Take Two of These and Call Me in the Morning

Packing a plethora of possessions into your car doesn’t need to be painful. There exists a multitude of ways to optimize interior space without sacrificing your belongings. Let’s begin with the essential road trip tool; the roof top cargo carrier. Whether driving cross country or going skiing with some of your buddies, rooftop carriers can make or break the trip. Thule makes an excellent line of carriers that mount right onto most factory or aftermarket crossbars. Not only are they useful and durable, but oh, so stylish; available in black or silver finishes. One may underestimate the capacity of the cargo carrier, and wonder, “I mean really, how much can you really fit in one of those things?” That’s a bunch of malarkey! You should live your life by the golden rule: Thou shall not question the capability of the cargo carrier. They can fit golf club bags, kayak paddles, skis, snowboards, hockey sticks—basically any awkward items you wouldn’t want scratching up your car’s interior as you struggle packing them. I can sympathize with your skepticism because I used to be you. I even used to have a deep rooted fear of carriers; dating back to my childhood, when my brother thought it would be funny to lock me in one and surf it down our front lawn; but that’s a whole different set of issues.

Anyway, the other day I was at a local sporting shop and they were hosting this hilarious promo event. All the big names in the rack business were there—Thule, Surco, Swagman, Allen—and they were hosting a contest called “You Couldn’t Pack this Car if Your Life Depended on it!” The idea behind the event was simple. An array of couples who live active lifestyles and enjoy the outdoors, were selected. These couples were then given two hours to shop through the sporting store and pick out whatever they wanted. Here’s the catch- they could only keep what they could pack into a mystery car, and they had to do it in 10 minutes! The couples rushed the store, grabbing fishing rods, pool sticks, snowboards, mountain bikes, and whatever else tickled their fancy. When their time was up, the officials unveiled the mystery mobile: a 2007 Subaru Impreza. It was hilarious watching couple after couple attempt to stuff this small sedan. In the end, I think the couple that won best fit 2 pairs of skis, a snowboard along with some basketballs and footballs. The contest concluded with another a sponsor rolling up in a similar Subaru; except his was decked out to the max with racks. It had a rooftop cargo carrier packed with 6 pairs of skis and poles, a hitch mounted bike rack, and to top it all off—plenty of interior room! -Mike Rosania