pro- Subaru, anti-Outback
We have a plain-vanilla Legacy wagon that’s been very good for us – same body as the Outback except for the ugly cladding and the raised suspension. Lower roof and better handling than the Outback, less expensive, same AWD, and it’s done fine for several years of Michigan and NH winters.
car choices
I’d recommend the following:
wagons - Subaru WRX wagon or Legacy Outback (the forester is a larger body on the smaller WRX platform, with no additional storage); VW diesel, Jetta diesel.
Vans/SUVs - Toyota hybrids, early 90’s Toyota Previa (great space and dependability); Nissan Quest, or if mileage is not a factor, a conversion van.
Hard to go wrong with domestic or foreign pickup trucks, and lots of versatility but a high load.
It doesn’t sound like the car choice is the priority but if it was I’d get the car you like and add a trailer.
What I do…
I have a 2002 Toyota Sienna Mini-van. It has the sliding doors on each side. I immediately took out all seats except for the driver and front passenger seats. Behind the front seats, there is about 7 ft of room length-wise and about 4ft cross-wise. I have plenty of room to change clothes.
My thermarest, pillow and sleeping bag goes along one side. My cooloer/camping/kayaking gear goes along the other side. Those knock-down crates are great to hold gear because you can stack them to make more floor space. During the day, I tri-fold my thermarest with the bedding inside, and it makes more floor space if you’re transporting other paddlers and their gear. Because I have sliding doors on each side, plus a rear cargo door, access is easy to everything. A coffee can works great for those little “middle-of-the-night” “emergencies.”
I’m 5’2" and have no trouble loading either kayaks on the stacker bars or a canoe on the crossbars despite the higher profile than a smaller car. I frequently sleep in the mini-van instead of putting up my tent…and I have pulled over for naps in the Wal-mart parking lot when I got too sleepy to drive. For summer, I’m thinking about mosquito netting or making some magnetic screens so I can leave the windows open. I get about 20 mpg with 2-3 boats on top, about 24 mpg without boats on top.
RN with kayak & bike
We (wife & I) met a RN traveling solo from coast to coast in Canada and she had her bike, her kayak and her dog…she had a plain (chevvy) panel van and had 2 seats up front and all the gear room she needed. From stop to stop she carried the yak on top but when she stopped to ride, camp or work she kept it inside. Seemed to work well for her. She felt very secure sleeping in it also. Think about some obscure location where you might need some work done on your vehicle…I would stay basic. Good luck and have fun. (Incidentally - we are going to do the same thing next year.)
that’s what I had in mind
As a travelling RN you get housing, so I’d only sleep in the van en route, and then only if I couldn’t safely camp. I’m travelling solo also, so the advantage of a van without windows and that looks like a cargo (or mystery) van looks less like a target. The Dodge Sprinter gets ~22mpg, about the same as the Subaru Outback, but it’s diesel, harder to park, harder to place the kayak on , and just plain less fun to drive. But being able to stash the whole kayak inside is a big plus. The research continues…I’ve a month or 2 before I need to make up my mind.
Thanks for your help…Lyn
Station Wagon
We sometimes haul two sea kayaks and two bikes on our Sable wagon. We originally bought our Yakima racks for our '94 Taurus wagon, they were moved to our '97 Sable wagon and will now be moving to our '03 Sable wagon. (BTW the Taurus wagon had 148,000 on it when we got rid of it and we still have the '97 Sable)
The wagon height makes getting boats on and off the car easy. The Taurus/Sable wagons have much storage space, good passenger space and are pretty comfortable. We are someimes envied by others (especially Boomers)at group paddles for the ease and space of our wagon(s). They are also anonymous cars.
The gas mileage is better than most SUVs.
However, if you are thinking of an SUV the Toyota Highlander is now available as a hybrid.
Before you buy the Aerio…
– Last Updated: Apr-23-04 11:02 PM EST –
...check out the Hyundai Elantra GT hatchback. I just bought one to replace my Excel that's finally to the point of not being worth repairing. The GTs currently have a $2000 rebate on them. They come loaded (A/C, leather, CD, keyless entry/alarm, 4-wheel discs, alloy wheels, power windows & locks, floormats, tilt wheel, fog lights, etc., etc.). The only options I went with were the power tilt/retract sunroof, mudflaps and a cargo tray for the trunk. It cost me well under $14K out the door. Without the sunroof, you could get one for right around $13K. ABS with Traction control and automatic transmission are the only other options. If you bought it all, you'd be hard pressed to spend more than $15K. The sale is on through the end of the month. And then there's the warranty...
Hmmm, I wonder if the dealership is looking for salesmen? ;-)
BTW, the Thule rack fits really solidly, but I'm switching to Saris so I don't have to leave everything on the roof when I don't need it.
I’d be leery of hybrids…
…especially for hauling boats. While I like the concept, they have limited battery capacity and when you use it up lugging boats up hills, you’re left with a seriously underpowered gasoline engine.
Although I went a different route, one vehicle I looked at that seemed like it’d make a good kayak hauler is the Scion XB. Tons of room for gear and a huge hatch, but in a small package. It’s not a powerhouse, but I lugged boats around for years on a Hyundai Excel that had fewer ponies under the hood. It might be a bit short to sleep in and the stying is a love-it-or-hate-it situation, but it’s worth a look.
I second resisting hybrids
If you live in a flat area the hybrid would be fine, but not the mountains. Not enought reserve in the batteries, it becomes a heavy car with a small engine. The better gas milage is a bit of a red herring because the gas saving will never make up for the increase in the price of the car. They also have a complicated less proven drivetrain. They do use less fuel and polute less, if that is more important to you.
I would vote for a stationwagon. I don’t like to lift kayaks on to tall vehicles.
Uh… Too Late
I ran around all yesterday to get the paperwork done on the Aerio SX AWD. On the short drive from Beverly to Boston, I already noticed the 155 HP over my '94 Subaru’s 120 HP. I also got ABS, my first, and it felt kinda weird. Guess I’ll get use to it. Anyway, the Aerio should be a better kayak/kids hauler than my old subaru and will give my wife’s Forester a run for the title of “all around hauler” for the the family. 
With rebate, I got the fully loaded SX for slightly under 16K. I only wish they have a standard as opposed to the automatic. I so much like the stick when I am driving in the hilly terrain in ME.
sing
Congrats!
I hope you enjoy your new kayak hauler!
Guess We’ll Both Be
confused next time we see each other at a put in.
sing
Good To See…
That there are a lot of stationwagon fans here! Loading a kayak on my Taurus and throwing all my gear in back with the seats down has pretty much ruined me for ever driving anything else.Only problem is, my wagon is starting to get a little long in the tooth and Ford is discontinuing the line.I like the Subarus but I don’t want to spend 300.00 dollars for brakepads!I don’t think the Outbacks are strong enough to tow my pop-up with as well.Why Ford why!!!
Crossover
Supposedly, Ford is planning a crossover vehicle to replace the Taurus wagon. Haven’t seen one yet.
I’m hoping it is a bit closer to a wagon than the Chysler Pacifica - which was probably the first of this new approach.
I bought a 2003 Sable wagon this late November. Had only 6400 miles. Got a very good price and a new car warranty.
It might be worth buying a 2003/2004 Taurus/Sable wagon sometime before the end of the year.