Extra luggage solution

[maridi]

I just hit the 6 month wait mark on my 21‘ Telluride AWD SX NF/P/T package in gravity gray. Definitely getting anxious to hear soon of a delivery date hopefully. Anyway, my families main vehicle right now is a 16’ Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited w/ eyesight. The vehicle comes with integrated OEM rails and cross bars and i had a 2 inch hitch with wiring harness installed. At least once annually, we take a trip to the Oregon Coast. Our setup consists of a Yakima Skybox Carbonite 18 and a Yakima Fullswing bike rack. But we also have a cargo hitch carrier that we have used instead of the bike rack. We also have a roof top basket but really don’t use it much. So why all the attachments and what has worked best for us?

I like the Skybox for items that fit to keep dry and secure since it locks versus the roof basket is more flexible in fitting odd shaped luggage but it is more exposed to weather and subject for someone to take the items easily. We have used in conjunction to the skybox, the cargo hitch carrier for coolers or totes full of other toys. We are a family of 4 but soon to be 5 which is a big reason for the Telluride. We could get a truck or a large SUV but with our lifestyle, being able to attach and detach all our cargo accessories as needed makes it a lot easier to convert an “in city commuter” to a “road tripper” quite easily.

Since I do not have my expected Telluride to provide my personal feedback with all my attachments, that is the best description I can provide. I did also attach a few photos of my Subaru to give you an idea. It is really up to you what is going to work best. From what it sounds like, the cargo hitch might be a better option to load a few 50 pound luggage cases. That way they are easier to load and unload. I would recommend one that has a pivot point to fold up right when not in use unlike mine, its a fixed cargo carrier. Also would recommend one that has some side rails to help keep items from shifting off the cargo carrier as well as anchor points for tie downs. Depending on weather, a nice size tarp to wrap your luggage up with might be a benefit to keep dry and clean. Overall, I would still say having both the roof rack and cargo carrier is the best setup but might not be the best
Slight side note, I had noticed another comment that luggage fitting behind the third row. I too have seen a video somewhere that showed the flexibility in fitting a few carry on luggage size cases with the seats up. Also, I believe that false floor in the third row can be lowered and/or removed which will add a bit of depth for the luggage to sit lower. That might allow stacking another row of carry on cases on top of one another to fit it all back there with the third row up. Just a thought but again, I don’t have my Telluride to try out that method.

I would love to see that on your Telluride. Those look nice, but darn they are kind of expensive.

 

[flatlander]

Hello everybody, I got a 2021 telluride sx awd in sangrina. It would be great if somebody could suggest me a solution for extra luggage I would need to carry in my telluride. I am looking to add the capacity to carry at least 4 50lb check in suitcases to my telluride with the third row up. So would it be wiser to fix a roof rack or add a tow hitch and then a hitch cargo carrier? Please help me out here. I have been searching the internet about this question for a while now. Thank you.

This is a couple of years late to your question, but we use a large Thule roof carrier on the standard Kia crossbars on our '21 Telluride. We've found that 4 soft Thule duffel bags can be loaded better than square or hard-sided luggage, but we have carried both. We recently took a trip with 6 passengers with 5 bags up top and 1 behind the seats, with our food and drink bags also behind the seat. Our hitch carrier hauls our 120 qt cooler, specifically, as we have learned to not place anything over the rear exhaust of this vehicle. Our maiden voyage with the hitch carrier rack left us with a melted bag and cooler when utilizing the entire space of the rack. Now, we only pack the cooler (38" long) on the left portion of the rear carrier rack, leaving open space above the exhaust. It works for us, even though we lose out on the 20-22" of space past that cooler, on the hitch carrier rack. Note: we tried an elevated hitch bar, but still had too much heat even while the rack was elevated. Happy travels!