We are going to Virginia at the end of August for a week of vacation, and I’m realizing that space in our Honda Odyssey is going to be kind of tight with three kids, and luggage etc.

I want to start looking into some sort of cargo carrier, but I know nothing about these. I see some vehicles have them mounted on the roof? What can be carried in there? They look so small and narrow. Aren't there other types that attach to a hitch in the rear?

Any ideas or advice would be appreciated also some ideas about how much all this would cost would be great. Thank you!

I prefer rooftop as we use a hitch mounted bike rack.
Look on Craigslist and FB marketplace and o save money.
I got a brand new Sport Rack (Thule’s economy brand) for $75
https://www.sportrack.com/prod...orizon-xl-cargo-box/

They hold a lot more than they look like they do.

As for what they carry it depends on the trip.
Skiing of course all the skis and gear go there.

Camping/Hiking all the stuff that gets wet and dirty and will smell bad after the trip.

Beach anything that touches the sand

Regular trips anything that I don’t want in the vehicle. Soft sided duffle bags are easiest to get in and out compared to hard luggage.

Have had zero issue with water getting inside. They are surprisingly resilient. We got stuck in traffic in a nasty storm with no place to go as the highway was flooded and got hit with some straight line winds. Knocked us over 2 lanes and almost 90* around in the vehicle and the thing was still on top. I thought for sure it would be plastered all over the highway.

We have had ours for likely 13 or so years.

Only thing I wish for ours is you could open it from either side. But for $75 I can deal with it.

We have a Yakima Rocketbox. Opens from both sides, super easy to put on the car once the initial setup is done. Its been flawless for us.

I prefer hitch mounted racks, I don't like putting stuff on the roof due to the penalty on mileage and more work getting stuff on/off versus the hitch rack. I just have a $40 rack from Harbor Freight. I use totes on the back in case of rain. Also found it helpful to carry 5 gallons of fuel back there too just in case.

I keep everything cinched with either ratchet straps or bungee cords. The fuel can is secured the same way but also with chain and lock. I put stuff back there such as clothing, I don't transport anything valuable or something that can't get wet back there such as electronics.

I use a hitch-mounted carrier on occasion, most often for carrying the gas cans out for filling.

If you elect to use a hitch-mounted carrier, consider an anti-rattle gadget like this one from e-trailer to keep your carrier from flopping around back there.

There are other variations of that device -- stop by a local truck accessories place and have a look -- they may have less expensive versions, like this:

When I fill the trunk on my Ridgeline my headlights beam raises and distracts oncoming drivers. EZ to adjust but mine needed doing.

I am 20 days into a road trip following my son’s summer travel baseball circuit. Family of 4 in a Chevy Tahoe with a Thule rooftop carrier. Inside it as I type is a 12x12 shade canopy folded inside it’s carry bag, 3 lawn chairs folded in their bags, 3 stadium seats with backs that fold flat, a carry on size hard sided suitcase with my suits and clothes for any work trips I have to peel of to fly out for, 4 tennis rackets, several baseball bats, several pieces of workout apparatus such as foam rollers, and a handful of items I am surely forgetting. I bought the Thule around 2003 at REI in Seattle and have used the hell out of it, probably some of the best money I have ever spent in terms of using an item for a long period of time.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: TXJIM,

I bought a roof basket and then a bag to keep everything from getting wet. Bag is nice as it is more flexible that a rigid roof carrier. I do bring a small step stool with us so we can reach the top of the roof. look on craigslist or facebook market place as everyone at some point is done with this stuff and just wants it gone!!

We're on our 4th Odyssey. We have a Yakima SKybox 16.

https://yakima.com/products/sk...002830351.1624845976

We had a bag before. I personally hated the bag. Good for going to a destination but multiple stops it was a pain to get in and out of. The Yakima opens from both sides. I've had 4 suitcases, plus 4 boogie boards, sand shovels etc. I highly recommend the collapsing footstool to make it easier to arrange things.

When the kids were small, we used a rooftop cargo bag with our Pontiac Montana for those long trips.
Cheap and easy as long as you remember to pack small day bags, and leave the rooftop storage for things you don't need until you stop for the night, or get there. Of course, this assumes that you have rails on the roof already.

Something like this.

This might seem stupid but first time I used my Thule I put it centered on roof rack. A complete bitch to load especially since it only opens to one side. I quickly figured out that you should mount it off center for easy loading. You won’t notice the asymmetry while driving.

We have had a Thule on our Forester for 13 years that opens on either side. It stays on there for at least six months of every year. Most of the luggage for a family of four goes up there and the dog goes in the back with a few things.

We love it.

We have a cartop carrier we bought from Sears over 10 years ago. It is similar to the Yakima nickmur posted. It has worked out great for us and can hold a lot of different things. Vacation we fill it up with a collapsible beach cart, 3 boogie boards, 4 beach chairs, and a few other misc items. You can get a lot more in there than you think. My Sister in law and her husband were going to throw away a Yakima Skybox 16, because they broke the key off on one side and it wouldn’t lock. I now have that and after buying a key removal kit, I’ve removed the broken key and replaced the lock and have 2 cartop carriers. If you lived closer, I’d sell you one of mine…