etrailer | Thule Arcos Enclosed Cargo Carrier Review

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Full transcript: www.etrailer.com/tv-review-th...
Hi, everyone, Aiden here with etrailer. Today, we're gonna be taking a look at the Thule Arcos. This is gonna be an enclosed hitch-mounted cargo carrier. Now, if you're familiar with rooftop boxes, it's gonna look very similar. It's got that hard-shell exterior, it's enclosed storage locking so it keeps all your stuff safe and away from prying eyes. But, rather than putting it on the roof, you're gonna be putting it into your hitch.
It's gonna help with the number of things. It's not gonna add any height to your vehicle. So pulling into your garage as long as you've got the length, it's gonna be no problem. Any other low-clearance situations, though, maybe like a parking garage, you're not gonna have to worry about it. For things like your EVs, it's not going to create near as much drag, helping with your range.
And even on a normal gas car, again, it's not going to be creating as much drag and noise because it's back here kind of shield it from the wind as you're driving down the road. And then obviously, the enclosed nature of it makes it so you don't have to worry about the elements as much. If you hit some rain on your road trip, it keeps people from looking at the stuff and keeps it locked up and safe. Let's check it out. So not only do you get the benefits of security, fuel economy, and just general ease of use, we've got a lot of convenience features on here, too.
We've got our full four-pole wiring plugged in right now. You will need that on your vehicle if you want this to work, but you can find those kits here at etrailer.com and it's already pre-wired on the Arcos box. So all you need to do is plug into that four-pole wiring and now you've got things like your hazards, turn signals, brake lights, and running lights, as well as a light for the license plate bracket on the outer edge. So we don't have to worry about anything being obstructed on the back end. Our license plate will always be visible.
So for the states where that's required, you don't have to worry about it. And our taillights and those functions will be visible to other drivers at night or just in general when you're driving down the road if the box we're to cover it up. So, we don't have to worry about other drivers not knowing our intentions whenever we're changing lanes or making turns. And at the back end, we can unlock the carrier using the included key, squeeze this trigger latch to release it, and open that lid up to reveal the 14 cubic feet of storage space inside. Now, compared to some other boxes out there, it's certainly not the biggest, but it does have a good amount of space. You've got a sleeping bag and two different-sized suitcases in here. One thing to keep in mind with loading this up, though, is the weight limits. This can only support a weight capacity of 110 pounds and the carrier itself weighs 66 pounds. So you'll need to take that into consideration when loading it into your hitch. But also just make sure that you're not overloading the box. Now, the good thing about this is it will work with a two-inch or an inch and a quarter hitch. So if they've got a Class 1, 2, or, 3 hitch, you can use it. And especially for those Class 1 hitches, the Tongue Weight often becomes a limiting factor there because typically they can only support up to a 200-pound Tongue Weight. But in theory, with a fully loaded Arcos and the weight of the box itself, you'll only be totalling to 176 pounds. So as long as your vehicle can withstand that kind of downward pressure, that sort of Tongue Weight, then you should be in business, which is great, because a lot of vehicles that only have inch and a quarter Class 1 hitch options are also gonna have very limited cargo space. So, this can be a great way to expand that space. Now, the other benefit is going to be vehicles with glass roofs. This is kind of bad example because we do have our roof rack on here, but vehicles with glass roofs have much more limited options for roof racks, which means options for roof-mounted boxes are also very limited. A lot of times, even if you do have an option, it can be kind of a pain to install, and not many people might wanna mess with that and that's totally understandable. For me, I think loading it in the hitch is gonna be much easier and gives you that same expanded cargo space with much more ease on your part. Now, as far as your internal usable space goes, I wanna give you some measurements to better figure out what can actually fit. For the side to side

[@theticoboy]

Just bought this Thule arcos cargo box and hitch platform. Very easy to put together the platform and even easier connecting it to the hitch. I love how I do NOT need any tools to tighten it. Only two bolts to connect the cargo box. I backed into a supercharger ok but 2 people is needed. I had to get within an inch of the pole to get close enough for the cord to reach. But it’s doable. It will be hard for thicker people to access the trunk with it on. So the Yakima swing base may be better. I didn’t go with that as I believe the space is only 10 cubic ft vs 14 for this box. Plus Yakima was about 22lbs heavier. Which impacts storage weight limit. I will say closing it and being able to remove the key is a little tricky but I think I’m getting used to it. This is one of the priciest. I was lucky to get used new in box one. But I still need to get an adapter for the brake lights. I found one for less than $10 on Amazon that will be here tomorrow. So far supercharging is doable which was my concern and very little posts re that. Hope this helpful to other 2023 model Y owners.

[@rickbrown3504]

Would be helpful if you addressed whether there is sufficient space to stand in between the bumper and the box to remove items in the trunk. Who cares if there is sufficient space to open the hatch if you can't get items out of it.

[@etrailer]

We'll notify our video production folks of your request. www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Cargo-Carrier/Thule/TH25YE.html