Hi All,
I have a 2009 Honda Fit Sport, and I'll be moving from CO to PA with the wife and 2 little chillins for a new job. We are planning on taking some household items with us and I can't seem to decide what would be the best way to transport items not able to fit (ha ha) in the trunk. I have read through many threads and my main concerns are #1 cost- ie roof bars vs hitch and associated storage, effects on mpg etc #2 safety- driving on highway with said items, #3 weight capacity the fit can handle in roof vs hitch #4 inclement weather we may experience, #5 lockability as we will likely need to stay in hotels on the way. I'd appreciate any and all thoughts/suggestions. If anyone with practical experience with long drives full of passengers could weigh in with what they went with, exact items they purchased and total itemized cost that would be exteremely helpful. Thank you all!
Mike

 

How much stuff are we talking about? Are you planning on carrying all the worldly possessions you're moving with you and the Fit, or just sufficient stuff for the trip? I'm assuming probably the latter.

If so, my best suggestion is to work out how you can pack as lightly as possible and get everything you need inside the Fit. If your chillins are little enough and in car seats, you can probably put some stuff on the back seat floor area (stuff that won't be harmed by dropped sippy cups). A stop at a laundromat halfway is cheaper than either a roof rack or a trailer hitch.

If you're thinking of carrying significant household goods, I think a better solution all around would be to rent a U-Haul or similar and either tow or drive the car separately. It might end up being a little more expensive, but you'll have much better secured space for your stuff and no worries about overloading vehicles and brakes and such. (If you tow the car on a dolly or trailer behind a truck, you can't have anybody riding in it, so presumably some of the family would have to travel separately.)

I helped a friend move from Vermont to Florida several years ago. We ended up renting a truck from Penske and a tow dolly for her car (an Aveo, as I recall), and it worked out just fine. An enclosed U-Haul trailer is pretty heavy, as trailers go, and would have taxed her car, particularly once loaded with the (fairly modest) furniture and furnishings she needed to move, and the cost wasn't as vastly different as you might imagine. I think the truck got something around 12 mpg for the trip, though my memory is rather hazy on the details.

 

Your only hope is under the rear seats, besides the trunk area... I've fit quite a bit of stuff with 2 adults and 2 children, at least enough stuff for a week's vacation without laundry.

What kind of household goods are we talking about and why are you hauling said goods?

 

I have a hitch and thought about a hitch mounted cargo tray that just floats on the hitch, but the tongue weight is only 200 pounds.... All your stuff plus the hitch mounted tray have to be less than 200 pounds and that's just at the hitch..... if the weight is farther back on the tray.... I'm sure that number greatly reduced because of some mathematical formula and all of that weight bouncing around for an extended period of time.

 

They call it foot-pounds.

You can get more torque at the rear end of a Fit than at the front end!

 

send the family via plane? and drive solo?

if you're just needing the space that would fit on your roof maybe that's the way to go.
check luggage and that can be shipping for "relatively" cheap.

heck if you're calculating hotel costs, maybe ship your car too (full of stuff), and jump on the plane too

 

I've hauled a lot of stuff on 800 mile trips back and forth to a house I'm renovating out of state. I have a Thule roof rack, and just recently got a small trailer but that hasn't been used yet for a long trip. Some observations:

• I wouldn't put more than 100 lbs or so on the roof for a long haul. And along with weight, the windage will really hurt gas mileage.
• If your items are moderatley heavy, you'll reach the Fits weight capacity by stuffing the car, and the rear springs will be compressed a lot. I've driven that way, but you'll want to take it easy.
• I've had a Curt trailer hitch for a few years, but just got my small trailer. I've done some "test hauls" with 500 lbs of softener salt in the trailer, and the car seems to do fine. That was with a tongue weight of only 50 lbs or so - my trailer is well balanced.
• No matter how you haul all of the stuff, plan to take it easy. I've never had any issues with overheating, and the automatic transmission seems to do fine also. But I drive gently when I'm hauling.

I'm actually about to post a new thread about some air helper springs I just installed to avoid having the rear springs compress so much when the car is loaded.

As far as trailers, there have been some threads about people renting small, enclosed U-Haul trailers. That would help with your security concern, but those enclosed trailers are heavy. My open trailer loaded with stuff weighs about the same as an empty U-Haul.

I can't advise you on what to do, but maybe my observations will help you.

 

A few years back I did a 1200 mile Trip with the family (3 of us) in the FIT from VT to NJ, to PA to NJ to VT and I had the cargo box on the roof. I have a Yakima roof rack and a Thule Sidekick Cargo Box that I have acquired over the years as I've moved/owned different vehicles. With that setup, I averaged about 30-32mpg (If I remember correctly) for the trip instead of the regular 36-40mpg I was achieving at the time. This is the setup I would recommend since you have the option in the future to re-use this equipment for other trips. With a family of 4 (My trips were 3), the added benefit of the roof rack (Future Skis, Bikes, Etc...) and cargo box (for Christmas Gifts, weekend family outings or family vacations) is all definitely worth it. Plus this can be transferred to the next vehicle. Or, re-sold to someone in the future if you find you never use it. Keep an eye out on Craigslist for a used yakima with Q Towers, then buy the (Q99, I beileve) clips for the FIT. Same deal with the Cargo Box if a new one off of Amazon or elsewhere doesn't meet your budget. The Fit can carry lots of stuff but it's still a small car, and a long trip with comfortable kids/family is an important thing. The last thing you want is a cross country trip full of complaints.

Best of luck with the move.

~SB

Oh, and a side note, if you do get a roof rack, Skip the Fairing(Wind deflector) on the front. That is what is the economy killer, especially on the FIT. Search Amazon for "Yakima Wind jammer" to help with the cross bar howl that round bars produce. You'd want 2 if you have a cargo box on the roof.

 

Not sure about the Fit, but looks like those Toyotas can haul quite a bit!

 

Do you want a small cheap trailer, Go to Harbor Freight.

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