After many sleepless nights, lots of research and soul-searching, I've decided to keep the van at least one more season. I want to be able to do Route 66 and the gas mileage in my Toyota Sienna is too good to give up for that trip.
So the main problem I had besides not being able to stand up in the van was shuffling around needed items when it was time to sleep.
I'm a bit of a minimalist and I like my space clear and clean. So I began looking at Car Top carriers.
I actually bought a 15 cubic foot luggage travel bag on Amazon for $44.99 last month and used it to carry extra items from Desert Hot Springs to my mother's house about 5 hours away.
I hate it.
I absolutely hate it.
It worked fine - kept everything clean and dry.
It's very tough and looks like it will last a long time.
However, for ME, because I'm so short, it was a bugger to load and unload, needing many straps to attach it to my rack and more straps to tie it down. It just wasn't as convenient as I wanted it to be.
So.. that's up for sale if anybody's interested in an inexpensive fix until they can afford a hard shell car top carrier.
It's new, only used for one trip, and I'd sell it for $25.
Next, I considered using an old hard shell carrier I have.
However, it's not as sturdy as I'd like, though it's lasted many years, and it does not lock. You CAN use padlocks to lock it up.
It opens from the side and has two places for padlocks.
The front and back snap closed, and I've used tie down straps the last few years to keep it from unsnapping.
And again, that's up for sale if you're in the Portland, OR area next month.
I'd like maybe $25 for that.
It looks very much like this one and it is in very good condition:
I finally decided I wanted to invest in a Thule Carrier.
They're bloody expensive, but of excellent quality.
They're SIMPLE to install - the clips fit over your existing rack, and you simply turn wheels above each clip (INSIDE the carrier) to tighten them on.
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| These clips tighten to your rack to hold the Thule on. |
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| Inside, you turn these knobs to tighten the clips on the bottom. The straps are optional and included to tie down your load inside so it doesn't shift around. |
The Thule I purchased will open from either side, passenger or driver.
It has latches on both sides and comes with 2 keys.
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| Latches on both sides. |
My Thule is not shiny; it has a matte diamond finish and I love it.
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| Diamond finish |
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| Easy to load. |
So far, I've loaded it with my Arc Haus, my shade cloth, my tent poles, my suitcase, my watercolor easel, and there's LOTS of room for more! I plan on buying an extending ladder so I can set up my shade cloth over the top of the Thule, which will insulate it and the van from the heat. I'll post photos when I do that so you can see how I do it.
Price of this Thule Cargo Carrier was $549.99 minus my $20 REI Dividend.
At $530, it was a hell of a lot cheaper than a new RV!
I'm stoked!
And I"m organized!
And THAT makes me very happy!
Here is a photo of my new Thule Cargo Carrier on my 2002 Toyota Sienna Van.
Rad.
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