Myrtle Beach Message Board

Good evening :)
We are coming to cherry grove in a few weeks and are driving from dallas texas.... My question is how does everyone haul their beach chairs,we will have 4? We are driving our 4runner and have 3 teens and they will be using 1of the third row seats so we lose cargo space because of that. We are looking into either a hard top carrier( I'm concerned about gas mileage) and a hitch mounted carrier but then the stuff is left out in the elements possibly.

Thanks so much! We are so excited to be coming back!
Tiffany

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Tiffany

We use a soft top cargo carrier. I know you mentioned either a hard top carrier or hitch, but we went with a soft top carrier. The reasons I didn't go with a hard top or hitch were 1) cost 2) storage of carrier (both duirng and after trip) I just toss it in the closet of condo and on a shelf in garage when we get home. It doesn't get "in the way" like a hard top would. 3) hitch carrier may not allow you access to back gate on vehicle. 4) some hotel parking garages have height restrictions that a hard top won't fit under ( again soft carrier allows you to unload and take off vehicle) 5) don't have to ride around with that on top all week.

I don't consider the little bit lost in gas mileage to outweigh the benefits of having the extra cargo space. I have the same issue with our Ford Expedition losing cargo space with the third row up. Regardless of having the third row up or not I would use the cargo carrier to keep the clutter down inside the vehicle.

Can't help you with the car top vs hitch debate but can throw out a tip for packing the chairs.
Laying them flat. The frames of the chairs leave a lot of empty unused space in between. When packing two chairs in Miata trunk we learned to use that wasted space. If taking towels and linens...... lay them flat in the space formed by the chair frames. I've even packed extra pairs of shoes in the space. Could mean one less box or bag crammed in elsewhere.

We used a soft top last year and it worked fairly well. We went through an entire 5 hour drive of rain so it did leak a little. We had prepared for this by putting our luggage in garbage bags. I was expecting everything to be soaked, but we just had a little leakage around the zipper closure. We would use our again.

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Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think. ~Robert Henri

Thanks for responding:) I think we have decided on purchasing a hard box for the roof rack. That way it can be locked up for the few days we are in greenville and just store our linens,chairs,umbrellas,toys etc up there and just have the luggage inside the car.
I am just hoping we use it more than once a year for the next few years before our kids all up and leave us lol.

Tiffany

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Tiffany

We had one low beach chair and two camping chairs and put them in a heavy duty lawn bag in the trunk of our chrysler 200 along with our luggage and had no problems... we didn't use an umbrella last year.

I think you will be happy with the purchase. We travel down with my parents, and they always offer to haul part of our stuff down, but we still always use the cargo carrier. We do let them take the golf clubs down, but towels, chairs, and a couple of suitcases all go up top. Makes for a much more enjoyable trip down and back not having to load up the inside of the vehicle with all the stuff.

Just to let you know how much of a difference it makes. When we went on a cruise two years ago we didn't want to pay the outrageous fee to park two cars at the port, so eight of us went down in the Ford Expedition. The Expedition is like everything else, in that if all three rows are up the back cargo space is very limited. Anyway, with the cargo top and little cargo area in the back, we packed all of the stuff we needed for the 5 day cruise and didn't have to put stuff under our feet. The cargo top is like having a nice size trunk added to your vehicle. Well worth the investment.

I have a soft top carrier for my Honda Pilot. It works well with no to a tiny bit of leakage. It has thick zipper and I am able to put a lock on it to help secure it. We typically put all our beach stuff on the roof in the carrier, so we don't have to worry about it getting weathered or taken.

We normally buy cheap ones down there every year, then leave them lol.

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This isn't an answer to the original question. Just another one of my "You gotta be kiddin' me...." observations from the highway.

Yesterday I was passed by a Jeep Cherokee from Michigan with hard shell luggage carrier fastened on top. As they passed I saw their "trailer". At first glance I thought it was a tow behind insecticide tank to pull behind a riding lawnmower.
Was no more than a hard shell luggage carrier mounted on wheels. Probably about the size you might see pulled behind a motorcycle. Didn't look right behind an SUV.
I'm sure the wheels and tires were highway rated but I've seen bigger on industrial grade wheelbarrows. I don't care what the computer generated specs say. That thing wasn't made for 500-1500 mile trips........
Whole thing loaded couldn't weigh 200#. Blown tire or seized wheel bearing at 70 mph. That trailer would be like a kite behind that SUV.......

Ok....That's my rant for the day......Gotta replace piece of molding to get somebody off my back......

One year we didn't take chairs because we planned to buy new ones. On our arrival day, I met our housekeeper and spoke with her awhile. She said the previous guests of our room had left behind new chairs. She offered them to us, so we used them all week. When we left, I asked her to pass the chairs along to the next family who visited. Paying it forward!

Scott

that's the best! we lucked out with something like that last year. the people there before us left all their boogie boards and sand equipment. I'll take it.

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We've never gotten that lucky but have had to leave behind beach toys when the girls were younger due to packing the car. We were the couple scouting out parents with young kids in the parking lots to give the toys too rather then leave them just sitting.

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**Laurie**]

We are leaving a kids bmx bike this year

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Its five oclock here!