Ok, debate time. I currently have a 2010 Sport with 110,000+. On this car I put a trailer hitch with a bike rack- realistically, it had bikes on it 3-4 times. I towed a trailer once or twice locally to do dump runs. I went (campground) camping once or twice and between the kid and the dog, it worked, but it was tight.

I originally got the hitch because I was going to put a basket on the back. I never ended up doing so because of lack of funds.

Fast forward to new job making a livable wage, and the strong potential for a new fit. It just works for me and my lifestyle. I can't find anything else that would. Also, the new ones address all of my needs/ wants over the 2010.

So my question- If you were needing occasional additional space, how would you do it? Roof rack with basket? Coffin on the roof? I have a Thule Soft bag already, but it doesn't really work for me. Attaching it without rails isn't easy. Hitch again with an occasional u-haul trailer? Something like this?

Rola Enclosed Cargo Carrier for 1-1/4" (Class II) Trailer Hitches Rola Hitch Cargo Carrier 59108

(FYI, whatever I decide won't have to handle much weight, so we can skip the "Fit's aren't designed to tow discussion". I know that, but they can and will. I'm talking a tent, some clothes and the like, not a motorcycle, camper or pile of bricks. Stuff that won't fit in the fit due to a dog, a kid)

 

The Fit CAN tow. The Euro site says it can. I would say a coffin on top. You spread the load evenly over the car.

 

That hitch mounted carrier you linked is pretty cool, but wow that's expensive! I didn't realize there was a carrier like that available for our 1-1/4" hitches. I'd be worried about putting very much weight at all in a carrier like that though because of how far it's hanging off the back of the car. It's going to really sag your rear suspension.

You'd be able to haul a lot more cargo with a trailer and might even get better gas mileage than with a giant carrier (coffin) on the roof, but then you have to find a place to park the trailer once you get where you're going. I've never played with a roof rack myself, but I bet it's a little more of a hassle to take back off than just simply unhooking a trailer from the car.

My vote would be a trailer with the roof carrier as second choice, which might be all you'd need judging from the description of what you're going to be carrying.

-Dustin

 

There are a number of companies that offer utility trailers that also serve as tent platforms—sort of an ultra-simple, ultra-lightweight pop up camper. I think maybe something along those lines would work out nicely for you.

For example (there are others, which may or may not be better and/or less expensive—this one seems to me to be pretty expensive for what you get, but it shows the general idea):
Lifetime Sahara Tent Trailer Kit-65047 at The Home Depot

The hitch mount cargo carrier you linked to weighs 85 pounds empty. You'd have very little payload capacity in it at all. Quite frankly, many of the hitch mounted carriers I see scare me a little; they are putting a much different sort of load on the hitch than it's generally designed to handle, as the hitch must support all the weight and the lever arm is a lot longer than for a typical hitch ball, which means there's potentially a much higher stress put on the hitch (vertically) than when towing.

 

Hitch Adapter - 2" Adapter for 1-1/4" Hitches

300 lb. ATV Cargo Carrier

Capacity Deluxe Steel Cargo Carrier

17x46 Curt Cargo Carrier for 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Steel - 500 lbs Curt Hitch Cargo Carrier C18145

 

A coffin on top is bad for mileage and, if heavily loaded, for stability.

A bin or box hung behind the rear bumper won't affect mileage, but whatever you put on it is likely to get pretty dirty if you drive in the wet. You probably want to limit the load behind the bumper to 100 pounds or so to prevent stability and sagging issues on the small FIT.

A trailer will allow you to haul more weight safely, but you have to be careful not to strain the car too much. You can get away with about 500 pounds combined trailer and load, to be conservative. Some states have a lower speed limit for cars towing trailers so this might be a concern as well.

The 1-1/4"-to-2" hitch adapter linked above is a dangerous item. It moves the application point of whatever load is on the hitch rearward which increases the apparent tongue weight on the hitch. If you use it with a hitch carrier bin you will have to modify the attachment of the bin to get it as close to the rear bumper as possible. It would be easier to just get a bin with the proper size attachment.

Here is a Fit hitch:



See that long bar extending forward from the hitch? This is the part that counteracts all of the vertical load placed on the hitch. If the load is increased or the distance that the load is rearward from the hitch is increased then there is a greater chance of that bar bending.

Unfortunately, hitches like these are designed more for ease of bolting-on and avoidance of cutting the bumper than they are for strength. They work fine for occasional light trailer towing, but if you hang a bumper bin on them and some idiot stands on the rear edge of the bin it will bend the hitch.

If you're really set on using a rear bumper bin then you would be better off going to a trailer hitch fabricator and having him make a custom mount with a receiver on both sides (where the "wings" of the above hitch attach) that extends through the plastic bumper. Your bumper bin would simply be a lightweight basket on two square tubes that extend forward into the twin receivers. You don't need or want those 75-pound baskets made for heavy-duty hitches! This 2-receiver arrangement would be stronger and more stable than a single-attach point. If you want trailer towing ability the hitch fabricator can make a simple crossbar that slides into the receivers with a ball tab in the middle.

None of this is difficult to fabricate and you could even do it yourself if you are handy with a welder.

 

check out Lightweight Sports Trailer for Camping, Hauling, Hunting | SPACE™ Trailers
i have one and love it.

 

That's kind of sexy. Pricey, but damn sexy.

 

I used a super-lite Rack & Roll trailer by Yakima on a Porsche Boxster. Think it would be fine for a FIT as well. Rack and Roll 78" Trailer | Yakima

As you can see, it will hold a travel carrier, 2 bikes and a kayak. My Boxster set-up actually had 2 bikes + 2 Kayaks + 1 cargo carrier.

 

If it was me and I wanted more storage space and the ability to tow, I would be looking at a different vehicle without a doubt.

 

The Fit has plenty of storage space if 3 or less people are involved.

The Fit has been known to tow over 2500 pounds across the country by a few users, and that was the less powerful GD3 model.

small cars are still capable. Oh wait, and saves more gas. screw a truck that gets 15-20mpg when you can grab 30-40 out of the fit

 

Hey, I totally agree 100% with you, BUT if I really needed or wanted to be towing a lot and needed more space than the fit affords I think a different vehicle would be the smart choice. A little 1.5 4 banger is great on gas but is NOT made to be a great tow vehicle, not saying you can't tow just saying it is absolutely not designed for that. I kind of think that is a fact not just my personal opinion.

 

Best scenario is to pick up an 80s or 90s Nissan or Toyota 4 cylinder truck and enjoy midsize car mpg and still be able to match, say, a newer chevy colorado 5 cylinder in towing ability

 

This is true if you need that space and ability all the time, but for someone who occasionally needs to carry something outsized it is smarter to buy a more economical vehicle and a trailer or simply to rent a larger vehicle when needed.

I see a lot of the "I bought a Suburban because I might need to tow" mentality. GM loves it, but in the long run it is very costly!

 

This is where my thoughts were. For the four or five times a year, the Fit is still the car to go with for me. I'm 41 and have driven a lot of cars and have owned a lot of cars- from a 72 Beetle to a beautiful Audi A6 and everything in between. For me, my kiddo, my 13 1/2 year old arthritic dog, my occasional camping, moving apartments, buying dishwashers, moving 100,000 brochures for an old client, napping in the back at a BBQ, doing long road trips to no where, the Fit really is perfect.

I really recognize the weight limits off the back far more clearly than I did.

 

I agree with this posting but I had a little chuckle with it. I own a 5 cylinder Colorado and on the Colorado forum there are always people who say you can not tow with it. It seems that no matter what you are driving someone will always be saying you need something larger.

I would use a Fit to tow smaller loads. There is a reasonable limit. Lets face it. A Fit is a small econo-box vehicle and there is a point where something larger is needed. I'm thinking that limit is somewhere around 2000 to 2500 pounds.

A bigger problem when towing is the wind resistance of the load. Large physical size loads are out of the question with a Fit. I have a friend that tows his Harley motorcycle with his 2013 Fit. The total load is probably around 1500 pounds but the wind resistance is minimal. He says he hardly knows it is back there.

I personally do not tow anything with my Fit because I also have a Colorado and 2 Blazers here all equipped for towing. My daughter does tow a fishing boat occasionally with her's.

 

I'm just wondering if anyone has tried these hitch mounted cargo racks, how much weight is too much weight? What about clearance issues? The fit does sit pretty low even if you get a carrier with a little rise built in it, does it scrape when you pull into the McDonalds? It seems like the gas mileage would take much less of a hit than with a roof carrier,it is admittedly a much poorer distribution of the weight tho. I would be interested to hear from someone who has tried one, what size they got, how much they piled on it and then how the Fit responded

 

I may be a bit biased, but I would never use one of these cargo carriers on a Fit (or other vehicle with a class I hitch)...but I'd be quite willing to tow a modest trailer with a Fit.

The tongue weight limit of a class I hitch is IIRC 150 pounds. That would be an absolute maximum that you could have, carrier plus cargo, to keep within ratings. Realistically, it probably should be less because of the increased lever arm that the carrier introduces vs. a typical trailer tongue on a ball. Since many of these racks are 50-75 pounds empty, that's not a whole lot of carrying capacity.

(Of course, it's not probable that overloading the hitch will immediately cause a catastrophic failure; but that doesn't seem like an area where it's wise to tempt fate!)

 

I'd be OK with using a cargo platform with a Fit for 150 pounds or less, but I wouldn't use one that used a Class 1 hitch for its support.

Better to have a platform with two receivers that go directly into the hard points on both sides of the rear unibody and out through the bumper. This would be stronger and more stable that a single hitch mount. Any competent custom trailer hitch shop could set this up.

 

Still looking for practical experience based on facts. Not looking for opinion on whether or not you think this is a good idea- thanks