There is a strong possibility we are moving back to the MD/VA area. (Husband was told that his job was moving forward on move, but no contract signed yet). Anyway, there is a chance we will have to live with my parents for a few weeks if we don't find a rental property. Our belongs are going to go in storage, but there are things we will need, baby stuff, clothes, toys, etc. I'm think we can pack everything in our car and with a Roof Top Carrier. We were looking at pulling a U-Haul trailer, but I don't feel comfortable driving with one of those on the back and I don't want my husband to have to drive the 22 hours without help. I'm thinking we want a hard carrier that locks since we will be making a lot of stops and staying overnight at hotels, but the soft ones are cheaper, and they appear online anyway that you can get more stuff in them. Which one would you go with? We will probably use it on numerous occasions for when we take vacations.
Just keep in mind that the soft ones can be folded up and more easily stored after you're done with it.
We used to borrow a friend's hard shell but we ultimately bought a soft O. for that reason.
When we moved from California to Beligum, we drove across country to spend time with our family. We had the hard top carrier. We felt it was more secure than the soft top carrier.
When we left for Belgium, my MIL either sold it or donated it to charity.
Because of your situation, I would recommend a hard one that you can secure. You may even want to consider just renting one.
We personally like our Snail (hard) and use it for storage of camping gear in the off season.
I've driven with both and the wind resistance is worse with the soft ones. A carrier will mess with your mileage anyway, but the soft ones moreso.
We have used both and the hard case ones are best. The soft one made it one trip and if you read the reviews, that is very common. We got our hard case carrier at Sears. They work great! Good luck.
We had a hard-top and I was so relieved to finally sell that monster in a garage sale. It took up so much space!
What kind of car do you drive? If it is an SUV, I have seen what looks like a metal platform-kind of device that you hook into the trailer hitch of your car. Then you can secure a storage trunk or plastic tub on it.
However, for what you need, I think you are right. A hard top that locks would be better for you. Good luck with your move and I wish you safe travels!
I have used both, and honestly if you going to use it more than once or twice a hard cover is the way to go. I worried with the soft ones that a knife welding maniac will slice the canvas, but with a hard cover it is very sturdy. Good luck.
Soft carriers have the big advantage of being able to collapse into a much smaller storage space. The disadvantage is that they are clunky, not aero-dynamic, not weather-friendly, and don't hold there structure when you're trying to load it up. If you have the garage wall space, a hard shell will be better. We call ours The Bullet.
