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Forum
-> Vacation and Traveling
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amother
Fuchsia
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 Mon, Aug 14 2017, 6:31 pm
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Our minivan doesn't have a rack to put something on top. We also don't have a hitching thingamajig to attach a Uhaul or something. But wwe really need more space for all the stuff we'll be shlepping. Ideas?
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reality mom
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Mon, Aug 14 2017, 6:44 pm
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You may need to add a roof rack. Call your car manufacturer to see if thats an option, and where is the closest authorized dealer near you who would do that.
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animeme
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Mon, Aug 14 2017, 7:37 pm
Laps? Any space unoccupied by a seat or person?
If you're talking about a trip, and it's enough stuff, and you have a second car (and driver), we sometimes reach a point where we take both cars on trips. It has the benefit of spreading the kids out, too.
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simcha2
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Mon, Aug 14 2017, 7:49 pm
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You can get a soft roof carrier designed for cars with no roof rack. If you search "soft top roof carrier" on Amazon it comes up.
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amother
Blue
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Mon, Aug 14 2017, 10:50 pm
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Yes! We used this to travel and was great. Don't either have a roof rack.
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amother
Fuchsia
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Tue, Aug 15 2017, 12:20 am
Our minivan has sliding doors. I don't see how those straps can work.
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amother
Fuchsia
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Tue, Aug 15 2017, 12:22 am
| animeme wrote: | Laps? Any space unoccupied by a seat or person?
If you're talking about a trip, and it's enough stuff, and you have a second car (and driver), we sometimes reach a point where we take both cars on trips. It has the benefit of spreading the kids out, too. |
There will be one unoccupied seat and honestly it will be needed for breathing space.
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amother
Fuchsia
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Tue, Aug 15 2017, 12:22 am
| reality mom wrote: | | You may need to add a roof rack. Call your car manufacturer to see if thats an option, and where is the closest authorized dealer near you who would do that. | Is there an option to add a roof rack to a minivan that comes without?
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mfb
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Tue, Aug 15 2017, 1:25 am
| amother wrote: | | Is there an option to add a roof rack to a minivan that comes without? |
Yes there is. (And if you're handy you can install it alone) my dh added a roof rack to our car
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amother
Wine
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Tue, Aug 15 2017, 3:26 pm
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It should work even with sliding doors. DS bought this in Walmart (much cheaper) and it worked really great.
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ruchelbuckle
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Wed, Aug 16 2017, 12:15 pm
We use the soft roof bag. It's annoying, but it works-- yes we have a minivan with sliding doors. If anyone needs to get out while we are en route, they can either climb out the back door or use the front door. It would be a big hassle for a multi-day road trip, but if you are driving somewhere for a few hours, then unloading/unpacking your stuff, it's fine.
a few other ideas:
I called Sears Auto Center about adding a roof rack to my car. I didn't have it done in the end, but they were definitely able to do it.
Call the service department at a dealership for your brand. Ask them if they can do it. If the person says "no"-- call another dealership. It's probably very likely that there is such a part for your minivan.
Depending on the shop, some bike shops can add a hitch to the back. Call around-- my friend needed to have a hitch installed on her 12 passenger van for when she goes to the country. One of the local bike shops was able to do it, and she is able to take a UHaul trailer for all of her stuff.
have fun!
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amother
Fuchsia
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Wed, Aug 16 2017, 3:34 pm
So we got a soft top roof carrier that's meant to be used without a roof rack. I'm still hoping we can have a tow hitch added because that's a worthwhile investment for bikes.
Thanks guys!
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amother
Fuchsia
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Wed, Aug 16 2017, 3:35 pm
| ruchelbuckle wrote: | We use the soft roof bag. It's annoying, but it works-- yes we have a minivan with sliding doors. If anyone needs to get out while we are en route, they can either climb out the back door or use the front door. It would be a big hassle for a multi-day road trip, but if you are driving somewhere for a few hours, then unloading/unpacking your stuff, it's fine.
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Can you explain why you can't open the doors en route?
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ruchelbuckle
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Wed, Aug 16 2017, 8:06 pm
| Quote: | | Can you explain why you can't open the doors en route? |
it's hard to explain, but it has to do with the way the carrier hooks into the minivan. The webbed straps come under the roof of the minivan, and they are thick, heavy duty straps that will block the door from sliding on the track while in place. Now, yes you can unbuckle the straps, but its time consuming to have to retighten, buckle, etc.... Not really worth the time/effort if you are making a 15 bathroom stop or whatever.
It could be that the track on your car is different, but I would imagine they are all fairly similar.
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MagentaYenta
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Wed, Aug 16 2017, 8:10 pm
| ruchelbuckle wrote: | ...
Depending on the shop, some bike shops can add a hitch to the back. Call around-- my friend needed to have a hitch installed on her 12 passenger van for when she goes to the country. One of the local bike shops was able to do it, and she is able to take a UHaul trailer for all of her stuff.
have fun! |
If you need a hitch go to a shop that does nothing but hitches. Make sure that you pay attention to the tongue weight when you are towing something. If your vehicle is still under warranty check to see if adding a non factory hitch will void your warranty.
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ruchelbuckle
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Wed, Aug 16 2017, 8:32 pm
| MagentaYenta wrote: | | If you need a hitch go to a shop that does nothing but hitches.. |
I had no idea there was such a thing! 
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