P Doggin' trip suggestions?

[itchyTF]

My younger son & I have made 2 trips to SD in the past 2 years and hope to do it again this year. He is in the Navy nuke school in Charleston, SC and won't get out till the end of August. The past 2 times he was in Indianapolis so I drove my Rav4 there then rented an SUV with unlimited mileage for the remainder of the trip. I live in MA and last year I looked around to see if I could rent one locally or in NJ (mother lives there). Couldn't find one with unlimited mileage. Gas is going to be bad enough this year but 4,000 miles at ?? cents per mile is going to be a bit over the top. I can barely fit my stuff in the Rav. My son traded his Rogue in on an Audi S4 rather than something more practical like a pickup or larger SUV. He is supposed to report to Groton, CT right after the (hoped for) trip. Anybody have any practical bright ideas of how to combine all our stuff in one vehicle and not pay mileage?

I don't think both of us driving 800 miles in 2 cars to Indy is practical.

 

[oldhoward]

Hi, I had a similar problem with four hunters and equipment in a pick up truck. I have a trailer hitch so I rented a small closed uhaul trailer to put all the beer in, ooops I mean equipment in. Worked really well and the cost was reasonable.

 

[coyoteklr]

i'm sure that you could find a Thule carrier that would fit on top of the rav4 (get one to fit your needs) and it would be less expensive on gas with that on top than pulling a trailer they are fairly aerodynamic and probably wouldn't effect your milage more than about 3 mpg where as the trailer will put 8 to 10 more..... it will make you leave the really unnessary items at home and less to worry about... the carrier will come in handy later for alot of things and trips....... the rental will still cost you per day which you won't have with your car.... the suv rental will cost you considerably more for gas.....if you are doing your own cooking get your food and water there.... it might even be cheaper..... go to a grocery store not a conveince store.... my step granddaughter has a rav4 and it seemed to me that there was quite a bit of room in the back.... i am pretty much a minimalist so i travel pretty light.....

 

[jerrschmitt]

How about a small U Haul truck or van? I know that I would need a truck for all my junk.

 

[Nodak7mm]

Hitch carrier rack works great, build a box for it.