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First week away with 6 month old twins means we need more car storage space! We have limited storage space at home so a roof bag strapped straight on to a set of Cactus roof rails seems a decent compromise and means I can store it under the stairs for the other 51 weeks of the year
Annoyingly it'll be strapped to a large glass roof... treat the same as a normal roof (with anti-slip pad) or spend 100 miles to the destination worrying?
If anyone has some low cost options* for decent bags let me know
*See Twins
Don't put the pram in it.
Soft stuff strapped up tight and I'd be happy.
Pram takes up most of the boot space and weighs just under 13kg, I was thinking of chucking it in...but yeah clothes would be safer
Rent a bigger car when you need to?
Distribute the weight equally is the best way. One twin in the car, one on the roof, job done. You can always swap them for the return journey to balance the risk. Then you can fit the bike in the back 🙂 Life with kids is about adjusting your priorities effectively.
Do what I did, sell already massive estate car and buy a long wheelbase caravelle when we had little one last year due to the amount of Crap we cart around 🙄
I had to sell my lovely Focus and buy some grim Mondeo when we had twins 🙁
Thanks for the advice, I'm sure the little ones would love it strapped to the roof! 😀
Alternatively, take less stuff with you. Looking back, the amount of clutter we used to carry away with us on holiday was daft.
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Do what I did, sell already massive estate car and buy a long wheelbase caravelle when we had little one last year due to the amount of Crap we cart around 🙄
Oh come on be honest, you just wanted a Transporter. When we had a bairn, a Citroën ZX followed by a Vauxhall Cavalier saloon was plenty big enough. #cartlessshite #ambroseforpresident
Do what I did, sell already massive estate car and buy a long wheelbase caravelle when we had little one last year due to the amount of Crap we cart around 🙄
Pretty much what we did. Although I had to wait until the kids were 11 and 8 before finally getting my hands on a Caravelle.
We never did the massive pram thing. Just used a fold up Mclaren buggy from day one. However with your 13kg pram - just hire a big MPV for the week or add another roof bar to the roof to support the load.
Just used a fold up Mclaren buggy
Do you just double stack the children in a McLaren buggy ?
Alternatively, take less stuff with you.
Said the man who (probably) doesn't have twins 😉
OP your load carrying requirements is only going to get worse I'm afraid. Maybe think longer term.
I changed from a V70 to an XC90 when my twins arrived (we already had a 2yo daughter) and I kept that car for 12 years!
Tow bar and load carrier?
Oh.... And I, personally, wouldn't put anything on my panoramic roof... But that's just me being cautious.
FWIW we're pretty light travellers, the pram is actually a 'out and about double' buggy which is pretty slim, it's just with the rear seats taken up and half the boot with the buggy there's enough space to get a couple of small hold alls in the back with clothes but that's a push
They're weening now so it's the bumbo style Chairs for feeding (place we booked has no high chairs) plus the mixer for food preps, it's random stuff like that that won't fit easily into the footwells that causes the hassle
This was the style of car bag I was looking at
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B075K9B6PY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_K4rqFbHYBCRV8
I think you can rent roofboxes if it’s going to be for occasional use.
FWIW we found that the amount of crap required went down quite a lot once we’d ditched travel cots/buggy/nappy mountain etc; after we’d spent eighteen months using our roof box solely to store the roof bars and bike carriers in, it got punted on the ‘Bay.
Edit: I don’t remember taking a blender away with us… Ella’s kitchen and stuff mashed with a fork FTW.
We don't even own a blender let alone take it on holidays.
Jnr is 13 months now.
Ps. Prepare-mash-portion and freeze is how we deal with travel (and most of life tbh ...)
How ever I agree the amount of shite you end up carting about is endless.
When they’re 9 and 7 it’s not so bad, but the bikes are bigger.
Oh…. And I, personally, wouldn’t put anything on my panoramic roof… But that’s just me being cautious.
Absolutely. I’ve seen enough cars come through work with cracked panoramic roof panels to never want to risk putting anything on the roof, even a roof box could slip while installing and crack the glass, and that’s a £12-1500 bill for replacement! In fact, I’d never have a panoramic glass roof, the sun-roof of my old Octavia was enough of a pain in the ass! Thankfully, my new car was never sold with a glass panel of any sort.
Absolutely. I’ve seen enough cars come through work with cracked panoramic roof panels to never want to risk putting anything on the roof, even a roof box could slip while installing and crack the glass, and that’s a £12-1500 bill for replacement
I've seen two roofs damaged in my entire driving life.
One was a vodka bottle lobbed out of a high rise that managed to land squarely on my mates almeria Sri sunroof
And my mates Subaru Impreza got damaged by an errant sky dish broke free in some wind.
Roof boxes are the least of my worries.
Toughened Glass is surprizingly tough. Especially when compared to soft paint.
Packed with soft stuff ie clothes I'd have no issues.
Heck plenty folk use sea suckers and bikes on glass roof and no issues.
I wouldn't underestimate the ability of (rubbing) fabric to create scuffs - especially if you add in moisture a bits of dirt.
You know there's a pad that goes between the bag and the roof on soft luggage ?
My point is that anything that's not held very securely can move as the car is going along - this movement between the pad/fabric/whatever "could" scratch the surface it's sitting on.
But, as I said, I'm overly careful with stuff like this and just wouldn't on my car but YMMV.
As another thought, if it’s got rails could you put bars on and one of those squashy Thule Ranger things?
When we had a bairn, a Citroën ZX followed by a Vauxhall Cavalier saloon was plenty big enough.
Convoy, was it?
Personally, I'd get the cross bars for your roof rails, then fit the bag. Some have semi rigid bases.
Alternatively, take less stuff with you.
Now repeated by a man who had not only twins but their older sibling 23 months and 364 days older.
2006 A4 saloon. Away for 10 days in France. A handbag, small bag with nappies and food/milk for the day and small bag of child toys/books in the cabin. Twin 3 wheeler pushchair, Islabikes Cnoc 16 with handlebars removed, clothes for 2 adults & 3 children and books for us in boot.
No roof box.
Later on travelled across Europe in A4 & A6 estates. All luggage under boot cover.
My roof bag has poles like the poles that make the base rigid and it site on the roof bars not directly on the car roof. Seems too work well.
Roof bars across the way. Roof bag on top. Sheet of plywood in the bottom of the bag. Fill bag. Ensure bag it attached securely to roof bars and rails.
I'd be shy of putting it in direct contact with the roof. My wife was travelling with our eldest as a baby in her mums Audi Q3 with roof bars and box (fitted by Audi) when the Pano roof blew on the M6. Glass everywhere and an aborted trip north.
They are strong but not sure I'd want the constant knock etch the bag in contact. Bars or tow bar and a wee trailer?
What solutions does the manufacturer have? Is the weight limit different for a glass roof? Roof bars as the storage solution on those, not the actual roof.
The answer is always just get a caravelle - now that mine are well past car seats and buggies, it’s still regularly filled with bikes, boats, boards and other big boy toys. Buy one, you won’t regret it
If some man maths helps, mine has depreciated so little in 6 years that it would hold its own against the bangernomics lot on here!
petrieboy is not wrong. Family vehicle: Caravelle.
The ability to walk through from the front, right to the back seats to sort out kids/dogs etc is bloody genius esp when you have little ones.
(plus the usual benefits of massive space, super flexible seating, a boot lid you can stand under out the rain etc etc)
Coz of these bastards on here, we bought one 6 years ago. had it 4 years, it was ace. Decided to sell it for reasons that are completely lost on us now.
It was 2 years old when we bought it for 33K, and after 4 years it was sold for 29K. Nae. Bad.
Anyway, just bought another one. Happy family again.
I don't think I'd be too worried about a soft bag of well distributed weight on the glass roof. It's pretty much the same (if not thicker) than a windscreen and people use those sucker mounts on those. Got one on the E-Class, one of the options I specifically wanted and I kind of worry about it less than denting/scratching the metal part of the roof. I do use a full roof rack but have had 2x mtbs and a 3 person Canadian canoe up there for a trip up to the lakes. Was a bit of a squeeze and I had to fit one bike to a front wheel off mount to save width. When I got back I bought the next size up bars, just have to watch your head getting out.
I should probably add the disclaimer - you may well damage it. Risk is all on you! Be careful how you pack it and look for any hard buckles, zips etc