And thus, I learned the first downside from switching from a sedan to a hatchback wagon...

[Tommy_Carcetti]

In my trunk of my old car, I kept a few emergency items--first aid kit, emergency flashers, jumper cables, empty gas can--in a plastic open top crate. I never much paid attention to any sound coming from the trunk since it was pretty much soundproof.

Now that I have switched to a hatchback wagon, I placed said same items in the trunk area, which unlike the sedan is open to the rest of the car cabin.

The result? Every turn I made, I heard a "THHWWWWWUUNNNNNKKKKK" of the crate shifting from side to side of the trunk. And I'm sure it made a couple of scratches in my one-day old's pristine trunk space. I tried removing the items from the plastic crate and just storing the items seperately, for whatever logic. No better, probably worse.

In the end, only the jumper cables fit in the spare tire space. The first aid kit and emergency flashers should fit under the seat, and the gas can remains in the trunk in the hopes it will not shift too much.

[MajorChode]

1. That's what duct tape is for, silly.

Cargo nets and bungee cords work almost as good.

[surrealAmerican]

7. Yep, a couple of bungee cords will solve this problem.

[flvegan]

2. But a blanket down in the hatch area.

Rumple it up a little bit, put the items on the blanket. Automotive carpeting tends to be very smooth, and stuff slides around on it.

In my hatch, I keep the smaller stuff in a duffel bag (water bowl, cat food, etc).

On edit: which hatch did you buy? Sorry, super car nerd here.

[krispos42]

3. Rubber mat

My Subaru came with a fitted rubber mat for the cargo area. Does a pretty good job of keeping things from sliding around.


I also keep my emergency stuff in a Swiss military surplus backpack, which slides around less than a plastic crate.

It doesn't so much slide as tumble... if I do my part. :-)

[Rosie1223]

4. I've seen you drive --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM4nhxA5hQs


The way you're taking corners, I'd be surprised if things didn't fly around.

[jakefrep]

5. Can you get one of those retractable covers for the cargo area?

You can probably order it from the dealer's parts department.

[musiclawyer]

6. Sorry, but hatchbacks are way more cool.

Most hatches have cargo nets are they can bge secured aftermarket. I can fit a twin mattress in my Mazda6 witht eh back seats flat. Try that in a sedan! If you're worried about people seeing inside, most hatches have cargo covers, and you always have the option of tinting the rear windows.

[mnhtnbb]

8. On Sunday I hauled my son's drums to his friend's house in my

station wagon, which I never could have done in my sedan.