Best 2021 Toyota Prius Hitch Cargo Carriers

I wanted a small trailer for my 1 1/4" hitch on my Prius V to fit two Rubbermaid Roughneck Trash Barrels for trips to the town Transfer Station. The 17.5" aprox depth of the basket of this trailer fits the bottom of the barrels just right. I judged that a 60" wide would not fit three barrels anyway and that might be too heavy a load, so the 47" x 17.5" inside dimension of this was best. The attached photos show two barrels in the trailer. Some have complained that the assembly instructions are lacking. Here are some tips: The bottom platform pieces should be placed so that the tubing is flush at the central rails, the flat rails with 4 holes that bolt to the center 1 1/4" square tube are a bit wider than the square tubing that make up the bottom platform and the extra lip should point down so you have a nice flush platform in the bottom of the tray where you will be putting stuff. If you have those pieces upside down, you would have a little ridge sticking up on each side of the central square tube and that would not work well as well as the bottom of the tray, and the "T" connectors would not fit correctly. Group the fasteners and you will have three bunches (manufacturer had the nut/bolt/washers assembled together in my shipment) A) 18 small diameter bolts/nuts/washers - those are for the flat A shaped braces which hold the bottom platform halves to the top railing halves. B) 8 medium diameter bolts/nuts/washers - those are for the fore and aft "T" connectors C) 4 large diameter bolts/nuts/washers - those hold the left half and right half of the platform together. Using the smallest bolts, fasten the "A" braces to the bottom platform halves, then bolt to the top platform halves, leave them loose with about 1/8" of play. Now you have two half assemblies of the bottom tray. Place the middle 1 1/4" square "hitch" piece between the two half assemblies and line them up but do not put the 4 big bolts in yet. Put the two "T" connectors at the back and hitch side. The "T" connector with the reflector goes at the back, and the reflector points toward traffic. The other one goes on the hitch side. Loosely bolt the "T" connectors using the 8 medium bolts and then fasten the two sides together snugly with the 4 big bolts. Then tighten all other fasteners. A ratchet and metric sockets and an adjustable wrench to hold the nut while tightening the bolt head is much handier than two wrenches.

Love this!Perfect addition for our Prius. Easy to attach & detach.

Pretty simple to assemble. Recommend having a good wrench (I did not) and a second person to help, but is doable by a single determined person. Very sturdy and I expect it will serve me well.

This is exactly what we needed to hold our cooler on camping trips. Is easy to install (note: can only use the threaded screw with the UHaul installed hitch we got) and easy to remove. Not too big to store (we get it in our 1-car garage, along with the car) in the winter. Like many folks, we were concerned about getting the rear hatch open on our Prius V and with the cooler mounted as far back as possible, we can! Would definitely buy again!

First look - not yet loaded up. Ordered this because the less expensive Curt (C18110) was out of stock. It seems like a worthwhile upgrade anyway, with rounded corners and better tie-down options. Finish seems high quality. Significant play exists in the hitch receiver (Curt C11276 - gap visible in photo) to the point that I ordered a hitch immobilizer and don't plan to test the carrier with a full load until that's installed.

I am extremely pleased on how easy it was to assemble and the sturdiness. I've purchased other brands in the past that took forever to assemble.Since the upper parts of the basket come already welded together, you don't have to worry about screws coming loose. It is an ingenious design. I'm impressed.

Seems like a excellent product very good instructions. Haven't used it yet but did install on my Class B RV.

Purchased this 1 year ago. Worked awesome for a 9.000 mile cross country trip with three off road adventures at geology tour road Joshua tree, west side road Death Valley, and kingman wash lake mead. No rattle, always secure, great clearance. Would purchase again.

This is a sturdy carrier. Welds all seem good. Paint is just fine. Steel tubing is very strong. The weight is heavy but reasonable for one person to install and remove. I plan to remove it when not in use on our trip to avoid having to fold it up and lose ability to access the hatch on our van. It has a bit of play in both the receiver and on the folding hinge. I’m going to use construction shims taped in place to reduce the wiggle but even without those, it’s not bad. Even with a jumbo cooler, we can still see the plate. This will do the trick for vacation and camping gear without having to haul a massive 60” carrier. Love the size and build.

Love this unit! Install was simple. It's solid, heavy duty, and folds up out of the way.

Used it a hand full of times for camping with two different SUVs and its been great. Once over 2000 miles round trip. With the waterproof bag you can hold more gear since it goes above the side rails. Just be careful if your driveway slopes down you’ll lightly scrape the ground when backing out. And if you have a smaller suv or car make sure you center the heaviest items or it will feel it pulling back and forth on the freeway.

The trailer carrier has been a wonderful blessing since we purchased it. It's sturdy, strong, and easy to store. We used it initially for a trip from Oklahoma to Florida, and everything was transported safely and easily. As I recall, I think someone in Florida asked us about the carrier. We definitely told them to consider buying one. My husband did significant research before the purchase. He DEEPLY appreciates produces that are established with high quality standards. How disappointing and frustrating to buy something and to see it break or deteriorate prematurely because its components were poor and frankly cheap. Thus, the cost was quite reasonable. To date, the carrier continues to serve us. Once you purchase such an item, you may be surprised how practical and useful it truly is. I believe we used it locally when we transported and gave our close friends a refrigerator we weren’t using. We used the carrier last summer on our trip to Michigan with our two large dogs. The dogs rode comfortably with us in our SUV while the luggage rode in the carrier. Wow! Our dogs were certainly grateful for the extra space. My husband also secured two tarps on the Hitch Cargo Carrier Bag for additional protection against the rain. He used several bungie cords that were easy to apply because the carrier has so many places on which to secure the hooks. Nothing was wet or damaged. My extremely gifted and creative husband was able to relocate the license plate so that it would be visible in certain states that require license plate visibility at all times. We are both satisfied with this product. God bless you, and thank you for the one year inquiry! Keep creating products with excellent craftsmanship.

Very Good product that fit our needs well for extra carrying space for 5 day road trip with 5 people in Subaru Outback. Wanted something in addition to our cartop carrier that we could lock up gear in as we left car parked for several hours as we explored the coast and Redwoods. Stored a 52 qt cooler, Coleman collapsible 2-burner propane stove, milk crate, similarly sized-plastic bin of odds and ends, 3 camp chairs, large sun shade, blue tarp. All fit with bag closed and top on (used 3 same keyed locks with long U shackles (think 2 inch). Worked great and could barely see it in rearview mirror (had to really look for it) and could not hear it when travelling ( Did use antirattle plate, and hitch lock) . With gear did not feel it alter driving feel at all. Fit 2 inch hitch well and allowed rear gate to open with a couple millimeters clearance to spare (Fantastic! didn't think we would be able to open gate). Fitted with lights, harness was easy and I opted to attach all with twist ties. Quickly made lic plate holder out of sheet metal and used a battery powered light to illuminate plate to stay legal at night. Added some reflective tape all around. Set up worked great and without any problems. No problem travelling with in either up (folded up, no gear) or down (gear stowed and top locked on) position. While at campsites used as counter top for light items and place to spread out wet towels. No problem with CarPod bag but did not have any real precip to test, kept dusty roads out though. The corner ties on bag are a bit short but no big deal. Thought I might build a frame to add rigidity but wasn’t really necessary for us. Overall good item.

I bought 23x27 CARPOD walled cargo carrier w/lid (M2205-2201) on 3/30/22, received 4/8/22, it is now 9/6/22. I bought it with cargo bag (items #CS34FR), which I have used two. I have used the cargo bag twice, not worth it for me, cargo bag takes too much space. Instead I wrap items in a tarp. Pretty sure you can figure it out how to make items “water resistant” with tarp, after all the Cargo Bag is also “water resistant”. I also bought the Trailer Hitch Receiver Lock for 2" Hitches - 3-1/2" Span (Item #63232), work great with carpod, it doesn’t rattle. As for the Carpod itself, I love it. I use it about 4 times a month. The clearance is good, I have only hit ground once and that was because that specific exit driveway had a deep swale to it. As shown in picture, I use Carpod on Lexus 2020 RX350L, the rear hatch door clears fine on opening and closing. The only complain is when I go reverse, the rearview camera is blocked AND I have to disable the vehicles rear collision warning system.

The rack is much bigger than my previous one. I was disappointed that it was made in China instead of the USA. It assembled very easily and the light kit works very well. The only draw back is I can no longer open my tailgate with the rack installed due to the spare tire hitting the raised rack.

Easy to assemble. Karen was very helpful in the ordering process. Thank you

This is a great cargo carrier with a lot of room, not too happy with the price. We are using this to transport wheelchairs and walkers. We can carry two wheelchairs and a rollater plus rugs, chairs, etc. The top is a clam shell that opens and closes easily once the latches are released. A couple things could be better. The very long power cable that brings power to the license plate light and brake lights has lots of slack when the carrier is not extended, but no way to control it. I've been looking for a spring that I could use to retract the power cable, yet give it some slack when the carrier is pulled out. The other thing is the pair of "locks" that apparently lock the carrier. The locks are flimsy and are not much more than another set of fasteners and would keep out only the most casual thief. Also, the lock between the carrier and the vehicle is very hard to reach, for both locking and unlocking; fortunately, the lock part can be pushed onto the rod while locked. A cable would be easier to deal with but would rattle while driving.

Excellent service with etrailer and expeditious shipping! Couldn’t be happier and thank you!!! The model cats are not for sale sadly ??

Unfortunately we can’t open rear of 2018 expedition with the top box in place. One of the knob locking pins is/was broken in shipping. I also wish all of the items were keyed the same. This whole setup is 5 keys. I’ll probably call a locksmith and have them all re-keyed if possible.

Customer Service is top notch! We are just getting started with our modifications and I guarantee you that all of our products will be purchased from etrailer. Neil went over and above to take care of us, Thank you!

Great design and sturdy. I got two hitch pin stabilizers for hitch and folding pin and it worked awesome. I use it for storage for cab over camper and the carrier fits flush with open tailgate. Carries generator water fire wood and I use it as a step to get into the camper.

Bought for my 2020 XC 40. I’ve taking it on several long distance hauls and it’s frees up a lot of space inside the car. I love that you can open the trunk and get items while having the carrier on. The car handles very well with is on. However I would suggest you buy a hitch stabilizer to stop rattling it make the car a carrier act as one. It folds up when not in use so nothing sticking out when not in use.

Works great! I needed a rack for transporting bales of hay to my animal sanctuary that was light enough for me, a very petite 60+ woman, to put on/take off by myself. It works perfectly. I did have to buy an extension (was about $10) due to the rear spare tire on my Jeep. Well worth the investment as I use it 2-3 times a week.

Quite satisfied with the product quality and strength. I did as other commenters advised and used double stick tape on the reflectors. The original didn't adhere adequately in cold weather.

Purchased this to carry an e-trike on the front of my truck. It was the only one I could find that would accommodate the 30" width of the trikes rear wheels.

The frame is cracked …. very disappointed Needed this for a hunting trip now I’m scared to put anything on it

Madison M of etrailer.com was of tremendous help when ordering a slide out Gear Space Carrier for my motorhome. I was under time constraints and the delivery date was beyond when I was to travel. Explaining this to Madison she advised she could not guarantee delivery to meet my time constraints but would do her best. Well, she did. Delivery occurred within a few days with plenty of time to install the carrier and make for a much more convenient vacation. Madison is an awesome customer service rep for etrailer.com!

Bought this box to house spare tire and miscellaneous camp gear that doesn’t fit in the boxes on our Leisure Unity. Installation was easy and box performed perfectly. Shipped right on time and put it work the next day. Used it on a trip around Lake Superior. Plenty of room left after packing it full of stuff. The only reason for 4 stars was the anti rattle pin that locks the slide into place is a pain to install and remove. It needs to be larger or shaped differently. It makes old guys with old wrists say bad words! I will fix mine before the next outing.

Very fast shipping, I like that.now about this rack,very well built and easy to put together.ramp is ok but not good enough for me,to steep,took to a welder shop and had another 2ft added,now it's 6ft long and folds up the same way,now it works great.this rack sits about 4ft from the truck so I'm putting lights on this and new stickers,the ones that are on suck,they fell off.now the receiver of the rack,can be turned to make the rack lower but to me it's to low and will drag in dips so I have it up high,its about 2ft now and can't drag that why I added to the ramp,make it work for you.now this rack does wobble some so buy a hitch stabilizer for 20 bucks that stops that problem. This is still better than dragging around a trailer and still I can park in a parking lot so it works for me

Like some of the previous reader comments, I would agree that two of the bolts simply do not work as given because the carrier's mesh base interferes when trying to tighten the screws (see image of bolt hole). I had to purchase 2 replacement bolts that had a flat edge by the bolt head (see image of two bolts - 3/8" original on top and replacement on bottom). Once they are in, though, things look pretty good. The reflective tape is angled and does seem flimsy but I purchased some new tape at the local Home Depot. One other item to note is that the pull pin does not do a good job of engaging with the clip. It seems to me as though a bungee cord or strap would be used to hold the ramp in place so that it doesn't fall down because you really can't rely on the pin. I haven't had a chance to take it on the road yet but I did connect it to my vehicle's hitch, loaded my snow thrower, and it seems to be a good purchase so far.

I can't say I'm entirely happy with my purchase. The instructions were more confusing than helpful. Note in "instruction.jpg" photo of STEP 1 that the text says to put the 8 small bolts in from the inside first, but the drawing clearly shows them as going in from the outside. The last step says to place the ramp onto the receiver as shown.... glad I didn't throw away the box because there is no drawing that shows ramp installation. Actually, the photo on the box was more helpful than any of the instructions. Also, I need to make a trip to the hardware store to buy longer medium bolts because the ones that came with the carrier were not long enough to fully engage the self locking feature of the nylon lock nuts. At a minimum a couple of threads should protrude beyond the nylon. See photo "nut.jpg". The bolt threads don't reach the end of the nylon, so the self locking feature is not fully engaged. I did tighten the nut, but that was as far as it would go. I think once I get back from the hardware store with the new medium bolts and after I reverse the 8 small bolts (I followed the drawing and not the text of the instructions), I'll be OK with the carrier.

Great product and experience from the beginning!! We ordered it with the free standard shipping 5-7 days and I got an email saying they shipped it express 3-5 days at no extra cost!!! We received it really fast!! I also feel it is a great buy for the money!!! We haven't used it on our motor home yet but used it yesterday on our truck to pick up our new scooter. It worked perfectly! We also purchased the Anti-Tilt Bracket ANTI-REV-REV and I highly recommend it!! Without it there was a little wiggle but with it it didn't move at all. Can't wait to try it out on our first camping trip in the motor home!!!