sbkline
Well-Known Member
We have a third baby coming in August and I am really trying to plan a trip for late May/early June of next year. We have a Dodge Grand Caravan with stow and go seating and previously, we would fold down the back seats and pile all the luggage back there. But now our oldest will be sitting in the smaller of the back seats, with the baby and middle child in the middle seats. I'm not sure whether all of our stuff will fit in the remaining space and I am trying to think of the best way to store our stuff on top of the van using the luggage rack.
My first thought was to get a set of ratchet straps and a tarp and just put some of the stuff (like the two big suitcases and the stroller perhaps) directly on top of the van between the luggage rack bars, put a tarp over it in case it rains, then strap it all down using the ratchet straps. Possible problems with that is that if it rains, I'm sure the tarp will help, but some water would probably still leak under, as well as the question of whether it would be good for the van to just put stuff directly on top of the van. The wife is also afraid of our stuff being vandalized when we stop overnight at a hotel on the way, so we may have to take it down, take it into the hotel and then put it all back in the morning, which sounds like a hassle.
At Walmart, they sell other things that we could use, but they are more expensive, but I don't want to lose our stuff, damage our van or having it get soaked in the rain (although we are staying in a condo, so we could just do laundry when we get there if necessary).
Just wondering if anyone else has travelled in the way I described above and how it worked. If not, what was your solution for how to load it up on top?
My first thought was to get a set of ratchet straps and a tarp and just put some of the stuff (like the two big suitcases and the stroller perhaps) directly on top of the van between the luggage rack bars, put a tarp over it in case it rains, then strap it all down using the ratchet straps. Possible problems with that is that if it rains, I'm sure the tarp will help, but some water would probably still leak under, as well as the question of whether it would be good for the van to just put stuff directly on top of the van. The wife is also afraid of our stuff being vandalized when we stop overnight at a hotel on the way, so we may have to take it down, take it into the hotel and then put it all back in the morning, which sounds like a hassle.
At Walmart, they sell other things that we could use, but they are more expensive, but I don't want to lose our stuff, damage our van or having it get soaked in the rain (although we are staying in a condo, so we could just do laundry when we get there if necessary).
Just wondering if anyone else has travelled in the way I described above and how it worked. If not, what was your solution for how to load it up on top?
good luck!
