Haulin' With Subie: Volume I

We do not own a truck. None of our friends own trucks. Well, and of course not, because everyone knows that if you actually are silly enough to get a truck, all your non-truck-owning friends will start freeloading immediately. Or, they might at least wait until the honeymoon's over. After a month or two, they'll figure it won't look too bad to go ahead and give you the list of stuff they need dropped there, picked up here, or carted all over creation. These lists have been brewing for years, in many cases, and are not for the faint of heart or easily discouraged. So, no one is willing to take the truck burden for fear of inevitable moochery. Instead, we drive silly little cars that are by no means in the hauling category and clandestinely create our own lists to bring out whenever someone else caves.

But then there was Subaru. Not only is this wee black WRX wagon more fun than the average car, it also can fit an amazing amount of stuff in it and on it while flying just under the radar of those would-be list makers. Home improvement projects take an awful lot of lumber and supplies, but we've been able to make it all fit, whatever it is, every time.

We've hauled numerous bags of mulch, trees with their tops poking out of the windows, loads of firewood, desks, dirt, long lengths of molding and lumber, and a whole lot of camping supplies.

Oh, we need to pick up a dining table and chairs from across town today? We like a challenge. The Trans Am even got to assist with this jaunt with carrying two of the six chairs (but I have no doubt that we could have made it work with just the Subaru if we'd been more creative with our tie-downs...couple of chairs on the table...yep).




What's that? We need a 28-foot extension ladder for repainting our exterior trim? No problem. David found it on Craigslist for $150 and I picked it up in Carrollton just yesterday. With tie-downs in front, back and on top, it didn't budge for the entire 30 mile trip. I have to admit I felt like a little bit of a show-off, what with all the big ol' pickups and vans I saw on the way home with their ladder racks. And there was little old me, trundling along in my teeny car. Granted, I didn't go above 60, and found the road noise from the ladder to be a disconcerting harmonic. But oh, how I enjoyed seeing my little red caution flags waving in the wind in my rearview! A parade just for me!


What will she haul next? With a camping trip scheduled for this weekend, and knowing my packing habits, probably everything but the kitchen sink. Not that the sink wouldn't FIT, mind you, given the right tie-downs and...