Hey all,

So we're taking a trip in December from Miami to North Carolina. I'm debating on folding one of the sides of the seat down for my older kid to stretch out should she need to but we'll also have Christmas presents and stuff in the back of the JKU so that means space is at a premium. I have a hitch basket which I was going to toss some luggage on and then was debating borrowing a buddy's hard top with a Rhino Rack on it.

Saw the defender rack and it's cheap enough I'd purchase it but looks like 150lb is the max weight. I'm sure I've got less than that in luggage but I do have the wife and two daughters so that can get crazy with luggage.

Anyway, looking for ideas/thoughts as to what folks do/did in this situation.

 

Not sure what you mean by folding a seat down to stretch out, but with laws in each state being different any person not seated in the seat with the seat belt fastened my be in for a law break or if in an accident could get hurt. my 2 Cents.

 

Thanks. And yes I am aware of the laws throughout the states we will be traveling...

So that we don't lose sight of my question, how about I rephrase it and ask, "What are some people doing with luggage in a JKU when the rear is unusable".

 

We have one of the tailgater like things that goes in the hitch and put my trunk/luggage on the back when going somewhere with some straps it works well enough.

 

I fly a lot with a full large suitcase. When I check it, they weight it. It seldom gets over 42 lbs. If you can fit three large suitcases in the defender rack, you should have no problems. If you add a hitch rack, you should end up with a lot of room.

 

I do alot of travel with my two door. On long roadtrips I do my best to organize this way. Items you may need to access keep handy inside the vehicle and don't stack stuff on top of stuff. It will not fail, the very item you need will somehow be on the bottom of the pile!! Everything else get it out of the cab when you can. It really helps to keep the inside free of "crap" when you are stuck driving on the road for long periods of time. I bought a full roof rack for this purpose and I know that is slightly different for you since you don't have one. I would say that with your rear cargo area and a hitch rack you will probably be doing pretty good. If you have more trips planned like this in the future or perhaps some extended family camping trips maybe now is a good time to look into purchasing a roof rack of your own. Many options out there of course. Bottom line is trying to come up with a solution that keeps the inside free of clutter.

 

Thanks all for the tips. We've only really done a trip to my parents where presents fill the back of the jeep and the hitch rack full of luggage but it was a short trip...I think I'll put my foot down and say pack light although we will see how I fare during that since I've got the wife and two girls. It's "I need 42 pairs of shoes, 10 outfits/day, etc"!

But appreciate it all!