I wanted to get a hitch carrier so that I could haul stuff around without having to worry about running out of space or getting the interior dirty. Plus, a hitch carrier takes up less room and is easier to drive with than a trailer. When someone offered me a set of free wheels from a 4Runners, I took that opportunity to buy a hitch carrier.

I bought the Reese ($149.99 CAD) first because I had been looking at it before and it happened to be in stock. I knew Canadian Tire sold another hitch carrier that could fold away when not in use but the guy at the counter didn't know which model it was. When I looked in the special order catalogue I couldn't find it either. Anyway, the idea of non-rusting, light-weight, fiberglass polymer appealed to me and I figured carrying oversized cargo would be easier with the relatively flat bed on the Reese. 

It was easy to put together (as long as you didn't read the instructions too carefully). Although I didn't have a torque wrench to properly tighten the bolts, I made sure not to over-tighten it. When I put the carrier in the hitch, it was a bit crooked, but that was mostly because of the hitch receiver. 

Because the Reese is so low profile, and since it was level with the bumper, I was worried that drivers behind me would not see it an would run into me. There were two reflective stickers that were supposed to be placed on each of the rear corners, but I elected not to put them on (in case I wanted to return them and besides, it was too cold for proper adhesion). Instead, I tied a red ribbon to it. Unfortunately, it still didn't prevent some dude in an old pickup from nudging it when I was stopped at a light--he was trying to sneak into traffic behind me .

One problem with the polymer material is that it flexes, which is a bit disconcerting. However, even though there seemed to be a lot of give when I was loading the tires, it held up fine. The carrying capacity is 500 lbs. I could feel the Sequoia was a bit heavier, but it didn't affect handling too much and I drove all the way home from White Rock with no problems.

A week later when I was browsing through the isles at Canadian Tire, I found the Sport Rack ($129.99 CAD) hitch carrier just sitting on the floor. The box showed that it could be folded away. The tag on the box said it was a special order item with a regular price of $189.99 but was discounted--no returns. Someone must have ordered it and decided they didn't want it. That's sort of strange because the Sport Rack was in the Canadian Tire flyer the week earlier on sale for $139.99 and although the current store didn't have it in stock, other stores did. The reason I didn't get it at the time was because I didn't know if it could fold (neither did the parts guy) and I didn't want spend my time driving to the other location.

I knew that it would definitely more useful to fold the carrier away when not in use so I brought it home and put it together. Installation was straightforward too and the steel felt nice and solid. It's not as deep as the Reese (20" vs. 22") but it is wider (60" vs. 56"). It also extends further from the rear because of the additional clearance required for the hinge. One other thing, when installed on the Sequoia, the Sport Rack doesn't accentuate the fact that the receiver is crooked so it doesn't bother me as much.

There are reflective stickers preinstalled on each of the 3 exposed sides and because of the bigger profile it will be harder for people to miss seeing it. Although it make be more difficult to carry oversized items, I like the railings because it will be easier to keep things from sliding off and there are more places to tie things down. Even though the Sport Rack is heavier than the Reese, it is still possible for one person to install and remove the carrier from the vehicle.