Cargo Bin Review

Okay, first of all, this is a wholly non-sponsored blog.  We ain’t getting any moola (unfortunately) to promote items that we decide to chat about.  So any gadget / product reviews that are listed here are (relatively) unbiased, and are solely based on our first-hand field testing.  With that disclaimer, our first review features the Stowaway2 Cargo Hitch Carrier.  We picked it up from the factory in Tigard, Oregon – including free installation – but they’ll ship anywhere in North America.

The cargo bin fits on to a 2″ hitch and can hold up to 200 lbs or 16 cu ft of gear.  It can attach on either a fixed or swing bracket (no extra charge) – we chose the swing bracket in order to access the ladder.

To give you an example, ours fits two large camping chairs, a Weber Q series bbq, a bbq stand, two full size bags of dog food (the Bear has a special brand), a large awning mat and any extra firewood.  The bin is relatively waterproof – it seems to be fine even in heavy rain but I recently washed it down with a high pressure hose and a bit of water got in through the corner.

The great thing about the swing bracket is that the bin can be swung out at a 90 degree angle, which makes it easy to access when you’re stationary.  One small drawback is that you can’t fully open the lid when it’s back against the vehicle – the lid hits the back wall before it’ll stay open on it’s own, so you have to use your head or a friend to keep it up if you need both hands to pull something out.  We also got the optional carrier lid rack (the three bars across the top) which can be used to lash things down with.

The swing hitch has a locking mechanism that will ensure it stays in place when you’re driving.  The cable connects (using either a four or seven pin adaptor) to your car for  turning and brake lights as well as the license plate light.

The cost for this handy contraption is $759 (USD) as well as another 90 bucks for the carrier lid rack.  If you pick it up in Oregon, there’s no tax and the people at the factory are super friendly and knowledgable – as mentioned above, installation is free.

So far, this has been a terrific product that seems to be durable and can help solve some storage issues for required gear during your travels.

For more info, check out: https://www.stowaway2.com.