No pictures of the car from the trip, but just another testament to how great these cars are.

My wife left on June 28th with our 6 year old and one year old to go from here in Milwaukee to Muncie, Indiana, and then Shelby, North Carolina to do some painting and other work on the house we have for sale there. She went from there to Pensacola, Florida on the 4th of July, and stayed with my mother until I flew down and met them on July 25th. We stayed in Florida for two days, and then drove 12+ hours to North Myrtle Beach, SC for a weeklong family vacation. From there (last saturday) we drove back to Shelby, NC to meet up with friends, and then drove 13+ hours back to Milwaukee on Sunday.

So, to recap, that was nearly 4000 miles of driving over the course of five weeks, with an 18 month old, a six year old, and enough luggage for 5 weeks of travel for them and one and a half for me - and we still had room for sheets for the beds at the vacation rental, a cooler with food, and more.

Over the 3,878 miles that the car covered, (my wife's 06 Cooper 5 speed) we averaged 33.2 miles per gallon. Not bad considering we were pretty heavily loaded, ran the AC the entire time, and averaged 85-90 on the freeways.

We laughed every time we passed an SUV or Minivan with a luggage rack on top and only two adults and two kids inside. It's all about what you REALLY need.

We are considering a MINIDOMORE trailer hitch and a flat shelf for things like beach chairs and boogie boards for next time, though.

 

You must pack REALLY well...

The MDM hitch is great, I've got one, but if you have a Cooper non-S there are some other economical alternatives...

I can vouch for Mini versatility, having done many business trips and a week+ in WV with a small trailer on helping rebuild some houses (charity trip). You do have to be a creative packer though, and those backseaters need to be, umm, "compact".

 

+1! We just got back from Florida to Cincinnati, we took my wife's Matrix and it was me, my wife and our 2 year old and that car was jam packed. I actually asked my wife how we are going to do trips like this when we have another kid, she said "We'll have to get a bigger vehicle." I don't know about that, but it will definitely be interesting! I wish you had a pic of your MINI with all of the stuff and the kids in it! I'd love to get some ideas on how to get by in the future without resorting to a gas guzzler.

 

Great story! We do alot of 3-4 day trips in ours. The kids are now 14 and 10, and with a bit of smart packing we do pretty good. I'm not sure how much longer though, my son is starting to get big!

We once went for a four day trip, packed everything we needed, and brought home a ceiling fan. (the kids weren't to happy bout that )

Nik

 

WOW! :impatient That's impressive, even with small kids. Somehow I managed to fill up my MCS going down to the Dragon this year with 1 passenger for just 4 days... Wait, that's right; I had 3 cases of beer...

I've got the MDM and the shelf; you'll love it. Next time you can go for 6 weeks!

-Ed

 

I need you to fly to San Diego in the next 9 hours and pack our two MINIs for our trip to MITM. We're talking 2 of them, they are packed to the gills, and I feel like we're forgetting stuff!!


Congrats to you and your wife. I *bow* to your packing prowess.

 

Well, there are a few crucial things here:

One, since it was a summer beach vacation and we had access to a washer/dryer the whole time, we did laundry every day or every other day. I basically had two swim trunks, three shirts, and two pairs of shorts (plus underwear and socks) and got by for 11 days.

Two, most people don't utilize the space below the kid's feet. Once the six year old gets a little bigger, we'll lose a lot of space there.

Three, we don't take: stroller, large baby bag, pack-n-play crib, or any of the other things that a lot of people drag around with their kids. We rent a stroller if we need it (only needed to twice) and go from there.

Four, it is all my wife. She can pack like nobodies business!

We're thinking that Christmas might be a problem, what with needing to take bulkier clothes and presents, so that's where the hitch might come into play.

Can anyone point me toward the less expensive hitch option? Ideally, it would have the same reciever as the minidomore, so I could put that one on my S, and the less expensive one on her MINI.

Being a two MINI, two child family is a blast, though!

(also fun: watching my brother pack his trailblazer at the beach, and barely getting everthing in...he has two kids smaller than mine!)

 

Rethinking tasks to MINI-scale is half the fun!! In the end, vacations are about fun, so the MINI is a natural choice!!

 

This is a great thread. I would very much love to see photos! I'm a huge fan of less-is-more travel and creative packing. This is has anything I've done so far beat, since I do not have kids yet. But it's so nice to see that there are people out there who don't need to drag the house behind them just because they have children!

My parents are getting ready to retire and are looking for a new vehicle to replace my Mom's 10 year old Accord. I'm trying to talk them into a MINI but of course they are saying that it's "too small". They will be visiting me this weekend with their GMC Envoy probably stuffed to the gills - just the two of them (granted, they are bringing me a sewing machine, plus various items for their cabin in GA). I will be immersing them in MINI-ness on Saturday, though, at the rally we are having. Hopefully there will be an epiphany...

 

Here is one I've seen discussed on NAM already:
http://www.etrailer.com/products.asp...5&make=BMW&h=e

As I recall, UHaul has an option for the MC also. The one listed above is a Class I hitch, so it should take the same accessories as the MDM. (Note this isn't necessarily true vice-versa as the MDM has a long reach to get to the pin.)

BTW, if you are interested in borrowing my shelf during Christmas let me know. I don't think I will be using it then...

-Ed

 

Note: Only one of the MDM products has that "long reach to the pin" - it's about 7" by the way - and that's the hitch for the '02-'04 models that allows clearance for the backup light (or rear fog on the '05-'06). The other MDM hitch has a more standard reach and takes regular 1 1/4" accessories and drawbars. Both MDM hitchs do NOT have loops for "safety chains", but the MDM drawbar does.

Oh, abd I brought my "record" for an MDM hitch install down to 45 minutes... but the wiring takes a bit longer...

 

That's a great offer! If we decide to go the hitch route this fall I just may take you up on it.

 

Shop early for Christmas and ship the presents to where they need to go. Ship most of the clothes that you will need. You'll have presents to bring back and need the sapce. Only carry what you need for the trip.

 

Also, in a pinch, two MINI's driving on the highway still get better gas mileage than a single giant SUV.

With two people in the front and the rear seats folded down, you could haul some serious gear for your two-MINI family.

Also, have you considered a roof rack? The factory rack can handle 165 pounds. That is at least several nice ceiling fans!

 

We've been doing our Border-to-Border-in-No-Particular-Order run from San Diego to Seattle and beyond for the past few years, - it's always a blast, and we pack right up to the Plimsoll line, and maybe beyond. Taking the Coast Hwy all the way up next week, and with careful planning you can stuff a lot of useful goodies in the back - last trip we had two or three cases of our favorite wine, and a load of books from Powell's in Portland. Oh, yeah, and clothes and stuff, too.

BCNU,

Rob in Dago

 

Taking a note from the under-childs feet storage space I've found that most people don't use the space under their passengers legs effectively, there's a few cubic feet of space under their knees and thighs created by them extended their feet towards the firewall.

 

Hmmm... When I received mine (for an '06, no fog), I noticed the bar was back further than the pics showed on the website. Brent told me all the new hitches were now the same size. He standardized to avoid having to carry multiple "reaches" (for lack of a better term).

Have you been seeing a standard reach on the new hitches?

Not that it matters anymore. I'm not going to change mine out! It's a bit of a pain to hook up, but the hitch is solid!

 

Is she available for rental? Or lessons?

 

She does need a job.....

 

Really? I have an 02 F250 Crew Cab with an 8' box and get better than 21 mpg combined driving (mostly highway 85-90)

 

Just wait till they start growing, that's when things get really interesting! We have an 11 year old and at a tad over 5'7" and 130 lbs. he takes up about the whole back seat!

 

Time for a Clubman, or a Convertible! ;-)

 

The roof rack would be cheaper than the trailer hitch + trailer.

I would not suggest the factory roof rack, for it is drilled through the roof. Plus, a Yakima or Thule could be used on either of your MINIs. This might help with the presents and luggage issue at the holidays. . . . .and it does very well at high speeds, 90-100 (not that I know from experience)

Good luck with your decision!

 

I've noticed that most people don't fully utilize their passengers' laps for storage.

Nice stories!

 

Bet you could go even faster if it was pink.