roof rack or trailer?

[geo_jeep]

Hey guys,

I have been reading around here for about a month now trying to find out any and all info I can about this question, so I figured I would go ahead and get your guys input. I am currently driving a 2005 Jeep TJ -- pics on the Jeep forum. I really am not going to be doing anything more than long weekend camping trips with friends and am trying to figure out if I should just get a rook rack or if I should spend to money and get, or build, a trailer. I still plan on tent camping, so I am not going to be adding a RTT. I am not planning on any hardcore wheeling and am not looking at the roof rack as protection, just a way to carry gear ( like cots, chairs, and may be a few tots ) Any input that you guys could give me would be great.

 

[articulate]

If money and time were no object, I the trailer is the superior choice. The major benefits that a roof rack can't match: keeping the trailer packed and ready to roll (less food and water), greater capacity and growing space, permanent installation not necessary.

I'm ashamed to say, though, that I have a roof rack on my TJ and no trailer. That's what we call a trade off . . .

 

[Martyn]

From the research we have done as far as fuel consumption goes a roof rack reduces MPG more than a light weight off road trailer does. Our feeling is the roof rack provides constant wind resistance where as the trailer is in the slip stream. The added fuel consumption with a trailer seems to come primarily in the acceleration to your desired speed, and then a little more due to the increased mass.

A non scientific poll showed an average increase of 12% overall when towing a trailer. My understanding is that roof rack have a 15 - 20 % increase in mpg.

 

[Purple People Eater]

I had a roof rack. I didn't get along with it too well. It was heavy, made noise in the wind, it was a pain in the neck to load/unload, and anything I put up there got dirty when I went out. Not to mention it raises the center of gravity significantly.

I filed for divorce from it the other day. I get custody of the spare tire and Hi-Lift, though.

 

[Sloan]

The reasons that I would lean toward a trailer are, stays loaded at the house, you can leave it in camp with everything in it and most importantly you can load it standing on the ground. Oh yeah, in a pinch you have a couple of extra spare tires.

 

[articulate]

I had a roof rack . . .
I filed for divorce from it the other day. I get custody of the spare tire and Hi-Lift, though.

Nice. She was a pain anyway.

 

[Scott Brady]

I like to have all of the mass on the vehicle centralized, from a performance perspective. If I cannot fit all of the mass centralized, then I prefer a trailer, as that favors a lower overall mass, which is safer than mass placed high on the chassis.

A roof rack can work though, but requires discipline and avoiding the temptation to line up the fuel cans, install the sand ladders and hook cables to your front bumper

My recommendation is to never exceed 150-170 lbs on the roof, rack included. So that is a roof rack with tent, or light bedding, chairs and clothes, etc.

Some racks allow for TEN fuel or water cans across the front. That is lunacy. Ten cans would be 425 pounds, not including the rack, or anything else stored up there.

The proof is in the performance. My truck handles very neutral and flat, even at high speeds. I have no worries about an emergency lane change at 60 mph.

 

[Martinjmpr]

On a vehicle like a TJ, my biggest concern would be CG. You're in a vehicle that's top heavy already, you don't need to be adding more weight 6' off the ground to make it worse.

Out here in CO there are a lot of off-camber trails that have steep, long dropoffs on the downhill side. In fact, last year a couple rolled a Grand Cherokee off of a 1,000' drop near Radical Hill. The passenger was killed and the driver was seriously injured. One of the things I noticed about the photos of the wreckage was that they had a big Yakima carrier up on top of the Cherokee. Not saying it was neccessarily the carrier that was the proximate cause of the accident but I'd be very surprised if it wasn't a contributing factor.

I've never used a trailer in the civilian world but in the military I used them all the time. When I was an MP we'd convoy in our little M151 "Mutts" (the last "jeep" the military ever used) and the only way to pack that thing with enough gear for a 3 person fire team was to use a trailer (M416 I think.) As others have said, there are a number of advantages to the trailer, including the fact that you can drop it at camp while you go 'wheeling, you can leave it packed, and of course the fact that unlike a rack, which often tends to be a permanent fixture, when you don't need the trailer you can leave it at home.

 

[DenCo40]

Keep in mind off roading with a trailer can be no fun. Especially if you have to negotiate a tight turn and have to back up a few times. You can find yourself all bound up and having to take the trailer off and re-attaching it once you get situated. It's best to find a spot and park it if you can. But if you plan on taking it through some off road areas to get to your camp site this little situation can come up.

 

[geo_jeep]

thanks guys

Thanks guys, for all of the input.* I was not sure if I wanted to spend the money but it is looking like a trailer would be the best idea.*

Is there anyone on here that has a roof rack that likes it, or does everyone end up having problems with them?

 

[jbs]

Thanks guys, for all of the input.* I was not sure if I wanted to spend the money but it is looking like a trailer would be the best idea.*

Is there anyone on here that has a roof rack that likes it, or does everyone end up having problems with them?

I like mine. It is a great place to keep large, light items like chairs, clothing in dry bags, etc. It does affect mileage though.

That said, I also have a trailer. It is much easier and more comfortable with a family of 5. And I also really like the fact that it is permanent storage for our gear and ready to go at a moment's notice.

 

[dnellans]

I've got one of the coleman racks above the cap of my tacoma on yakima rails and I'm fairly happy with it. I actually prefer it to the trailer option because of the additional bulk a trailer entails. Granted I only typically use it for "extra storage" or on the way home from trips i often put trash bags up there under the net. If cost is an issue and you have the rack already, going the coleman rack route for $60 could easily defer the 5-10k trailer purchase for several years.

 

[computeruser]

As a fellow TJ owner, I'd vote for the trailer.

I know for a fact that the cooler, three folding chairs, a sun shelter tent thingee, and a bag of charcoal for the grill over at the county park takes up pretty much all the free space in my Jeep. For anything more than a brief weekend of hiking with the wife, I'd want a bit more space than a TJ offers. A trailer will allow you to carry your cooler, your trash, your firewood, your chairs, and not have to buy the lightweight backpacking version of everything (unless you want to, of course).

I towed trailers behind my YJ and now TJ for thousands upon thousands of miles. The loss in MPG is negligible with a lighter trailer, or one that does not have a folding rear gate standing up 6' in the air like my current setup, below. One that is a Jeep-width or slightly narrower would be very easy on the fuel. I'm planning to build a little off-road/camping trailer that I can park inside my utility trailer, as soon as I get the spare time to do so.

If your budget is really tight, the little kit trailers that HF and Northern sell are OK as gear haulers. The little 40x48 one, which can be had for $129 from HF, could be set up with sides and a deck of painted OSB with 2x4" supports for a total cost, with paint, of maybe $250 (plus license plate fee or whatever else your state requires). Though not "heavy duty" by any stretch of the imagination, I ran one of the folding version (4'x8') for four years. It saw loads up to and including 1 yard of pea gravel (yes, stupid, I was younger then) towed across dirt/gravel roads, and only towards the end of its life did it start to get loose at its joints. I also did zero maintenance on it in about 10k miles of towing on roads, through mud, through water, and through snow/salt, and it worked fine until a wheel bearing finally seized up (again, I was younger and stupider at that time). All this with a $229 trailer kit and $150 in wood, hardware, and paint.

The smaller kit trailer, properly assembled, should be plenty capable of dragging a few hundred pounds of camping gear behind your Jeep. And even though they run the small/skinny tires/rims, they can take a beating and still work well; I dragged mine through ditches, over rocks and logs, and up and down curbs and other road construction projects and such.

 

[Superu]

I'm happy with mine.

Granted my CG is not anywhere near yours, but I still need to be mindful of how much I'm putting above my head!

I have a Surco 40" x 50" aluminum rack and am very pleased with it. It also allows me space to carry a shovel and axe as well as my spare tire.

As mentioned in earlier posts, the big thing to consider is what you will be carrying on it and what the combined weight will be. If you're using it primarily for camping gear, a rack may be a good and less expensive option for weekend trips than a trailer.

Camping for me is a family of five and everything we need for at least a week, so I use my rack and a homebuilt trailer for now. Eventually, a nice offroad Chaser will be in the picture with a custom top to accommodate the Ezi-Awn family Series tent, but this does the trick for the near term.

 

[grahamfitter]

I'll add the dissenting opinion in favor of roof racks...

I use a Thule rocket box on my TJ (mounted to a Kargomaster Congo Cage rack with crossbars) which swallows up lots of bulky but lightweight gear and keeps it clean and dry.

The downsides (as already mentioned) are the weight and drag of the rack itself and wind noise.

All things considered its significantly cheaper than a trailer and - when loaded sensibly - won't cause any grief.

I will readily admit that a trailer would be rather nice though!

Cheers,
Graham