Yesterday I mentioned that I'd been thinking about car top carriers, and would blog about it today.

From my observations, car top carriers seem to come in three basic types. First there is the very sleek, shiny aerodynamic style. They look like you could ride them to the moon by attaching a small rocket propelled engine. If the owners are especially suave, the carrier actually matches the paint color of their late model van. That’s not what we have.

Then there’s the old-fashioned “clamshell” style. These look like a giant version of something you might use to store last night’s leftover noodles. You sometimes see the top half of this type lying on the highway median, with its contents strewn along for about a quarter mile behind. I often wonder what the hapless owners do when they get to their destination and, surprise, there’s no luggage! That’s not the kind we have either. We used to have one that someone gave us, but it was modified into a hay holder when we kept sheep.

Lastly, there is the collapsible “soft sided” carrier, which, when stuffed full of various belongings, and strapped to the roof, looks like the “calling card” of an elephant.  That is what we have. In fact, we have two of them. And they have served us well, in spite of their dubious appearance.

Next blog....let the road trip begin!

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Posted by jacobsacademy

You sound like me on road trips - the things I observe and wonder about (giggling).

We have the clam shell. It is an O-L-D [very yellowed] clam shell carrier. We've had it since the summer of 1993 when Sam was a baby and I was pregnant with Alex - we bought it WHILE we were on vacation............what does that tell you........

It is currently housed on the patio outside our basement and the farm cats sleep on it, under it and behind it. Later, one summer, we drove to Connecticut for a wedding and Alan forgot how tall we were and ran into a driveway overhang at a hotel in Fredricksburg, VA. We had to buy duct tape to patch it. It still has the duct tape patch.

Ahh, the American family vacation and all its accessorizing experiences. The next trip we take w/our clam shell - ours will be the one you see in the highway median!!

Great posts, Eleanor!
Harriette

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