How to choose the right car rack or carrier.

By Chad Lückhoff

We look at the questions you should be asking yourself before deciding on a roof rack or car carrier.

You may be needing a little more packing space for that family vacation or perhaps you're into the outdoors and need a place to pack your camping gear. Maybe you're an active lifestyler with mountain bikes and kayaks that need transporting to and from locations. Either which way, unless you own a double cab bakkie, you may fast be running out of space.

Instead of selling up your car and going shopping for a more utilitarian vehicle that you may only use on weekends or, as is most likely, twice a year, you can opt for a temporary solution. A roof rack, car carrier or storage bin.

Here's how you can shop for the right solution.

1. Assess your needs

The first step in selecting the right solution for your storage and transportation needs is brutal honesty. You need to determine what you need to carry and how much of it needs transporting.

Take into account the weight of what you are looking to carry and what vehicle this will be fitted to. There's no need to fit a roof rack  when a tow bar bike carrier will suffice and if you don't have a tow bar, you may need to look at a hatch mounted solution.

2. Select the right carrier for your needs

If camping and adventures are your thing and you want to lug around a heavy cooler box, camp stove or gas bottle, you're going to need something robust and possibly covered. You won't be able to use a tow bar carrier for this.

Inversely, if you only need to cart around a few bikes on the weekend, a temporary, easy to remove tow bar carrier will suffice, allowing removal during the week.

If you have an SUV or 4x4 with a spare tyre mounted to the rear door, you may be able to find a carrier that attaches where the spare wheel does – but note that you may have to give up the spare wheel, which may not be for everyone.

Hatch mounted carriers may not work if your car has a roof spoiler and if you don't have a tow bar, a bar mounted carrier certainly won't work.

Some roof rack solutions require drip rails for installation while others will use the mounting points located under your beadings. Check your owners manual to see what fitting your car can accept as well as the load rating of those mountings.

3. Consider the mileage

Factoring in the distances you're going to be travelling is rather important. A large roof rack, loaded to the brim with heavy, square shapes is going to cause your fuel consumption to take a turn for the worst. The addition of any weight, along with the drag created by an un-aerodynamic fixture will negatively impact your performance and fuel usage.

If this is only a temporary solution to your packing problem, you may be able to get away with it, but a more permanent fixture on the roof of your car that isn't being utilised is just wasteful.

Bike carriers that affix to the tow bar don't pose too much of an issue, as do those that attach to the rear hatch.

4. Try stick to reputable names

There's a reason that some brands are more prevalent than others. Things such as build quality, ease of use and warranties all factor into the success of a brand. It's worth spending a little more and knowing that the carrier solution you have chosen has a tested weight rating and is made from durable materials.