I’m prepping for a multi-month road trip across the U.S., and I need advice on how to carry my bike. I’ll be hitting lots of national parks and doing a mix of hiking, backpacking, biking, and camping. Here’s my situation:

• Car: 2025 Subaru Outback (doesn’t have a hitch yet, but has factory roof rails)
• Bike: Lightweight specialized road bike (so weight capacity is not a consideration at all)
• Trip style: I’ll often be away from my car for hours or even days (e.g., backpacking, dispersed camping)
• Priorities:
  • Security (against theft while I’m away)
  • Cost (I’m on a budget, but willing to invest in what makes sense. Any money spent on this is less money for other gear tho)
• Travel plan: Lots of movement — from White Sands and Bryce Canyon to Yosemite and Portland. This thing is going to be exposed to sun, rain, dust, and other nonsense. I'll have a lot of stuff in the car so won't want to constantly dismantle and reassemble the bike whenever I'm away.
• I haven’t bought anything yet, so I’m deciding between:
  • Installing a trailer hitch ($270) and getting a hitch-mounted rack (471)
  • Using the existing roof rails and getting a roof rack setup (maybe $260 * 2?)

Questions:

1. Which system would be more secure for long-term unattended parking?
2. Is a hitch rack worth the extra $400–600 total cost (hitch + rack)?
3. Are there roof rack setups that are secure against theft?
4. Any specific product recs (preferably not crazy expensive)?

Also: any clever tricks people use to deter theft while on long hikes? I’m open to creative solutions.

https://preview.redd.it/vewmo73rqq0f1.png?width=1407&format=png&auto=webp&s=8ef7407007056298956a4cb9137cb45d39cc578e