Car Area Net

[fionasmom]

I thought that this venue might be an appropriate place to ask a question regarding cargo covers/nets for station wagons since it has to do with safety of children in the car (and I'm posting on the Canadian site, since some American products are likely difficult to obtain in Canada).
We have a station wagon (Subaru), and it does not have any cargo net/meet cargo screen. I would think that in a higher-speed collison, the cargo net/metal screen might not provide much (any) protection. We are very careful not in load gear very high in the back cargo area (and our dog is belted in), but with dog and child, it does not leave much room for gear! Any recommendations on what we can install that is safe and where to get it? Right now, I can only think of going to a custom outfitter to have somethinig screwed into the frame.....
Thanks!

[snowbird25ca]

I'm not sure about Subaru, but I know that other car manufacturers have cargo net or hatch covers etc. available for purchase. So I'd start with calling Subaru. Ask them if they have something that covers the cargo area and keeps things out of sight as that's more likely what they'd connect the covers purpose with. :o

eta: Great job with thinking about the projectile issue and harnessing your dog. It's a difficult issue to deal with because having kids means having extra gear to tote.

[QuassEE]

There are three options for securing cargo in the back of SUVs and wagons that I can think of...

1) You can get a screwed-in metal grate between the cargo area and back row. These are custom-fitted, and most vehicles in Australia, Europe and Asia that require them. They're harder to get in Canada, but the fancy roof-rack specialty stores can help you. They're expensive--a few hundred plus.

2) A heavy-duty cargo net--these are stitched webbing in a criss-cross that you secure to your cargo hooks and put over your cargo each and every time you have something heavy in there. I believe Canadian Tire still sells these--that's where I got mine.. KMS Tools, Princess Auto, places like that (I'm in Vancouver so these are local stores.) They're about $100.

3) A light-weight cargo net. These are the little stretchy ones available from vehicle manufacturers. They're inexpensive, but I question their ability to hold much weight/force in a major collision... They work great for smaller items, and I do personally trust it over our battery jumper box in our SUV (weighs about 5lbs) and have kept my strollers under it without concern. I wouldn't trust them with anything heavy. You can find these on eBay for about $20, up through shy of $80 depending on the vehicle.

Another option for SUVs and wagons is to use a rack-mount cargo carrier such as those made by Yakima and Thule.


-Nicole.

[beeman]

Do you currently have good anchoring points, or do they have to be installed? For lighter objects the cargo nets suggested work great. If you have a heavy boxy item, a ratcheting tie down strap would probably be your best bet. Remember when loading your cargo that the heaviest and sturdiest items should be on the floor and set tight to the seat in front of them. It is a lot easier to keep an object from moving within the vehicle than to stop it from moving. Statistically, most crashes with enough force to make stuff move will be from the front, and hard braking happens much more than hard acceleration, therefore it is best to have things as close to the front of their compartment as feasible.
If you choose an option like the metal grate it is still important to place items in such a way as to prevent movement, due to the reasons mentioned above.

[mama2three]

We have a metal "cage" type thing that is pressure mounted. It's custom made and not one of the cheap kind you can buy at an auto store. Our dealership had to order it for us. There are four pressure mounts that you screw down and if you do it tight enough, it does not move. At all. Anyway, when we travel I put that up and put all our big, heavy stuff right behind it. We have a Honda Pilot. I only use it when travelling though, because I don't usually have that much in the car.

[fionasmom]

Thanks for all the responses. I will start looking around for options, especially the pressure mounted or screw-in types. I may be limited in my Subaru, as there are not many anchor points. My partner's car (Subuaru Legacy) has more anchor points - figure that!!! My initial looking made me conclude that most nets/screens would do little to protect passengers in a collision.