Full roof rack or pull a trailer?

[MadeInMaine]

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts....

Would you say it's better to fill a roof rack with gear, or pull a smaller (4x6 / 4x8) trailer?

Thinking about gas mileage, amount of strain on vehicle, convenience, etc.

Cheers

 

[USKTog]

For me, the answer would really depend on what you were doing and where you were going...

...if you are going into remote 4x4 location for camping, etc., I would definitely saw roof rack. If, however, you are just road-tripping from town to town, with some possible OHV stuff, staying in motels, a trailer may be more suitable (so that you are not having to carry a bunch of extra gear up high the entire trip).

I have zero first-hand experience with a 4R, so I'll leave more definitive replies to those who have done something like this.

 

[Swarty]

Depends on your budget.
A decent overland trailer is going to be expensive but have fewer trade offs. Roof racks don't really hold all that much and destroy your cg and mileage even when you don't have anything on it day to day. But they are inexpensive and if you are careful can get you almost anywhere.

 

[1engineer]

No brainer if you are like 99 percent of people...
This means you need something maybe one weekend a month for summer to haul something in. If that is the case for you a trailer is much better as you only lose efficiency when you pull it, not all the time like a roof rack will. Also a roof rack can cost close to 1.5K and you can get a decent used enclosed trailer for much less. Good luck.

 

[Titanpat57]

I think it's way over rated to pack your roof rack with a lot of gear...you can, but may not like the way it feels with 300 lbs up there...

Of course it's no secret I'm a trailer guy..:cheers:

 

[medicjack]

How much does a roof rack drop your mpg?

 

[mattleegee]

How much does a roof rack drop your mpg?

most people say very little difference to 1-2mpg

where you lose the MPG is when you start adding stuff on top adding more resistance

 

[61hawk]

How about one of those rear bumper baskets? I'd think that could hold about the same as what you'd put up on top.

Me, I'm looking for a Ben-Hur trailer.

 

[GabrielM]

I rarely go off-road when the truck is loaded, so for me it's better having a trailer that I can unhook, go off-road and back to camp. I'm with [MENTION=47340]Titanpat57[/MENTION], having so much weight on the rack will make the truck top heavy.

I do love the practicality of the roof rack and be able to toss in something up, but in reality it doesn't happen very often.

 

[MadeInMaine]

Excellent input from all the different perspectives.
Looks like its time to build a trailer!

 

[Jhalko]

How much does a roof rack drop your mpg?

I didn't see any change in gas mileage when I added my roof rack (unloaded), I did eliminate my bike tray that was on the factory rack since I have a hitch rack for bikes as well.

Almost all my driving is either highway or stop and go city traffic for what it's worth.

 

[MadeInMaine]

I would think that it is debatable that the wind resistance of fully loaded roof rack vs weight resistance of a trailer, would create similar MPG changes. I would love to find a write up on that!

 

[FullCircleHook]

Too me it would all come down to application, but I would like both! haha

I figure for smaller loads (such as my dog crate,) it's easier to throw it on the top.

Keep in mind that a lot of the smaller trailer tires are only rated for 65 mph. On longer trips that would slow me down.

If I'm hauling a ton of stuff, or heavy stuff, it's easier to throw it in a trailer.

 

[ben550]

I use a bumper basket. Can hold up to 500 lbs. Easy to load and unload. Can be removed and stored in the corner of my shed. Saves money on tolls (more expensive when traveling with additional axles). Ive done the roof rack/basket and I prefer the bumper basket. Hooks right into the tow hitch...

 

[2014 Warthog]

Definitely depends on how much you think you will be hauling. If it's just for some sleeping bags and a tent and a couple more items that are easily tied down then roof rack is perfectly fine. If you really go all out and need to haul a ton of stuff then a trailer would be the ticket.

I usually use a rack as my overflow for the couple of items that wont fit inside, Also for my gas cans atm.

As for gas mileage, I have a 3/4 rack or 1/2 rack or Sport rack or whatever. It goes from the back side of the sunroof to the back and it has virtually zero impact on mileage. Also cost about $500 but it was a nice one and they can be gotten cheaper.

From the AT tires to 3/2 lift and half rack, my milage dripped less than 0.5 mpg on my daily driving and I think most all that was from the lift. I've probably killed my very top MPG at on long trip 75 MPH driving by 1-2 mpg though. But mu daily driving is 18.5 to 18.9 MPG measured at the pump.

A FULL rack may have more of an MPG hit, but the half rack sits mostly in the vacuum zone on the roof and so doesn't interfere with air flow by itself too much.

 

[4x4mike]

How much gear (size and weight) are you talking about, in general? What gear is it?

Before my 4Runner I had a full size pickup. On a week long trip my wife and I would fill the entire truck bed with gear. It was uncovered in Rubbermade Action Packers but organized.

I liked the 4Runner right off the bat because our gear was safe and secure in a covered space. Since having kids the space has decreased and the amount of stuff has increased.

I have a roof rack, hitch basket as well as a 4X8 trailer. Storage space differs greatly between those options. If I maxed out my roof space that amount of gear would fill maybe a sixth of the trailer space. If it was just that gear I'd throw it on the roof rather than pull a trailer. I will say my mileage drops with stuff on the roof.

Trailers have their draw backs for us where we go. I wouldn't wheel with one. You'd be stuck at 55mph and some campsites consider it a vehicle and you have to keep it on the parking pad and not off the road.

I'd suggest you get a hitch basket, pare down your gear and pack like a boy scout. I can pack the family for a week camping with the rear cargo area and the hitch basket. I tend to only use the roof rack for smaller things as the gas mileage drops, that stuff gets whacked on trees and if it rains it gets wetter than stuff off the back.

This is a weekend trip with more gear than we need. My float tube took up a lot of interior room. Actions packers are larger than I want on the roof. If they are heavy they are hard to load, plus they are tall.

Enough crap to warrant the basket but not a trailer. I can pack that extra stuff on the basket easier than on the roof.

This was quite a load. The return trip home had nothing on the roof as we burned the wood and ate all the food. I noticed a 3 mpg drop on the trip going up the hill. The EZ Up fit perfectly on the rack. It's heavy to lift to the roof and slides around. It also doesn't fit inside with car seats.

My trailer gets used for house stuff and spends most of it's time on the paved trailer pad on the side of the house.

 

[T4RDriver]

I use a Yakima Skybox 16s plus a Rola hitch haul rated at 600lbs. I've been tempted to buy a small trailer but have avoided the need thusfar. I like that this strategy eliminates the risk of trailer damage/flats since I am usually doing some mild off roading when loaded up with gear. It seems that the trailer might be a better fit if you require lots of flat, level storage.

 

[Semi-Hex]

I use a Jumping Jack trailer. We camp and travel a couple of times a month, even more if we're teaching. I can store up to 20 90 liter Action Packers on top of it if we took everything we own. We camp almost everywhere we go and I average about 16.8 mpg with the trailer. I tow it on forest service roads and all of the off roads at Mojave, Death Valley and South of Joshua Tree. I haven't had any trouble with it in Utah, Nevada or Montana either.
In other words I like the trailer option. It is just less hassle for us. We removed the back seat so most of the interior stuff is in bins and is organized.
I also don't go 55 on the highways. Utah allows 80 so I've done that on the level sections.

 

[CatskillsRunner]

We have a 10 ft. landscape trailer that we bought and then my husband modded it to carry and launch rafts and to lock gear to (our raft frames, oars, dry bags which serve 2 purposes--keep all gear dry on boat--and while on the trailer you dont worry about weather). We only worried about having stuff stolen on the way out and back, so anything not locked down was tossed in the 4Runner when we stopped for the night. I love it, and I dont have to really consider whether I can bring something or not.

To get one or not....it all depends on how much gear you have. We laugh about how we used to be ok camping from the kayaks and eating freeze dried food for 5 days straight. Now we live it up with luxuries like string lights in the tent and cold beer!

Once you get a trailer, you will wonder how you did without one for as long as you did. You will find a lot of uses for it you might never have considered.

I know a lot of people will fill up a vehicle and not be able to see out the back window. I cannot abide that.

I averaged 14 mpg for our 5k mile trip to CO & UT towing our trailer (2500 lbs.) between 75-80 mph whenever possible. I thought that was great considering that was what my stock 2008 SE averaged on the same trip. And that is without factoring in the bigger tires that are making my dash computer compute incorrectly. Take that, you 4th gen fans.

With my almost 17 foot kayak on the roof, on a much less aerodynamic rack than a lot of folks have, I averaged in the high 16s. Thats a big difference. I am willing to bet it matters a lot less how much weight you have and instead how streamlined your load is. Maybe [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION] will hop on here with diagrams demonstrating air flow, weight distribution, etc.

 

[jrandom]

Duh a trailer of course and more specifically one of these... with all the options

Moby1 XTR Teardrop Trailer ? Moby1 Expedition Trailers LLC

Seriously though, you are the only one that knows how much gear you carry. Roof top is nice but also a PITA. If I could afford any model or similar of the above trailer, or something like [MENTION=47340]Titanpat57[/MENTION] has got, home run for what I like to do.