What have you fit in the trunk (boot)?

[kgb]

My wife and I went to a Halloween party and did an overnight stay at a hotel. We were surprised at storage limitations. I now realize that range anxiety is not really an issue with the roadster, because you can't pack for a woman for more than one night.

We just bought a 4 piece luggage set. The big piece used by my wife is bigger than the car, so that was out. The bag usually used as a carry on piece in the overhead compartment of a plane was too wide to fit in the trunk in any orientation. I even tried taking out the floor of the trunk and the tools. We ended up using the piece of luggage we usually use for my small daughters. That left the space over the two rear wheels. Our toiletries fit over one tire leaving room for one other small item. As for hang up items, the driver seat is the only seat that moves... so I hung them on the back of my seat.

This was for an overnight stay at a hotel and we wore the same clothes coming and going. We only packed our costumes. For me: Jacket, shirt and pants. For my wife: a tiny piece of cloth that passes for a dress.

Anyone have a well thought out solution for packing luggage for a trip in the Roadster?

 

[Fuzzylogic]

Yesterday, my girlfriend and i were taking the roadster for a spin, and drove by a farm who were selling pumpkins.

We decided to buy one for Halloween. The first one we tried was way too big, the trunk lid would not close anymore.
It smallest pumpkin available did fit. But we had to take out the floor of the trunk and tire repair can.

Even with those items out of the way, the trunk lid did not close completely. Luckily CF is flexible, so with a small gap between the trunk lid and the rear bumper, we drove back home..

 

[DRM]

I travel quite a bit ... here's my recipe:

(1) Soft-side canvas luggage packed 1/2 full; it will mold to fit any shape (2) the other 1/2 of the luggage stuck in the trunk however it'll fit (3) Pack once you arrive at the airport (4) pack light -- always a good plan regardless of vehicle/trip. I do two-week asia trips fairly often and have never had problems packing.... that said, I've never attempted to fit the wife/kid's luggage in the roadster.

//dan.

 

[kgb]

@DRM: That is creative, "packing when you get to the airport." But if you aren't traveling with the wife, why not pack at home and place the luggage in the passenger seat?

I guess I'll have to get used to using duffels again. Does anyone have a good solution for hang-up clothing?

I have used eagle creek brand dividers to fold suits in the past. That would fold small enough to fit in the trunk (I think, I haven't actually tried it yet) I am interested in anyone else's solution for suits.

 

[tdevince]

@DRM: That is creative, "packing when you get to the airport." But if you aren't traveling with the wife, why not pack at home and place the luggage in the passenger seat?

I guess I'll have to get used to using duffels again. Does anyone have a good solution for hang-up clothing?

I have used eagle creek brand dividers to fold suits in the past. That would fold small enough to fit in the trunk (I think, I haven't actually tried it yet) I am interested in anyone else's solution for suits.

Check out motorcycle riders. My brother travels on his bike and he has found a method to roll up his suit (attended my nephew's Bar Mitzva and packed his suit in his saddle bag). When he got to the hotel, he merely hung up and steamed his suit in the hotel room. You couldn't tell it wasn't hung up when we got there.

Other than that, I like the idea of limited storage, it prevents my wife from packing too much crap. When we road trip, we take our Mini Cooper to limit how much stuff we take and how much stuff we can accumulate on a road trip. I won't be road tripping with the roadster, but it will reduce how much I buy when out and about.

 

[mpt]

Place one well stocked credit card in the glove box, buy everything that you need when you get there & give it all to charity when you leave


...Look, you just saved a load on gas and the car handles better for the reduced weight... and you don't need the extra closet space when you get home; win-win.

 

[kgb]

I found a bag that fits nicely in the trunk. The O'GIO Lay Over. I have an older model, but the dimensions of the current model seem to be the same.

Lay Over

 

[zack]

The dimensions of that carryon (the O'GIO) are 22" by 14" by 10", while my usual carry-on is an inch longer at 23". Is it that critical? Will a carry-on one inch longer fit?

 

[kgb]

My experience is actually the width (let's get oriented here). When the lid is facing you, with the handle towards the top, I figure length is from handle to floor, width side to side, and depth depends on how much you stuff in.

The main issue is that suit cases that are too wide, when placed lid side up, bump into the PEM. When you rotate them, with one side on the bottom, the other side prevents the trunk(boot) from closing. The 14" width is the limiting factor, it can actually be longer.

 

[PaulM]

It would be a good idea for Tesla to have a custom suitcase produced that would fit the Roadster's trunk perfectly.

 

[TEG]

It would be a good idea for Tesla to have a custom suitcase produced that would fit the Roadster's trunk perfectly.

Franz did some skis, might as well do custom luggage!

 

[vfx]

Just a reminder that the 2008 trunks are a bit smaller.

 

[ChargeIt!]

Just a reminder that the 2008 trunks are a bit smaller.

That only means Franz's next job is to design the ski rack !

 

[dwegmull]

Who needs luggage...

I do have to unscrew the smoke stack in order to close the trunk. The rail car I sit on when ridding behind "Alice" fits nicely in the passenger foot well. The locomotive fuel is either coal or propane... At the risk of going off topic, you can see more pictures of the locomotive here: http://wegmuller.org/v-web/gallery/album49 and a movie of it running at my old place, along with some friends here: http://www.youtube.com/user/dwegmull?feature=mhum#p/u/3/-ecBtTku7-g

 

[kgb]

It would be a good idea for Tesla to have a custom suitcase produced that would fit the Roadster's trunk perfectly.

Yes, I agree. I think it should be a "luggage system." A relatively normal looking roller bag for the center portion of the trunk, and two soft cases that fit behind each wheel (in the trunk). The two soft cases should have some method of attachment to the main bag for easy wheeling.

I am also looking for a good solution for transporting a suit. So far we've had one suggestion from tdevince: roll it up the same way bikers load their saddle bags. Any other solutions?

 

[vfx]

In an old thread someone found a gym bag that fit nicely.

My swim suit should fit just fine in the trunk. Don't have any other kind.

 

[ChadS]

My swim suit should fit just fine in the trunk. Don't have any other kind.

Ah, West Coast Casual. Surely you at least have a birthday suit?

Which suit do you wear to interviews, weddings and funerals?

 

[vfx]

Don't do many interviews any more. When I did decades ago it was "anything better than a T Shirt". As for those solemn occasions, look around. I'm probably the inappropriately dressed guy in the corner.

 

[tomsax]

In 2006, Cathy discovered the One Bag packing strategy, a method of what and how to pack that enables long trips using only carry-on baggage. In a nutshell, you bundle your clothes into a soft-sided bag or backpack in a way that is space efficient and minimizes wrinkling. It's awesome for short trips, and for longer trips you take compact supplies to do laundry in your hotel room.

We have used it for a three-week trip to Europe and Africa, a two-week trip to the Galapagos Islands, Equador and Peru, and many smaller trips. For us, it's the only way to travel.

It also turns out to be quite helpful when road tripping in a Roadster, as a soft-sided bag that fits in an overhead compartment can be made to fit in a Roadster trunk if not packed too full.

The photo below is the trunk packed for the Wayland Invitational IV in 2009. RichKae and I took two helmets and clothes for three days of drag racing and EVents, plus a bucket for washing the car (although no mobile connector).

Cathy and I packed for the Concourse d'Elegance on San Juan Island in 2009: four days of car show, cruising, and kayaking. This time we took more compact car washing paraphernalia to allow for a camera bag and an RFMC.

 

[TEG]

As you may recall, I made that Portland trip too. I stayed in Portland an extra 3 days afterwords, so I put a week's worth of stuff into one dufflebag since I had to share the Roadster trunk with the owner (who brought a helmet, camera, RFMC, and such.)

Also, the way airlines discourage baggage these days, figuring out how to pack light seems to be the way to go.

---

( Good of you to take and find the pictures of your packing efforts! )