Vehicle for hauling up to four bikes?

[emily_in_nc]

Yep, we've certainly taken bikes in hotel rooms over the years, and most do seem to allow it -- but four?! It's also nice to keep them inside a vehicle to keep them from getting wet, buggy, etc. We were spoiled having a Honda Element for seven years, so it's really hard to go back to a rack situation if we don't have to.

Also wanted to mention that we wouldn't always or even usually be carrying four bikes -- that would be worst case. More typical would be two bikes and a dog kennel, or two bikes and a kayak. We found a take-apart one that goes from a tandem to a single and breaks down into three pieces that could easily fit in the back of a vehicle when broken down:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/69097...ttrValue_0=Red

It's pricey, but so's a tandem kayak plus roof rack, and DH absolutely hated putting kayaks up on Thule racks when we had 'em b/c of all the bungeeing, wrapping, securing fore and aft, etc., so this would solve this problem. Basically, we want to be able to hike, kayak, and bike on a lot of our trips without committing to something like a Sportsmobile just yet.

[Crankin]

Emily, we don't have a car that can fit 4 bikes inside that gets the gas mileage you want... DH has an SUV (the kind people here make fun of) that easily fits 2 bikes with the wheels ON, but we have a Saris rack that has an extender for 4 bikes, that we use for trips with our friends. We just use a huge cable lock to keep the bikes safe. I've never worried, really. Once we get to our destination, the bikes are stored somewhere.
I know I must be spending too much time here. I just told DH, "My friend in Belize is moving back here."
I've never met you in person.

[emily_in_nc]

[QUOTE=Crankin;636241
I know I must be spending too much time here. I just told DH, "My friend in Belize is moving back here."
I've never met you in person.[/QUOTE]

I have the same kind of experiences with some of my Facebook friends -- most I know "in person" too, but a few I just feel like I know!

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks for the Rav4 and Highlander suggestions. We used to have a Rav4 years ago, but it was one of the small 2-door models from the first model year and was tiny. They've really grown over the year. DH's parents have a Highlander, and while it's certainly big, it might be a bit more "luxury" and pricey than we really want to go.

Will look into both, though, thanks!

[goldfinch]

Basically, we want to be able to hike, kayak, and bike on a lot of our trips without committing to something like a Sportsmobile just yet.

Emily, the perfect vehicle is the Sportsmobile. If you don't want to commit right away maybe you can track down a used Element.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, the perfect vehicle is the Sportsmobile. If you don't want to commit right away maybe you can track down a used Element.

ITA. However, to get the configuration we would want, we would most likely have to order one, and we need a vehicle in the meantime. Not to mention the cost is much higher, and since we'll have a lot of other "re-startup" costs in the US, we don't want to spend that kind of money right at first, until the dust settles. Maybe eventually, though.