in the garage along with dog in crate pic (our kids are in car seats in the middle row although I have thought about putting them in the back with the dog after about 5 hours). For the mounting of the box its just hooked on two handicapped bathroom handles I bought at home depot with a couple of 250lb rated anchors. Sorry for the sideways pics.

Attached Images

         

Thank you for the picture. Only question. With your Skybox 16, it looks close to the spoiler, you don't believe there will be an issue with an 18? (21 is the same length, just wider and taller).

Also, are you saying a skybox with Yakima bars won't get it high enough to go over the shark fin?

This is a great point about using the footwells as storage. You can get one of these kurgo type hammocks for the dogs, and store everything underneath, plus it keeps the back seat cleanish. We used one in the back even when we only had one kid in the back seat and the dog. Once the second one came the dog got relegated to trunk duty.

Dog Car Hammocks

Get a rear cargo carrier rack and just stuff your junk on it. Like this for example: Pickup, Van & SUV Accessories | Vehicle Storage & Organizers | Highland® Cargo Tray - Steel Hitch Mount, 1042000 | B895368 - GlobalIndustrial.com

No, it will clear with yakima bars as well, it will be difficult with the OEM cross bars. I just liked the Thule's better (yakima didn't have "aerobars" at the time I purchased mine). The 18/21 should fit with the spoiler, I just have mine adjusted to go back as far as it can go. The skybox has adjustable clamps to move the box further fore or aft on the car.

The best thing to do would be to get the box, from a place like REI (if you have one near you and mount it on your car in the parking lot. If it doesn't fit the way you want it to then just return it and get the other size....or maybe someone with a skybox 18 or 21 will respond to this thread

I have a full rack and a hard shell Thule box, for what you describe, save the money on the Gobi and just get a large hard shell box. I would agree with those suggesting to get aftermarket cross bars, I used the factory bars initially and they are so low you will scratch the roof and likely have interference with the tailgate. I mostly use my hardshell for winter to haul skis etc, now that I have the full rack. The security of it is great and it is a little more aerodynamic than just loading the roof (my experience).

Funny you mention REI. I actually just got off the phone with my local one. They have the parts in stock, but my trip isn't for a while yet, so I shall debate when to get it, but they certainly are the right place to get it from. Discount and their warranty/return policies are fantastic.

Yes, I planned to get new towers and cross bars to go with the new box, that way everything works together without issue.

Thank you for your help everyone.

My boy sits in the back seat without issue. I have a cover that goes over the seat to protect the leather from his claws. We always store stuff behind the front seats and never have an issue with him bothering it.

Its very similar to this:
http://www.amazon.com/Epica-Quilted-...=sr_1_1&sr=8-1