Semi-OT Best way to carry downhill skis on Subaru Outback

[Wunder]

We're planning a family ski trip this year that is a several hour drive away. Looking for advice on best way to carry four sets (two adult, two child) of downhill skis. Most likely outside the vehicle as would want the rear inside storage for luggage, helmets, etc.

Subaru Outback 2015
Roof rails with integrated crossbars (I've basically never used these)
2" tow hitch (normally with a Kuat bike rack but easily removed for this trip)

Drive from home to Colorado is about 8 hours each way.

What should I be looking at? Bonus points if the chosen solution has some flexibility to also handle cross country skis or summer toys (paddle board/kayak) but not essential.

[benb]

I think you are almost certainly looking at a roof rack mounted box/ski container/rack. I think I would go for the box personally.

It should be fine, about the only people who really seem to complain about the integrated racks on the roof of the OB are people who want to put large Canoes or even small sailboats on the roof. (Stuff even longer than kayaks). I think newer Outbacks have changes to the roof rack to handle that, but yours is only a little newer than mine so probably the same.

We only have 3 people for our trips. I put the smaller side of the rear seat down and just lay the 2 snowboards and set of skiis on there. I have the trunk & seatback protectors and they have done a really good job of containing any water from melting snow.

I used to use roof bike racks.. I have got to imagine just about any ski/board setup has got to be less annoying than mounting bikes to the roof. Bikes just seem to take forever to mount/dismount from the racks compared to anything else.

[Likes2ridefar]

I don’t ski (mountaineering gear and snowboards in a winter use case) but have what I simply call a coffin from Yakima. It’ll hold most skis and is useful for other needs. I try to keep interior packing to only dry/clean goods so it’s nice to be able to chuck the gear in it and keep the car dry and clean.

[Jaybee]

My skis go in the back of my truck under a camper shell, but on a previous vehicle I used a rooftop rack. Thule maybe? Would not recommend. Way too much mag chloride impregnated road spray on expensive equipment where the surfaces (i.e wax) matter. I'd go with the box.

[Mark McM]

As above, a cargo box is probably a good option. Many are roof rail agnostic, and can clamp to a rails of a variety of shapes and spacing. Many are aerodynamically designed to reduce wind noise. And of course, just like its name suggests, it can carry other types of cargo as well.

The main drawback of a cargo box is that many people don't like to drive around with the cargo box on the roof when its not needed, but then they have to find a place to store this big empty box. If you will only be needing it just this once, you might want to consider trying to borrow or rent one.

[AngryScientist]

See what's available locally on marketplace or craigslist. As mentioned, they are bulky and cumbersome to store, so people unload them all the time. If you buy used, you can usually get your money back and resell if you'll only be using it once.

[bewheels]

Agree with the above comments about using a box.

I would strongly caution against putting skies/snowboards inside a car unless they are secured. Bad things happen when skies/snowboards (metal edged objects) are not secured in a car when there is an accident and they go flying around (metal edged projectiles).

[OtayBW]

You can get some simple, foam kayak carriers that will fit directly on your crossbars. Easy peasy and cheap way to go...

[benb]

In a pinch I will admit I've just lashed two Kayaks to the roof rack.

Took a long time to get them tied down and stable but it worked fine... did not go on the highway though!

[Wunder]

Thanks for the quick replies everyone. A quick check of the local Craigslist turned up a Yakima Sky Box 16 carbonite with railgrab mounts, round bars, and raptor bike trays for $400. I messaged the seller to get some more details.

I have both a large garage and unfinished basement so storage when not in use is not an extreme concern.

My wife's car is a Volvo XC90 which I think has some kind of roof rail (much lower profile than my Outback). Not sure how to verify compatibility on this. We haven't decided which car we'll take on this trip (hers is larger and nicer but mine runs CrossClimate tires and I don't care if it gets dirty or nicked by gear as I've had it ten years).

[572cv]

Originally Posted by bewheels

Agree with the above comments about using a box.

I would strongly caution against putting skies/snowboards inside a car unless they are secured. Bad things happen when skies/snowboards (metal edged objects) are not secured in a car when there is an accident and they go flying around (metal edged projectiles).

When my sister was a young driver, she was in a hurry to meet up with some pals to go skiing. She had thrown the skis in the back of Dad’s wagon. When she lost control of the car, she just dropped to the floor and man, did those skis do a number on the inside of the car. And of course, the exterior was pretty well demolished by the 150 ft of post and rail fence she went through

The roof top box is a good deal in light of all that.

[Veloo]

I'd say use those integrated crossbars with some ski clamps that seem to be plentiful on the used market.

[rrudoff]

I would not want to deal with a box if it was not truly needed. They are heavy,
and in the way for other roof items. Ski racks can mount to the cross bar and be removed easily in the summer, If you want to protect your skis, simply put them in a bag. Any board or kayak can go on the cross bars with some pads-I do this a few times a week on the factory cross bars on our Audi Q7 and that includes a 100 lb Hobie Outback and/or a 22' long OC-1 canoe (which only weight 20 lbs!). If you need to carry multiple kayaks get some vertical supports to put one or both on their side for more space. Boards can simply be stacked.

[trener1]

We ski, most people recommend the boxes, but we ended up with the one of those ski racks, that pops open and. you just clamp them down. I got a Yakima one brand new off ebay for pretty cheap, holds 4 ski's no problem.
We did a ski trip from NY City to Quebec and it was great, I think those (and the boxes), should be able to fit on both the Subaru and Volvo, for reference we put them on a XC60.
In fact for the price, this one seems hard to beat https://www.levelninesports.com/prod...k&gad_source=1

Or if you want even cheaper and don't care about it being slightly "older" you can't go wrong with these. https://www.amazon.com/YAKIMA-Powder...519b0a7e0da3b0
In fact this is the one that I have.

[old fat man]

The Volvo will require different cross bars than the Outback. Sounds like your Outback has the integrated ones anyway that swing across when you want to use them and then back to "parallel" with the roofline when you don't need them.

For such a long trip, get the coffin/box. And make sure it is long enough to carry your current skis and the xc skis you will potentially have in the future. You can also utilize the box to easily store the poles and some of your clothes and helmets and other miscellaneous stuff you're bringing. It'll free up a lot of space in the vehicle to help make the 8 hour drive more comfortable.

You will take a hit on gas mileage and you may find the added noise annoying (less bad in winter with windows closed) but the enclosed nature of the box will give you much more flexibility