Living an active lifestyle takes you to many places and lets you experiences many challenges along the way. If you’re an active person who loves to get out on the move, you may demand more from your car than anyone else.
You might need specialised storage facilities for sport equipment or handy boot organisers to load all your gear in a tidy fashion. Some new cars have useful features like roof racks and interior storage systems fitted as standard and these models have long been favoured by busy families or those seeking adventure on the weekend.
Take the new Ford Galaxy, a classic people carrier and a firm family favourite. The new model has a fold-flat loading system where all five rear seats can fold completely flat, which creates a huge loading space and gives access to sub-floor compartments for storage.
Other models like the Jeep Wrangler, Suzuki Jimny and Land Rover Defender all have a natural pedigree for being an ideal vehicle for adventure, and were recognised as contenders in the The Sunday Times list of Best Adventure Car of the Year.
But even if these types of car don’t suit your lifestyle you can still find a range of car accessories to make your car a trusted and helpful companion to your active lifestyle. Whether you spend your time hiking, running, swimming or kayaking, or maybe you compete regularly across the country or perhaps you organise local events, here’s a list of car accessories you can buy to turn your car into the perfect companion for your active lifestyle.
Kayak & Canoe Roof Racks
Yes, specially designed kayak roof racks do exist. They can fit both kayaks and canoes thanks to multiple adjustable rubber bands that secure the load to the roof racks. Large rubber pads provide protection to the car from the underside of the kayak and racks can adapt to the varying sizes that Kayaks and canoes are available in. Brands like Thule manufacturer a range of vehicles racks that make it easier to transport heavy and sizeable sporting equipment.
Snowboard/skiing carriers
Skiing and snowboarding equipment can be awkward in size and if you don’t have a large SUV loading it into your car for a long trip to Austria or France for the ski season can be difficult.
Ski and snowboard racks provide a secure and easy storage facility that’s fastened to the roof of your car. Some brands like Nitro offer a winter sports pack for carrying equipment on smaller cars like a Fiat Panda, which includes a lockable roof box for your gear too.
Some car models can even have interior roof racks fitted to the ceiling to store sizeable equipment inside the car above the passengers. This works ideally for long thin items like skis or snowboards. With winter sports being as popular a hobby as it is, you’re likely to find roof racks to fit the model of car you drive.
Roof boxes
Roof boxes help improve the storage capacity of your car if you’re carrying a full set of passengers and all their gear you’ll be thankful for the extra room. With it being fastened to the roof, having a roof box doesn’t clutter the inside of the car and gives you more scope to keep the things you need inside the car. If you’re into camping a roof box can give you that extra bit of room too to get gear safe and accessible.
The majority of models will have scope for a roof box and they are fairly straightforward to fit yourself. Most roof bars will be universal too so you shouldn’t have any issue if you buy the bars separate from the box.
Tailgate Bike Rack
A must have accessory for any keen cyclist. For most of us some of the best biking routes in the country are a car journey away and you’ll want to take your best gear with you. Bike racks secure to the tailgate of your car or mount to the roof. Models tend to fit around 3 to 4 bikes so a group of you can get away under the same roof with no problem at all.
Luggage nets
Whatever size boot your car has; luggage nets can help better arrange your gear. Dividing nets, vertical and horizontal nets, compartment nets, and load floor nets can increase the capacity of your boot without any effort. You can carry more gear thanks to better organisation, while also securing lose items to the floor, sideboards and the ceiling.
Seat Utility Back
Perfect for storing items within reach of passengers in the back seats, utility bags can fasten to the back of the front two seats to provide a low-cost storage option. If you have children in the back you can keep snacks and games within their easy reach or you use it for looser items that you need to keep accessible for the journey.
Boot containers
Get more from your boot space with innovative storage organisers for your car. These items will need to be model specific as each car will have varying boot sizes, but the majority of car manufacturers will sell similar items to improve the utility of their boot.
You don’t always need a large open boot space. Sometimes it is easier to have divided compartments that you can use to separate items into. If there are items that you always need to keep in your car, a boot organiser can keep them secure and not rolling around in an empty boot.
Car boot mats and interior liners
When you get back to your car after a long hike, bike road, or day on the water, you will want to keep your car clean from all the dirty clothes, equipment and people. Lining your car with durable matting material can help protect the upholstery of your car from gathering dirt and staining.
With boot mats and interior liners, you can simply add them to your car as you please and remove them once they’re dirty to wash and clean. If you’re someone who loves the outdoors and constantly has to battle with dirty clothes and equipment, interior liners are a must to keep your car clean. Without any protection on surfaces you might stain and mark your car which will likely affect the resale price as well as spoil the look.
