Harbor Freight has a cheap one. I would test drive it locally for a week or two and see what you think before committing to a family vacation with something that might make you unhappy.

I prefer putting extra cargo on the roof, though. It's out of the way, out of the rain, out of trouble. A good rack system and rooftop box is expensive, but you can find them used and resell them easily if you choose to.

 

I am a roof box user, and I love it. Unless you are traveling somewhere where overall height is a concern, I prefer how they distribute the weight usually centered over the rear wheel rather than exerting a large moment on the rear suspension by hanging off the back 4'. Used roof boxes are usually easy to get for good prices and they are built to last if stored with some care.

 

Interesting that roof boxes are preferred. I have a couple of concerns with them. Maybe my concerns are unfounded.

It seems like roof boxes come in two flavors, aerodynamic ones that only hurt your MPG a little but make your storage oddly shaped (And maybe fewer cubic feet), or big boxy ones that allow you to throw carry-on sized suitcase inside, but they hurt your MPG a LOT.

Thinking about what I would put in an exterior carrier, it would need to be things that aren’t climate-sensitive, and that means suitcases. So I need boxy storage. I’m also only 5’9” or so, and I’m the tallest in our house, so roof cargo would be difficult to manage.

Is there anything I haven’t thought of?

 

I previously had the Thule Evolution 1600 (16 CF) and recently upgraded to the Thule Force XT XXL (22CF) because my family of 5 is getting older and I'm transition from baby gear to more luggage being taken everywhere we go. Our Traverse would get 22 MPG on long highway trips and I've been around 20 MPG with both roof boxes. The Force XT XXL is basically the full width of roof, holds an enormous amount of bulky cargo, opens from both sides and has easily adjustable quick attachment points so install is a breeze. I am 6'3", so reaching into the box is a non-issue for me but my wife could easily load and unload the lighter bags without me. The Evolution was longer and more "aerodynamic" (truthfully I'm not seeing a measurable loss in MPG with the bigger roof box) and was great for strollers, pack and plays, etc.

Something to consider - for once a year use I've seen people rent their roof boxes (and I'm assuming hitch mounted boxes too). You could also rent a minivan for that once a year trip. Either way these are large items to store when you aren't using it.

 

How much of a pain are roof carriers to install? I don’t have crossbars. I would prefer to have the carrier (whether hitch or roof) on the car for the drive to our vacation home, then take it off for the week, and reinstall for the trip home. Hitch makes that a one-bolt deal with two people to lift it… I’d assume a lot more than one bolt for roof?

 

You need crossbars. The newer roof boxes mostly have tool-less installs using knobs and/or levers but the first install may require the roof rack to be adjusted or parts in the roof box to be adjusted to get the proper fit and alignment. As far as getting the box on and off, I can do it by myself now that it's all set up but the first time having another pair of hands and eyes is helpful.

 

In shopping around, it looks like the OEM crossbars are $200, correct? So it would be $200 on top of the price of the carrier? That pretty much puts it between the hitch rack+bag solution from Amazon, and the Stowaway2 Max, price-wise.

 

Looping back around on this one - I'm fairly certain I'll be getting one of the Stowaway2 carriers, but I'm concerned about two things - backup camera and blind spot monitoring system. I'm guessing the backup camera will be blocked? Does anyone have recommendations on how I could rig up a camera powered by the hitch (same as the Stowaway2's lights)?

 

You might take a look at backup camera accessories for travel trailers.

 

How's your search so far about backup camera and Stowaway carrier?