Hi all,

Currently I am a proud owner of a 2011 fit. Love the car and as does my wife. We have a little fellow (15 months) and a large dog - well, small for a golden retriever, at 62 pounds. All of us are currently fine with going on a day trip or something, all together, including the dog. Sometimes I have to pick up my bicycle at work and it makes it tough.

However, here's the kicker: we are expecting another little lady or fellow sometime this year. We want to keep the fit (assuming we can figure out the baby car seat situation...there are car seats that are slim and we can figure that piece out).

Question: Does anybody out there doing this already? I realize I need to get a bike stand at the back. Maybe a ski-rack like case on the top? I really don't want to get another car if I can help it. But if I do, I will take suggestions.

Thoughts anyone?

Thanks, KP

 

You'll probably need a roof rack to install either a roof basket or one of those aerodynamic roof top carriers and a hitch. It should be doable.

 

I don't have the infant car seats any more, but a couple regular ones fit just fine. One guy on here says he's got three across. A regular sized dog (my 75# lab) will go in the way back just fine. Get a hitch mounted bike rack and you're all set!

 

Space wise, you will be fine. I have a 4 and 1 year old, and although we take our bigger Subaru most of the time, car seats and luggage fit fine in the Fit. We don't have a dog, but if we did, I would get a hitch rack for the bike, and a cargo box up top. Or, a bike rack up top would work fine, too, but may cost a couple of MPG's. Spend some time on Craigslist. There are lots of good deals, especially on cargo boxes, as people use them a few times then sell.

Spending $4-500 on this set up would be more more cost efficient than a new car.

 

I installed a hitch when I got my Fit.
Bought a cargo carrier, went to store with tape measure,
and bought (3) 18 gallon totes that fit perfectly in the carrier tray.
Couple of tie down straps and you have more storage.
So get three adults, 66lb golden and gear for the
weekend without any problems.
Also have a bike rack for hitch as well.
Anything on the roof will definitely cut your mpg.
Totally agree with P nut!..{Spending $4-500 on this set up would be more more cost efficient than a new car. }

 

A lot of this stuff isn't even platform specific, so they're not exactly a Fit expense. I've had my hitch mounted bike rack for over 13 years and my roof box for about three. When it gets warmer I'm going to dig out an old Thule rack and see if it'll work on the Fit or if I actually have to buy something.

 

LOL totally miss that show!

On topic...

Two carseats is fine, but throw anything else in the mix and I think it's pushing it unless it's a lap dog. It's not that you can't do it, it's just gets a little crampy, especially if they're full size carseats facing backwards or whatever. I wouldn't do that with the Fit but it's fine for some people.

 

You could also pull a Mitt Romney and put the dog or kids on the roof rack

 

We've taken our two terriers (20lb Jack Russell, 12lb Rat) to the dog park with my in-law's generic brown dogs (they're a bit of everything, but roughly 30lbs each), and they all fit in the trunk just fine, with room to move around.

I invested in a cargo net to divide the passenger area from the trunk -- that was necessary, otherwise the dogs just jumped over into the back seat.

I have a hitch from etrailer (Trailer Hitch by Draw-Tite for 2009 Fit - 24826) and a rack from Amazon ( ) that are both absolutely necessary if we have cargo in addition to the dogs and our baby.

 

Thus far, the consensus to stick with my good old fit! I like it! Thanks a lot for all your tips. Keep em coming if you have anything to add. I am going to research a hitch and roof rack storage.

As far as the baby seats go... I bought one that is slim and we'll buy another slim one. That shouldn't be a problem. Its the doggy, the stuff and the bikes I was worried about. Oh, I gotta have my wife in there too :-)

Again, Thanks, KP

 

I'm using a Yakima rack I had on my old Civic. Just had to buy new Q clips. I've had my hitch rack for a number of years as well. So you are right, this can be seen as a long-term "investment" and not tied specifically to the Fit.

 

Thanks Maddiedog for the specifc links. This looks do-able!

 

i think the space should be okay.

 

Title asks about two kids and a dog. Should be fine. Looks like the wife will be running behind or left at home.

When we travel the wife insists on bringing the kitchen sink. This happens as you age. So we take the Caravan. Has room to put the Fit in back.

 

I've done three across: Infant seat, forward-facing child seat, and a low booster. I love this car. You simply couldn't do the same in my old 96 Civic, despite that being a "bigger" car.

Maybe you could fit the two seats on the big half of the rear seat and fold down the other half. That way there's more flexible space available for dog and cargo. Or put the small half in "tall mode" for the dog.

 

I checked with a local hitch guy and plan to get a new hitch fixed next week. He said something interest though - he said don't put more than two bikes on there because of weight. I was intending to buy a bike rack for 4 (eventually I expect I'll need it for 4 bikes) but now I am not so sure. What say you all? I am thinking of getting a bike rack plus a luggage carrier.

 

What kind of hitch are you getting? How muach can it tow and whatis the tongue weight? Knowing those specs should help you figure out how much you can carry.

 

I agree with the hitch guy. The Fit takes a class 1 hitch, (2000 lbs gross trailer weight and 200 pounds tongue weight). The issue is with more than two bikes hanging out there, the force is multiplied at the tongue, to a point where the max capacity can be exceeded. Most bike racks with greater than a 2 bike capacity, will fit into the class 1 hitch tube, but the locking pin hole will not line up. This is an intentional feature to prevent you from using a bike rack that can exceed the hitch capacity.

 

Years ago my sister bought a Suburban because it was the smallest thing she could find that could fit all three car seats across.

 

2010FitSport and Rampo, The hitch guy is planning to install a class 2, CURT hitch which has a tougue weight of 350 lbs and pulling capacity of $3,500 (I have no intention of pulling anything). Even so, he's the one who warned against anything more than 2 bikes.

Very interesting to hear what Rampo says here. Can you please elaborate? Wonder if there is anything written about this on the internet. Also interesting that the guy is planning to install a class 2 hitch. I would have that class 1 would make the most sense since the fit is a really small car.

I haven't dealt with hitches or bike racks on a fit before.