<p>The roof top carrier we bought was the Kanga Hurricane. It’s not the cheapest (I think we paid around $75 a few years ago), but it’s very sturdy and is still in like-new condition after many uses. It folds up nice and small for storage in the basement when not in use.</p>
<p>(The Hurricane name turned out to be prescient since we moved S into his college in New Orleans and evacuated that same weekend due to Katrina. The roof top carrier performed admirably in very nasty weather).</p>
<p>Anyway, I highly recommend it. I will say that our SUV has a roof rack so it was an easy endeavor to secure it. I don’t know if there are different types of roof-top carriers for different types of vehicles. It was absolutely indispensible for moving D’s stuff as she had LOTS of clothes and it works particularly well for soft, squishable items (all the matching bedding she wanted for her room, throw pillows, etc)</p>
<p>Son is going to school in California; we live in Texas. I feel your pain. We are sending 4 medium sized boxes ahead of us via UPS. Just finished boxing and taping today to send 11 days ahead of move in day to make sure they are there. We are flying out the day before move in day when we will buy appliances and toiletries/cleaning items etc. </p>
<p>And then hubby (step dad) and I will head to north Cali for a week of rest, relaxing, reconnecting (Ok and me crying) before we come back home to an empty nest.</p>
<p>Sometimes there’s no good answer - DD1 and her (Asian :-)) over-protective mom are preparing for the Lewis and Clark expedition / Rapture / Biosphere II dorm experience. I would have thunk one trip in a Saab 9-5 station wagon should do it (200 miles one way). We’re well past the Saab’s capacity so I am borrowing an Escalade SUV from work :-). </p>
<p>The Escalade’s 15mpg is exactly half of the Saab’s 30mpg so we could easily have done two trips in the Saab. I would be leery of long distance driving with a soft top, and unless one’s driving an SUV or similar it is not difficult to exceed the vehicle’s rated weight.</p>
<p>We are moving D from Illinois to Massachusetts. We (parents) are flying out with her and then (sob) we fly back late that night. Since I’m premier on the airline we are using, this gives us 4 free checked bags, plus then 3 carry-ons worth. We are picking some of the bedding up at BBB. Her roommate is coming to campus a few days early and is picking up the refrigerator. I am contemplating sending a box or two of some things that she’ll want but that she won’t need to deal with or have on hand immediately (rain boots, bike helmet, backups of some toiletries). We’ll see her at the parent’s weekend in a month and at that point we’ll bring her her winter coat, hat, etc. and of course anything else she wants at that point; no need to bring it in August. </p>
<p>I’m sort of mentally “staging” in 4 buckets:
Bring with on the flight
Pick up that day (basically the BBB bedding)
Send for that week, but not critical for first day
Bring for parents’ weekend</p>
<p>This helps me figure out where I really need to assign each item.</p>
<p>turbo-
Is your dau really taking all that makeup you mentioned?? I have sons. I am smiling envisioning that.</p>
<p>DS’s gf is driving diagonally across country for a relocation-- from the SE to the NW. SHe will caravan with a friend to Denver, then will be on her own.</p>
<p>One of the problems with driving is that you have to drive back! (unless you do a one-way rental, which is very expensive). That’s a lot of time (or a lot of money). </p>
<p>To move in D, we shipped books and bedding via US Mail, and flew with D and 2 parents each checking 2 bags. Southwest gives 2 free bags, JetBlue gives 1 and charges $25 for a second. Then we rented an SUV at the destination to move her in. </p>
<p>D didn’t bring anything that she could replace cheaply at Target. Laundry baskets are disposable. </p>
<p>To move her back home, I flew out in the morning but my flight was delayed. We only had 3 hours between the time I arrived at her dorm and time we had to leave for the airport on the return trip. She put a bunch of stuff in storage at the dorm, she shipped the books she wanted, and we flew back on Southwest checking 2 bags each. </p>
<p>As far as parents weekend, sure, you have to go, but I didn’t me any other parent there who was there for their 2nd Parents Weekend, and we we’re clearly disrupting the flow of D’s life :-).</p>
<p>Our D goes to college at a school that is about an 18 hour drive. My DW gets extreme car sickness, she just can’t get past an hour drive without getting sick. As a result, we have no choice but to fly.</p>
<p>We always fly in the night before move in day and stay overnight at a local motel/hotel. We ship most of her belongings in advance to the hotel we are staying in and they hold it for us. We take it the next day on move in day. We just buy the bigger stuff when we get there or order it in advance to be held at the local store. After she just finished her freshman year, she put everything in a local storage unit. When she returns in a few weeks to school, we will pick everything up from there. It was the best solution for our situation. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>I’m afraid so - between a steamer trunk filled with books and required architectural supplies (a Dremel is school supplies?), 8 cubic feet of food items from Costco (Tiger mom comfort food :-)), another steamer trunk filled with personal care products (Costco sized to last thru grad school), and a couple cubic feet of makeup, and a fridge, the Saab gave up the ghost. That’s the same car that moved 8 dining room chairs once.</p>
<p>Thankfully we have a fleet of vehicles at work including a few Escalade ESV’s…</p>
<p>I can’t see flying to college unless one charters a C-130 or similar. But then, in the pre-luggage-fees era we routinely went for 1 or 2 week cruises with 6-7 suitcases… So packing light has never been an issue…</p>
<p>The weight of items in the soft top carrier won’t be excessive for the vehicle- use it for soft goods such as bedding and clothing. I also put things in plastic bags (good old 13 gal trash bags in general) to make sure they were waterproof. I found our cartop carrier via a company that advertises in Car and Driver I believe- Weathertech? Bought it for a Volvo wagon but it also worked for a later SUV- a hardtop may not have. Being able to snug down the carrier at various points was helpful- can add bunge cords as well.</p>
<p>turbo: i take pride in the fact that when I moved in to college, I didn’t need to use the rooftop bag for my dad’s Jeep, which my sister needed when she moved in.</p>
<p>I really would not know. I moved to college with two suitcases… At last count my daughter is taking more FOOD than everything I brought to college combined (by volume :-)). </p>
<p>Today’s Turbo Tip: A lot of colleges allow early dorm check in for people rushing (Go Greeks! :-)) so, it is easy to see how small the room/closets/etc are if you’re friends on Facebook or join the right group (Class of 2015 Elbonia State University). DD1 looked a bit concerned as the pictures started coming in :-)</p>
<p>One caution to all you enthusiastic “shippers” - check to see if your kid’s college has a limit on how many items their post office will hold for them. For example, D’s college will hold a maximum of 3 boxes:</p>