Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Effect on gas mileage of rooftop cargo carrier?

Going forward isn't the problem. It's going backward.

We take my 07 Yukon XL 11 hours each way for our annual Spring Break Hog Hunt, with a hitch & haul. I get the best mileage of the year on that trip. I've never used a cargo carrier, but I can't imagine the mileage being as good. I'll also give a nod to the earlier poster who mentioned wind noise - I'd expect some.

The hitch & haul handles a few rubbermaid containers that hold bulky (but not too heavy) stuff, like clothes, waders, etc. Now, we drive straight down & unload, so we're not trying get stuff in & out of the back regularly. Still, I'd have an even harder time trying to climb & twist up to the luggage rack to get stuff out of a cargo carrier up there.

We have always had 3 of us on the trip, and we've packed the truck to the gills every time with gun cases, coolers, food, & junk. This fall we're going as a party of 4, so we're going to rent an 8' enclosed trailer.

If you do decide to go with a a cargo carrier, I'd look first at a sleek Thule-type bullet carrier, rather than one of those X-Cargo cubes, or the rubber-sack-looking things I see on minivans that are screaming north on I-75 out of Florida.

Good Luck,

FC

He is talking primarily about ease of backing up, not pulling down the road.

backing up is not impossible but can be largely avoided with a little forethought.

This is very similar to what is on our van, FWIW.


Mileage with: 22+
Mileage without: ~24

Speed limits here are 65 and below. Speed will be a huge factor.

Should be similar to your van, it is your van?!

Oops. Forgot the picture!

LOL.