I know they have a 100 pound weight limit but I can't imagine putting 100 pounds of 8 or 10 ft lumber up there. Before I buy roof racks, I'd like to make sure I can carry a few sticks of 2x4's 12 miles.
Why buy roof racks for one 12 mile trip? You can have them delivered for less money and hassle. Me? I put them in the back for my 6 mile trip home. Love the utility of hatches.
I wish the Prius could be loaded up like that. If the seats would lay flat, it would be a little easier.
I fit a 10 foot window shade diagonally with hatch closed. Recline the passenger seat all the way. Position the sticks diagonally from the passenger seat to the trunk on the driver side. And don't forget about the third dimension. Position the sticks down on end of the car and up on the other end. I had room to spare for my window shade. You should be able to fit a few 10 foot and Maybe even longer sticks.
I used to carry dimensional lumber all the time in my gen 2. Haven't tried it yet in the gen 4. The trick was you had to pull the passenger side headrest off, slide the seat forward, and then you could fold the seat down flat.
Yes what you see in those pictures is easy in a hatch back. Level out the floor after folding down seats with padding or foam insulation boards. I once built a platform on the rear door spare tire of my CRV. I would go to the mill and haul 20, 16', 1 X 4. I think I had 10' copper tubing, inside the Prius, from the dash to the rear.
