A ratchet strap ensures that the mattress will not flay away while driving especially if you do not have a roof rack.
How to secure a mattress to a roof rack.
Put the mattress on top of the car and rope so that it goes length wise with the length of the car see pics above.
Your owner s manual should say how much weight you can carry on the roof.
I am planning to strap the box springs to the roof rack on my rav4 and tie them down with a bunch of rope.
Prepare to secure your load to the roof rack.
Put a piece of rope on the roof of the car that goes from back bumper to front bumper.
Secure the front end of the mattress and then the other end of the mattress.
There should be enough to secure one end under the front of your car and enough at the other end to secure the second end under the back of your car.
After the mattress is secure in the plastic place the mattress on the roof.
Still there is a basic method to follow when tying a mattress to the roof of a car.
I would say follow a similar process to what ryan said but i would not recommend using rope.
Buy sturdy rope nylon or polyester based.
With the help of a friend you can quickly and efficiently secure the mattress with a sturdy rope.
Secure your mattress to the top of the car.
Mattresses are large bulky and can pick up resistance from the wind.
Ratcheting straps are much less likely to fail when moving a bulky item like a mattress.
This will stress any knot no matter how securely tied.
I am going to pickup a queen size mattress and box springs and my dad is going to take the mattress part in his van but the box springs won t fit in his van because they don t bend like a mattress does.
Place the mattress on the roof making sure it s in the middle.
A simple ratchet strap works best.
Toss the first long piece of rope over the length of the mattress.
The wind from the roads or highway can easily rip through the plastic if it is not properly secure.
If you do secure your mattress to a roof rack or safely in the bed of a truck strap it down with ratcheting straps.
Before securing the load to the roof of your car evaluate the item you will haul.