pwdeegan

Does anyone here ever put their Chariot (or other largish cycle trailer) in a car-top cargo box? Have you ever put a trailer into a cargo box *and* mounted a bicycle (or two) alongside?

we've got a compact 4-door, and i'm brainstorming ideas for transporting bicycles and trailer (2 bikes, one Chariot trailer, for two adults and one kid); buying a larger vehicle isn't an acceptable option at the moment, and stow-space inside the car is fairly limited with parent+kiddie gear. I wonder if i can fit a trailer up-top with one bicycle, or fit the trailer up-top with the two bicycles on a rear trunk rack (but those trunk racks seem less-secure at highway speeds).

any advice or other solutions/suggestions welcome!

kissTheApex

If the chariot is a one child model, I think you might be able to fit it into a wire mesh basket up top in the middle of the racks. However, if it is the two children model, I'm afraid it may not fit. On the other hand, a friend of mine hauled two bikes on a trunk rack of a Volvo S40 from Washington DC to Jacksonville, FL. He said, all he did was to stop every 100 miles or so and make sure the straps were tight. And as far as I know, he doesn't have a high end trunk rack.

Best of luck. Please update the post if you find a solution (especially if your chariot is a two kiddie model like mine). I've been pondering over the same question myself for some time, even though the longest trip I take with all the gear is around 10 miles.

Ihsan

sunflowerflyer

I have bungied our 2 child trailer to our roof rack for short hops to our local trailhead (prior to the trail that goes 2 blocks from our house). I wouldn't recommend highway speeds unless it is somehow contained in a cargo box.

I'm 99% positive our cheap (relative) Sears rooftop cargo box is plenty big enough to hold our trailer.

I do highway speeds with bikes on the rack often, and don't worry about them anymore. They have received a few minor scrapes from bumping each other when hitting bumps in the road though.

An expensive option may be to find a small light shortish enclosed trailer (4'x6'), and pull it with your car.

WillFam-Reno

Yes, we use a Yakima 36" wide cargo box on the right side of the vehicle with two Yakima bike attachments (one single and one tandem/triplet) on the left side. It just barely fits with room for the cargo container to be opened all the way. This is using standard length Yakima poles. There is also room for misc. tools, pump, and a few other items. The trailer is a Burley D'Lite double which folds down and quick release wheels removed and placed in the cargo box as well.

pwdeegan

brilliant! thanks all