Cargo Carrier
If you travel a lot or plan on taking long road trips, you may need a cargo carrier. Cargo carriers come in several different types and sizes. Most of them are designed to attach to larger vehicles like SUVs, vans, and crossover vehicles, although there are some smaller cargo carriers that can be attached to the top of cars. Generally, a cargo carrier is attached to the crossbars that are already installed on the top of your vehicle, although some do come with their own attachment hardware.
When people think of a cargo carrier, they generally think of the hard shelled carrier that, as described above, attached to the top of a vehicle. These cargo carriers offer a lot of storage space. While you can strap things to the crossbars on the top of most of these vehicles, the wind and weather can damage them. There's also the risk of something blowing off or of the straps coming loose while you’re driving down the road. This may lead to not only damage to whatever you have strapped to your roof but can also cause traffic accidents or damage to other vehicles. With a cargo carrier, there's no risk of this. You can also store things in it like clothing and other items that you couldn't normally strap to the crossbars.
Most of these types of cargo carriers have been designed to minimize wind resistance and to have a low profile while still maximizing storage space. This means many of them can remain on your vehicle even while it's parked in the garage and you can easily clear most fast food drive through lanes and parking garages. They are also designed to be fairly lightweight so that it doesn't take a large number of people to install. Many cargo carriers feature strong, robust locks so no one can steal your cargo, access on both sides so they're easy to get in to, and easy installation.
There is a second type of cargo carrier that doesn't provide as much room or protection from the elements but may nonetheless be useful. It's called a hitch cargo carrier. This type of carrier can be installed on any vehicle with a hitch receiver on the back of it. It is basically a flat platform that allows you t attach either large objects to it via straps or attach a carrying basket to it which you can then fill with whatever you want. For example, you can use the rack to haul a small lawnmower, or you can attach the cargo basket and fill it up with your fishing supplies or even with grocery bags. The secure basket won't fall off, and your items will remain safely inside until you get home.
No matter which type of cargo carrier you get, you'll love having the extra room, especially on long road trips. The hitch cargo carriers are often going to be cheaper and easier to install, but they don't provide as much storage space as the roof cargo carriers do.
