I've been using a roof mounted luggage rack the past few trips we've taken and for freeing up storage inside the vehicle, it was great. However, the hit to my gas mileage was very noticeable (avg. 30 mpg without, 20 mpg with). So after reading quite a few reviews, I decided to give a hitch mounted cargo carrier a try. The MaxxHaul was one of the more reasonably priced carriers with a decent weight rating. I was specifically looking for one that had the raised frame so that luggage was less likely to slide around, or fall off the rack.It comes in a decent sized box, and there are about 7 pieces in total that you have to assemble (might be a few more if you count the support bars as extra pieces). Assembly is pretty simple. Line up the main bar in the center and the right/left cages on either side. Run the bolts through to the center piece and tighten them down by hand so everything stays together. Add the support pieces to hold the left and right sides together at the top and then tighten all the bolts down. Finally, add the two reflectors and you are ready to roll.On a side note, make sure you put the metal where the reflectors mount, towards the back. I wasn't paying attention the first time and mounted them backwards. Took about 5 minutes to unscrew the nuts and bolts to fix, but simpler to avoid doing it wrong to begin with!The size is excellent. I can fit a full sized Igloo cooler as well as a large suitcase beside each other lengthwise. In the attached picture, under the tarp (in case it rains), the cooler is on the left, the suitcase is laying flat on it's back on the right and I have a lawn cultivator behind the cooler and coming across the top of the suitcase, which is the bulge hanging off the right. Next time we travel, we'll be packing a few more suitcases, so I'll put them on their sides so I can fit at least 2 in the carrier (maybe all 3, I haven't measured yet) and then one on top of the others.The carrier has a little weight to it, but it's still light enough that you can easily carry it or lift it up to the top shelf for storing when not in use. To test the durability, I installed it in the hitch of my vehicle, stepped up on it and then took a couple good jumps. I'm a pretty good sized guy (won't share my exact weight on here, but let's just say it's enough that I'm on a regular diet), but the carrier felt extremely sturdy. I was actually more worried I was going to damage my vehicle than the carrier.When the carrier is first installed, without any luggage to add weight, it rattles around a bit. I was a little concerned that this would happen while I was driving and create a lot of road noise. I had looked at ordering a stabilizer, but it wouldn't have been delivered in time for the trip, so I decided to go without and see what happened. I'm happy to report that by just adding a single, fully packed suitcase, it puts enough weight on the hitch so that it doesn't create any noise or rattling while driving.The only reason that I knocked a single star off is because the power coating wasn't done very well. I had 2 different spots that were not well covered and had a slight hint of rust starting to develop. It was easy to do some light sanding to remove the rust and then I used a metal spray paint to cover those spots without any issues, but would have liked to have seen a nice, even powder coat over the whole carrier right when I took it out of the box initially.Overall, this is a fantastic carrier and has exceeded my expectations in terms of durability. My gas mileage on my last trip averaged just shy of 29 mpg, so very little loss since there is no direct wind drag being mounted on the back. If you are looking for a hitch mounted carrier, I would definitely recommend this one, you just might need to do a little touch up painting if yours was like mine.