Best 1997 Ford Explorer Cargo Carriers

This carrier is perfect!! It is exactly what I was looking for to carry all the gear that 3 little kids come with!! I have a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer (same as Ford Explorer) and the fit is great. It was a toss up to go with this one or the foldable style but the rising offset works great. I opted for the light kit that is reccomended and yes, as mostly all the other reviews mention, the wiring harness is short. E-trailer really should consider supplying a longer one. However, that being said, it was not a problem to make a small splice extending it. Or, as others have suggested, buy a longer wiring harness at an auto store. Also, the suggestion to add fender washers to the assembly is an absolute must!! I cannot believe e-trailer does not supply what is, in my opinion, neccessary hardware. In all, this is exactly what i was looking for, it assembled with ease in about 30 minutes and is of sufficient quality to last for many trips.

I love this cargo carrier. It was easy to put together; just make sure you have the right tools. We loaded on a huge cooler, beach chairs and a boogie board and it made the trip to the beach so much easier.

the good: strong. lots of anchor points. secure once assembled. gaps between bars are small, stuff doesn't slip through and hit my roof. reasonably priced. mounts securely. on and off relatively easily. holds a good amount of cargo. weight limit is more than my roof can handle anyway. the bad: assembly is a pain and didn't fit exactly. small rust spots developing. heavy. plastic wind deflector cracked from a rock. lots of wind noise driving at high speeds. overall. i recommend this basket. had some assembly issues because the two pieces didn't fit into each other easily, one side is slightly off-center. wish the plastic wind deflector was metal instead. i've used it several times and have no real issues with it.

I purchased this for my daughter who has a very active lifestyle. She has driven cross country and goes camping with friends. She absolutely loves this roof rack. It was easy to mount and easy to load.

This is a super well made carrier. Took less than 15 minutes to assemble and fit into the receiver on our Ford Explorer. Couldn't be any better than this!

Great product. Super easy assembly with an extra set of hands but could have managed by myself I’m sure. Will use it to haul deer!

Love this add on trailer... easy to install easy to use...durable...nice reflectors on back. This product has been great!

I currently use this on my Xterra. It's sturdy, lots of places to hook tie-down straps and bungies. There's plenty of room to open the rear door with this in the down position (as long as I don't have tall items in the carrier). Handled cross-country trips without any issue. And it conveniently folds up out of the way when not in use.

I am not an internet shopper type guy, but couldn't find a cargo rack here locally. etrailer was EASY to order through. 6 days later part #181115 arrived. I called customer service and a helpful Justin assured me the middle section, part #117,was 2 days behind, and yes, it arrived today. Both boxes, and rack, were in perfect condition. The rack is good quality, good welds and paint job. I am very happy with it and impressed by etrailer customer service. I will be ordering more items from etrailer. Keep up the good work and thanks for the excellent roof rack and flawless delivery.

Put this on an 2023 Rav 4 Hybrid- Easy to put together. You might need two people to get it up on top. Strong. Will create some wind noise after install. Solid build and construction.

Good price very reliable and durable product and easy to install, good buy!

I recently purchased Curt Roof Rack and Curt Roof Cargo Basket from Etrailer for my 2024 Toyota 4Runner TRD Sport and the product was excellent, easy to install and Etrailer rep Mr. Mike B having great experiences and very helpful with the products. Thank you!

One year after my purchase this is still holding up good. I use it about once a month behind my explorer with a small hitch receiver. I store it outside and it hasn't rusted. It's still solid. I've loaded it as high as my explorer on occasion (2 coolers, tent, tarps, etc), as well as used it just to go get the gas can filled. Great product and very worth the money.

Very nice and handy cargo rack. Leave it on explorer constantly. Great price and would give it five stars except for the bolts and paint finish on product.

It just came in and I have not actually used it but it was very easy to assemble is much lighter than my previous steel carrier. Using on a Ford Explorer you can not open the lift gate when the carrier is raised completely. With a second pin you can angle the carrier back some and the lift gate clears easily.

Great product. Exactly as advertised!!!! After reading many other product reviews I settled on Curt because. I’ve used their products in the past and know their quality is above reproach. The one thing that made this the best is the ease of putting it together. In 45 minutes I had it on the explorer and carrying garden refuse to the recycle landfill. Have not used on a long trip yet but will be going to Colorado in a couple weeks and will give it a good workout. I’m a graybeard and the aluminum frame makes it easy to handle, putting on and off . Reason we bought the extension was because its getting harder to put the roof rack on and off the explorer. Looking forward to years of using it. This is a top of the line product.

Easy to assemble, worked great!

From start of project to finish, e-trailer was there for me all the way. They helped me figure out which would fit my very specific application, then shipped the product extremely quickly. Everything worked as it should and looks awesome.

Excellent car top carrier (not that I've had many to compare it to). Easy to install and remove, sturdy, and fits well on our Toyota Siena. Opening it is a little tricky, as sometimes the top sticks to the bottom a bit. Adds a lot of extra storage to our car, great for when we go camping. Great experience with etrailer.

Excellent roomy cargo box. My wife’s luggage even fit (see photo). Fit the top of my Forester like it was meant to be there and the hatch opens without obstruction. Great shipping by etrailer.com via Estes freight shipping (almost overkill on shipping).

I love this basket! Once I centered on cross braces, it was easy to leave the connectors in same spot. Also, low enough profile to drive in and out my garage. We have a screen door so that made it a shorter height than traditional garage door.

Excellent! Only issue regarding shipping box a bit battered - but product packed well. Also, hardware missing ie a single washer, which was replaced with one of my own.

Don't recommend this product for anyone wanting to transport a bike over 250lbs. It's two separate pieces bolted together, and after setup I didn't feel confident in its ability to hold my Honda ct110 just by the look of it. The bike's wet weight is 203lbs, and when I mounted my bike to this unit it didn't feel sturdy at all. The photos I included show where the four bolts easily started to concave, I didn't feel like I was over tightening. So, beware of this if you do get this product. After I knew this wasn't the product for me I did try contacting their customer service to see what they could do, but didn't hear back from them at all. So without any hope for a resolution, this ended up being donated to the local goodwill. Hope this helps others think twice about purchasing.

Survived multiple trips with my Svartpilen. I have thick offroad tires that do not sit down in the channels well, but most won't have that issue.

Really regret buying the less expensive cargo baskets. It has been nothing but problems since I got it. First off the rack sat to low in the trailer hitch which I didn't realize was causing it impossible to catch the threads. It took me an hour to realize it now I have to raise up the basket with a car Jack to align the threads so I can put the bolt in. Next when the cargo basket is in the upright position the holes don't line up and I have to hit with a hammer to get the bolt in. The only thing it has going for it is when it is finally in place it does the job of hauling our stuff. My advice to anyone else spend more and get better quality product.

This shipped to me quickly! We are using it to transport our paddle boat to a few local fishing holes around the lake and it works perfect behind my 2010 Ford Explorer. Thanks for making a lightweight durable product! Even my wife can attach it to the back without any help

Excellent product! Should include a lockable pin for the receiver instead of just the pin. Someone could just take the whole thing . lol

The service at trailer is far and above anyone else in this industry. They are consistently helpful when making or researching an item. Prices are mostly comparable to the competition but the reason I buy from them is the service both pre and post sale.

I can see why people consider the box a bit flimsy, especially when you do not have it secured to the car and nothing is inside. That’s normal. For this to weigh 34 lbs and yet to be wall sturdy and provide waterproof conditions that the bag cannot, it has to be lightweight. Once we attached it to the car at 4 points, it wasn’t going anywhere and was instantly sturdy. I wouldn’t roughhouse with the locks or opening it up and down with force however. Also, 14 cu for a sedan is plenty. Anything larger and you are looking to push the limits.

Bought this box to hold camping gear while on a cross country road trip. You can put quite a bit of stuff in it. Held securely to roof rack and kept contents dry. I liked that the key could not be removed if lid wasn’t completely closed. Minimal affect on gas milage.

This rooftop cargo carrier is exactly what I wanted. Well made and super easy to install. Thank you for the fast service.