I think my car is just about ready

[Stretch]

Holy moly! I have a Soul, and while I love it, they aren't built for "get up and go." Do you plan on driving in the mountains?

I'll also add my voice to the "get a spare tire" chorus. Hugely important, imo.

I'd also give some more thought to paring down, if possible. You're one person - are you *sure* you need all of that?

 

[Kia girl]

On the very end of the cargo carrier would be better.

No spare and just a flat repair kit? If you hit debris on the highway at 65-70 mph you can easily destroy a tire so that it can't be repaired. This has happened to me twice and also to other people I've known. Do yourself a favor and get a real spare if you will be driving 1000's of miles!

PS: The weight at the rear is leveraged, so it will have more of an effect on your rear suspension & tires. If you have something in the box that's pretty heavy, placing it in the front passenger area would help. Do you plan to carry the water jugs full?

The jugs on the back is water. There is 12 gallons of water there. I was actually thinking of moving them to the front. Under the box is my generator that I think it said was 53 pounds. I am putting a different bag on top so I can change the weight around now. Will look into a tire. Thank you


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[Kia girl]

Holy moly! I have a Soul, and while I love it, they aren't built for "get up and go." Do you plan on driving in the mountains?

I'll also add my voice to the "get a spare tire" chorus. Hugely important, imo.

I'd also give some more thought to paring down, if possible. You're one person - are you *sure* you need all of that?

It looks like more than there is. The bag in the back is just a tent. The tent is just very big and takes to much room up in the car so that is why the bag is there. I don’t know if it is just the cars I have owned but my soul gets up and goes compare to every other car I have owned.


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[user 423]

.....my soul gets up and goes compare to every other car I have owned.

They offer several different engines and I know one has like 132 hp. That's oodles more than my old 102 hp Jetta and it moves out nicely.

You really don't need to haul 96 lbs. of water with you for the whole trip. It will be available on the road. Are you headed to AZ?

 

[Kia girl]

They offer several different engines and I know one has like 132 hp. That's oodles more than my old 102 hp Jetta and it moves out nicely.

You really don't need to haul 96 lbs. of water with you for the whole trip. It will be available on the road. Are you headed to AZ?

Yes I am going to az but first heading to North Carolina. I moved the water inside the car which helped the car come back up off the tires. I also took the bag off the back and put the tent on top. Just not sure where to get water and that is why I have so much. Also maybe you have an answer or somebody else does. Not sure where it is safe to store butane and small propane tanks. I probably have way to much stuff but the last time I was out I didn’t have everything and had to buy a lot of things.


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[user 423]

Yes I am going to az but first heading to North Carolina. I moved the water inside the car which helped the car come back up off the tires. I also took the bag off the back and put the tent on top. Just not sure where to get water and that is why I have so much. Also maybe you have an answer or somebody else does. Not sure where it is safe to store butane and small propane tanks. I probably have way to much stuff but the last time I was out I didn’t have everything and had to buy a lot of things.

There are 1000's of Walmarts and I believe every one I've been to has one of those Glacier pure water machines which I use exclusively for drinking water. From MA to NC is practically a solid megalopolis, so you're not going to have trouble finding water. On the interstates out west there are rest areas,campgrounds,parks + other places to get water. If you have 3-4 galls. that would be plenty for any long stretches IMO.

I've had propane and butane cannisters in the back of my van during a lots of miles and I'm still around. Just place them so they won't get banged around. In the top carrier should be safest?

 

[Kia girl]

There are 1000's of Walmarts and I believe every one I've been to has one of those Glacier pure water machines which I use exclusively for drinking water. From MA to NC is practically a solid megalopolis, so you're not going to have trouble finding water. On the interstates out west there are rest areas,campgrounds,parks + other places to get water. If you have 3-4 galls. that would be plenty for any long stretches IMO.

I've had propane and butane cannisters in the back of my van during a lots of miles and I'm still around. Just place them so they won't get banged around. In the top carrier should be safest?

That is what I was thinking was the top carrier.


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[RamblinRogue]

When I saw "Kia girl," I wondered which one you had. I'm attending RTR in a 2006 Kia Rio and have been drawing up, drawing out, listing, re-listing (almost feel like I should be using CAD for this) to get all my "I might needs" in the car. Planning to live "out" of the car because my seats don't fold forward nor recline enough to make sleeping comfortably practical. I was glad to see the back bundle on your Soul. I'm looking at the platform and a soft-sided storage for the Rio as being financially possible but planning to hold off on that until after RTR. Taking off in late spring or early summer from the Phoenix area.

Definitely check out the headlight alignment! Nothing more annoying that realizing your headlights are illuminating the treetops but not the road!  What's in the package on the hatchback anyway?

 

[Kia girl]

When I saw "Kia girl," I wondered which one you had. I'm attending RTR in a 2006 Kia Rio and have been drawing up, drawing out, listing, re-listing (almost feel like I should be using CAD for this) to get all my "I might needs" in the car. Planning to live "out" of the car because my seats don't fold forward nor recline enough to make sleeping comfortably practical. I was glad to see the back bundle on your Soul. I'm looking at the platform and a soft-sided storage for the Rio as being financially possible but planning to hold off on that until after RTR. Taking off in late spring or early summer from the Phoenix area.

Definitely check out the headlight alignment! Nothing more annoying that realizing your headlights are illuminating the treetops but not the road!  What's in the package on the hatchback anyway?

The bag is my tent which is quite large and the cargo carrier on the hitch is my generator. I did take the bag off the back though and got a bigger one for the roof. My back end was definitely weighing down a lot. Not sure if it affected my lights though because I took the bag off when I noticed my back end and moved the water up front in the car. When I had my sedan I had a blow up mattress for the back seat which helped a lot with the comfort. I am also really short so it isn’t to hard for me to get comfortable in small spaces.


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[Almost There]

  Not sure where it is safe to store butane and small propane tanks.  

Any place you can fit them as long as they are upright. I tuck mine in where they can't fall over and where I can remember I put them.

Seriously, keep in mind that stuff like propane cyclinders and water are available at every WalMart along the way. No point in carrying extra weight if you can just buy them along the way, and for the same price!

You do know that if you buy your Rand McNally road map at WalMart that they have a listing of all the W/Ms and show which exit to use for the one's that are close to the interstate?

You can also use the Allstays 'drivers' section to find all the W/Ms you can stay overnight in.