Load the roof or drag a trailer?

[MadeInMaine]

Good morning everyone

My wife and I are planning a 3 week road trip with our kiddo and 2 dogs (Rhodesian ridgebacks, 100 & 75 lbs). I have been planning on getting a roof rack, but wanted some input on whether people thought it was better to load up a roof rack or a trailer.
Pros & cons of both I can think of.
- roof rack makes vehicle easier to park, but easier to steal gear aerodynamics drop rapidly
- trailer makes a larger vehicle, I'm guessing lower MPGs, but you can lock up a trailer safely.
I suppose you can lock gear on roof and if someone really wants to steal, they could take the whole trailer.

Either way.... thoughts?

Thanks for all the input.

Owen

 

[Yukon4Runner]

We have 3 dogs so to keep the 4Runner clear of cargo, we use a roof top carrier and steel cargo basket that mounts to the hitch receiver...plenty of room for trips.

 

[MadeInMaine]

We have 3 dogs so to keep the 4Runner clear of cargo, we use a roof top carrier and steel cargo basket that mounts to the hitch receiver...plenty of room for trips.

I have thought about those options.
The only thing I don't like about hitch mount is that I can't open the rear hatch without taking the gear off hitch mount. Same reason I have a roof bike rack. The rear hatch is where our dogs get in and out.

 

[Yukon4Runner]

I have thought about those options.
The only thing I don't like about hitch mount is that I can't open the rear hatch without taking the gear off hitch mount. Same reason I have a roof bike rack. The rear hatch is where our dogs get in and out.

Yep, we face the same issue. When the hitch basket is loaded, I let them out one of the side rear doors. This is for extended family trips so it's not a daily hassle.

 

[wbpolk]

Well I thought about this when determining what was needed to do both.
If you start loading roof you will soon see that your factory rack won't cut it, this will lead you to buy a $1000 rack.
To stabilize you will need to change suspension $800
Now just them two things will be items you can only use with your 4Runner and nothing else.

I just picked up a old m416 army trailer for $700, i will have a friend help fab and mod it to fit my needs, but I am looking to be all in on a trailer $2000. I can use with any vehicle not just our current 4Runner, so I feel like I am ahead. (Yes I will be upgrading the suspension either way so don't factor that but trailer could get away with less $)


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[4runnin4mylife]

I have thought about those options.
The only thing I don't like about hitch mount is that I can't open the rear hatch without taking the gear off hitch mount. Same reason I have a roof bike rack. The rear hatch is where our dogs get in and out.

I have a hitch bike rack and can open the hatch up just fine with 2 bikes on it. Just get one that folds down out of the way easily. Just a thought if you don't wanna climb all over your car to get bikes on and off or if your dogs can't jump in the back from beside the bikes like mine does.

Now to your question I would go with option 1 and put your stuff on the roof! You are right about the MPG's going down, but I just like a smaller footprint. You can lock the cargo on the roof like you mentioned and I definitely recommend that if you go that route.

Just my .02!

 

[techno]

Is this a camping style road trip or are you staying in accommodation? I can't see you needing a trailer for your stuff if you're not camping. I would picture the layout to be something like;
You and wife up front
Kid in the 2nd row on one side.
A cooler and a few small to medium size bags on the other side in the 2nd row.
The dogs and their stuff in the cargo area.
Three large suitcase size bags on the roof rack.

Would you be something close to this?

 

[Yukon4Runner]

Though I favored a small utility trailer which could be used for family trips and be handy around the house (yard work, moving stuff, etc) I just didn't have a convenient place to store it out of the way. So the roof top cargo box and the hitch basket won out; very easy to find a place to store it out of the way.

In the 15 years I've owned my 4Runner, we've lived in 3 different homes; none of them had an easy place to store a trailer (garages don't count because that's where you park your cars).

If I ever buy a property with plenty of room to store a trailer, I'll probably get one as they do come in handy.

.

 

[Biker John]

After fighting my with the roof box and hitch racks I broke down and purchased a spcetrailer. Pricy but the best utility trailer I have ever owned. Very versatile and can haul our camping gear. It's not a full blown off road trailer but we can load it up and keep the vehicle clear for us and the kids.

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[MeefZah]

I would opt for the roof - assuming you HAVE to drag that much shit with you, I never have, but opinions and needs vary.

The roof is better IMO only because it takes the variable of a trailer issue - a flat, a bearing failure, a hitch failure, etc. - out of the equation.

Not specific to your trip, but if I need a trailer for a project, I rent a 5x9 from U-Haul. $25 for 24 hours. Pretty hard to beat that.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

If your external equipment load (i.e. stuff you don't plan on putting inside the vehicle) is about 100~120lbs total, I'd probably go with a roof rack (keep in mind though that your roof rack will eat up some of that 120bs maximum dictated by the owner's manual and that 120lbs is part of the total carrying weight allowed by the vehicle which can be found in your owner's manual.)

If it's more than that, you'll probably want to get a trailer, anything outside of the recommended weights/distributions when loading your vehicle up is at your own risk technically.

 

[Hellaflushfj60]

Why not both!?

 

[Ron4RNevada]

Leave the dogs at home.

 

[IggyB]

I used to pull a 1/4 ton M101CDN instead of loading the rack.

Heavy and bulky items, like few gas cans/water cans/60 qt Engel, went in the trailer.

 

[ShizNic9]

I've been finding myself with the same issue. My problem is that I want to throw on a roof-top tent, so i've been leaning towards finding a trailer that can accommodate the tent and possibly going with a roof-rack as well, just to round out the Uhaul look. lol.

 

[Titanpat57]

I'm a trailer guy...but that's not news.

I have an off road teardrop that includes the kitchen sink, and everything else you can imagine...is there lighter options and better configurations?...oh hell yea...do I ever regret dragging everything with me??...never!

I use a trailer for everything. I have two military trailers, both M116A2's, that I fixed up for different duties. One's for camping/wandering, and one's for dump runs, fetching materials, and moving furniture.

When I do go out for a trip for fun...the only thing on the roof rack is my spare, my 4 gallon rotopax, and my 5' hilift.

My fridge does live in the truck(small Dometic) 9 months out of the year, and for extended trips the Engel MT45 goes in the back of the truck.

I wish I had a dog to throw back there...:help:

 

[tommytrail]

Good morning everyone

My wife and I are planning a 3 week road trip with our kiddo and 2 dogs (Rhodesian ridgebacks, 100 & 75 lbs). I have been planning on getting a roof rack, but wanted some input on whether people thought it was better to load up a roof rack or a trailer.
Pros & cons of both I can think of.
- roof rack makes vehicle easier to park, but easier to steal gear aerodynamics drop rapidly
- trailer makes a larger vehicle, I'm guessing lower MPGs, but you can lock up a trailer safely.
I suppose you can lock gear on roof and if someone really wants to steal, they could take the whole trailer.

Either way.... thoughts?

Thanks for all the input.

Owen

roof looks best