Whether you get your holiday evergreen from a local lot or a nearby tree farm, read on for a few tips on how to transport a Christmas tree on a car safely and without causing harm or damage.
How To Transport a Christmas Tree on a Car in 4 Steps
1. Before You Go Buy Your Tree, Measure Your Home and Car
Before you leave the house, measure the height of the room where you plan to display the tree; it should be at least a foot taller than the conifer you buy. Also make sure to measure your car’s interior storage area and roof.
Even TOH master carpenter Norm Abram knows the importance of measuring ahead of time. Every Christmas, his daughter Lindsey picks out the tallest and fullest possible tree for the family’s living room — which usually ends up with Norm “trimming 8 or 10 inches off the bottom” to make it fit.
2. Wrap Up Your Live Christmas Tree in a Blanket or Tarp
Most trees are sold in netting, which you should leave on so that the branches stay tightly bundled. No net? Shake the tree to rid it of loose needles, then wrap it in a blanket or tarp.
If you’re transporting a live, balled-and-burlapped tree you plan to replant, never lift it by the trunk—grab the nylon strings tied around the burlap-wrapped root ball, or hold on to the ball itself. Lifting by the trunk can cause the roots to tear away from the tree. Once the tree is on the ground at home, remove the protective covering, shake the branches so loose needles fall, and spray it with a natural antidesiccant, such as one made from pine resin, to minimize moisture loss through the needles.
3. Point the Tree in the Correct Direction
To avoid wind damage when transporting a Christmas tree, arrange the tree so that the stump end faces the front of your vehicle.
4. Tie Up the Tree with Cords or Bungee Rope
If you have a roof rack, secure the tree, from where the branches start to its tip, with bungee cords or rope.
Those without a roof rack should first open all their car doors—not the windows—then tie the tree snugly to the roof with rope.
For trees that extend more than a couple of feet beyond your car’s bumpers, tie a reflective flag to the end to alert other drivers.
Pro Tip: When using bungee cords, don’t overtighten them—their metal hooks can straighten and pop loose under excessive pressure. Use long bungees and make two or more turns around the tree so it won’t slide when you hit the brakes. The more loops you make, the greater the holding power. Always tie the load in at least two places, making sure both ends of the cord are hooked securely to a part of the rack that won’t bust loose.
To cart a tree atop your vehicle, the trucker’s hitch is the knot to know. Start by tying off one end of the rope to your roof rack’s crossbar. Next, sling the loose lead over the tree and make an overhand midline loop. Wrap the free end of the rope around the crossbar, then thread it through the eye of the loop—this creates an improvised pulley, allowing you to cinch the load down tightly.
