Hi Dea-Dog,
I have posted this before, but our 08 Sport MT carries a hard-body on top, and a two-man inflatable inside...most weekends in the summer.
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...oofracks04.jpg
We drive down to the Rio Grande and always drive our Fit on some rough terrain right to the river's edge. Last summer it handled everything very well, and people would gawk at the amount of equipment that we would pull out of our Fit.
I say buy the Fit, but get a good roof rack.