# Putting a ladder rack on my car **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 10, 2015, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-ladder-rack-on-my-car/709458 "2015-01-10T06:26:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-ladder-rack-on-my-car/709458/1 "2015-01-10T06:26:42Z")
For my new job, I am required to have a 12-foot step ladder. I drive an old Saturn SL1, and there is no way I can fit the thing inside my car. Would it be possible to put a rack on the roof for this? I have seen trucks with ladder racks, but never smaller cars. ---
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-ladder-rack-on-my-car/709458/2 "2015-01-10T06:41:30Z")
Could you try a [collapsible ladder](http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BGE2NXQ/ref=s9_top_hm_b2Jz6_g60_i5)? ( Hmm… for some reason the companies prefer to call them telescoping…) ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-ladder-rack-on-my-car/709458/3 "2015-01-10T06:43:21Z")
Yes, that would work. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-ladder-rack-on-my-car/709458/4 "2015-01-10T06:48:20Z")
Or a [Little Giant](https://www.littlegiantladder.com/) stepladder. You can buy them at Home Depot. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-ladder-rack-on-my-car/709458/5 "2015-01-10T09:37:19Z")
> [@Baffle](#): > > ( Hmm… for some reason the companies prefer to call them telescoping…) [Collapsible ladder](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LETAMEVbPsk). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-ladder-rack-on-my-car/709458/6 "2015-01-10T14:44:19Z")
Be warned that some of the oddball folding ladders are vastly heavier than a typical 12’ A-frame step ladder. Like 40# instead of 10#. If your job involves lugging the ladder upstairs into people’s houses or offices, you might want to include the weight in your list of features to compare. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-ladder-rack-on-my-car/709458/7 "2015-01-10T15:13:19Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Or a [Little Giant](https://www.littlegiantladder.com/) stepladder. You can buy them at Home Depot. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Be warned that some of the oddball folding ladders are vastly heavier than a typical 12’ A-frame step ladder. Like 40# instead of 10#. > > If your job involves lugging the ladder upstairs into people’s houses or offices, you might want to include the weight in your list of features to compare. That’s what I was going to say about the Little Giant. I’m sure if you’re a bit taller and stronger than I am and use it regularly it probably get’s pretty easy to work with, but for me…it’s a PITA. I mean, I like it because it’s small enough that I can use it in my house and outside my house, but it’s heavy and unwieldy. It probably weighs twice as much as an aluminum slide ladder that extends twice as high as it does. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-ladder-rack-on-my-car/709458/8 "2015-01-10T16:35:18Z")
Yes you can put a rack on a small car. You didn’t say what year you have. An sl1 isn’t an ideal car for racking, no gutters or convenient mounting points. Probably no cheap options. Thule might make something to fit. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-ladder-rack-on-my-car/709458/9 "2015-01-10T16:52:12Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > Yes you can put a rack on a small car. You didn’t say what year you have. An sl1 isn’t an ideal car for racking, no gutters or convenient mounting points. Probably no cheap options. Thule might make something to fit. Yeah, Thule or Yakima. They both make a selection of towers, and one should fit on your Saturn. Get a set of towers and a set of bars and you’ll be good. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-ladder-rack-on-my-car/709458/10 "2015-01-10T17:01:55Z")
[Here’s a Yakima rack on a Saturn](http://img-2013.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/01/3edanemu.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-ladder-rack-on-my-car/709458/11 "2015-01-10T19:02:58Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > Yes you can put a rack on a small car. You didn’t say what year you have. An sl1 isn’t an ideal car for racking, no gutters or convenient mounting points. Probably no cheap options. Thule might make something to fit. My car is a year 2000 model. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2015, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putting-a-ladder-rack-on-my-car/709458/12 "2015-01-10T21:26:14Z")
I agree that the Little Giant stepladders are somewhat heavy and cumbersome, but they are very compact and fulfill the stepladder part of the OP. Otherwise those collapsible extension ladders are very light.