Storage space is the eternal RV compromise. No matter how large your rig is, there’s never quite enough room for everything you want to bring. The bikes go in the basement, but then the folding chairs don’t fit. The kayak goes on the roof rack, but that blocks the air conditioner shroud. The toolbox takes up one whole compartment, leaving nowhere for the outdoor games and sports equipment the kids expect at every campsite. I’ve had this conversation with thousands of RV owners over the years, and it always comes down to the same realization: you’ve used every cubic inch inside the rig, and now you need to start thinking about exterior storage solutions.
Hitch-mounted cargo carriers, bike racks, motorcycle haulers, and internal sliding storage trays are the answer. They use space that’s otherwise wasted—the hitch receiver at the rear of your tow vehicle, the unused vertical space behind the rig, or the dead zones inside your basement compartments where gear piles up in inaccessible heaps. Done right, these products add significant carrying capacity without affecting your RV’s handling, aerodynamics, or interior livability.
This roundup covers the best cargo-carrying and storage solutions we carry at the RV Upgrade Store, from sliding compartment trays to hitch-mounted platforms, bike carriers, and motorcycle haulers.
Best for: Transforming deep basement compartments from storage chaos into an organized, accessible space
If you’ve ever crawled halfway into an RV basement compartment on your hands and knees trying to reach a toolkit that migrated to the back wall during the last highway stretch, you understand the problem this product solves. RV basement compartments are deep, dark, and almost impossible to organize once you start stacking gear. The stuff you need most ends up behind the stuff you packed first, and the retrieval process involves removing half the contents to reach what you actually want.
The MORryde cargo slide tray mounts inside your basement compartment and slides out on heavy-duty rails, bringing the entire contents of the compartment to you instead of requiring you to go to them. Pull the tray out, grab what you need, slide it back in. Every item in the compartment is accessible without removing anything else. The organizational improvement is immediate and dramatic.
At 26 inches wide and 48 inches deep, this tray fits the most common RV basement compartment dimensions. The weight capacity handles the kind of loads that typically end up in basement storage: tools, leveling blocks, hoses, electrical adapters, outdoor cooking equipment, and all the other heavy, bulky items that make crawling into a compartment so unpleasant.
The slide mechanism is smooth and robust—MORryde builds these with the same engineering quality they apply to their pin boxes and suspension products. The rails handle repeated use without developing slop or binding, and the tray itself is steel construction that won’t flex or sag under load. Installation requires mounting the rails to the compartment floor, which means drilling into the compartment and securing with appropriate hardware. It’s a manageable DIY project, though you’ll want to verify the compartment floor material and thickness before choosing fasteners.
I’ve had customers tell me this is the single best quality-of-life upgrade they’ve made to their RV, which surprised me at first—it’s a storage tray, not a solar system or a tankless water heater. But when you think about how many times per trip you access your basement storage, and how much easier every single one of those access events becomes with a slide-out tray, the cumulative improvement in daily convenience is substantial.
Pro Tip: Before ordering, measure your compartment’s interior width, depth, and height carefully. Account for any obstructions like plumbing, wiring, or structural ribs that could interfere with the tray or its mounting rails. MORryde offers multiple sizes—getting the right fit is critical for smooth operation.
Buy the MORryde Cargo Slide Tray
Best for: RV owners who want to bring a motorcycle, scooter, or dirt bike along for exploring at the destination
Having a motorcycle at your campsite opens up a completely different dimension of exploration. While the RV stays parked, you can ride into town for supplies, explore scenic back roads that your motorhome can’t navigate, or simply enjoy the freedom of two wheels on a warm evening. The Ultra-Fab MX Hauler makes bringing that motorcycle possible without a separate trailer, a toy hauler, or a truck bed that’s already occupied by a fifth wheel hitch.
The carrier mounts into a standard 2-inch hitch receiver on your tow vehicle or motorhome and provides a ramp-loaded platform that secures the motorcycle with wheel chocks and tie-down points. The design keeps the motorcycle centered behind the vehicle for balanced weight distribution, and the platform height is low enough that loading and unloading via the included ramp is manageable for most riders.
Weight capacity is the critical specification for any motorcycle carrier, and it’s important to match the carrier’s rating to your actual motorcycle weight plus gear. Most standard motorcycles, scooters, and dirt bikes fall well within the Ultra-Fab’s rated capacity, but larger touring bikes and adventure motorcycles can push the limits. Weigh your bike fully fueled with any luggage or accessories that will be on it during transport, and compare that to the carrier’s specification.
One practical consideration: a motorcycle carrier extends the overall length of your rig significantly, which affects maneuverability, departure angle (the ground clearance at the rear), and potentially campground site fit. Factor in the added length when planning your route and choosing campsites. Most RV owners adapt quickly, but the first few parking lots can be eye-opening if you’re not prepared for the extra footage behind you.
Pro Tip: Invest in quality soft-loop tie-down straps for securing the motorcycle to the carrier. Ratchet straps with metal hooks can scratch or damage motorcycle surfaces. Soft loops wrap around the handlebars and frame without marring anything, and they provide the same holding strength as traditional straps.
Buy the Ultra-Fab Motorcycle Carrier
Best for: Families and cycling enthusiasts who want to bring multiple bikes on every trip
Bikes and RVing go together like campfires and marshmallows. Whether it’s kids riding loops around the campground, a couple exploring a rail trail in a national forest, or a serious cyclist sneaking in training rides during a cross-country trip, having bikes at the campsite dramatically expands what you can do once you’re parked. The Swagman XTC carries up to four bikes on a hitch-mounted rack that folds flat when not in use.
The folding design is what distinguishes this carrier from simpler bolt-on racks. When the bikes are off and you’re driving without them, the carrier folds up against the rear of the vehicle, reducing the overall length extension and improving rear visibility. It doesn’t disappear entirely, but it’s a dramatically smaller profile than a fully extended four-bike rack protruding behind the vehicle.
Four-bike capacity means the whole family is covered. The individual cradle arms accommodate bikes of different sizes and frame styles, from kids’ bikes to adult mountain bikes and hybrids. Frame contact points are padded to prevent scratches during transport, and the securing mechanism holds bikes firmly enough to handle highway speeds and rough roads without rattling or shifting.
The 2-inch hitch receiver requirement means this carrier is compatible with Class III and above hitches, which include virtually every truck and SUV used for RV towing. If your hitch receiver is occupied by a weight distribution hitch, you’ll need a dual-receiver adapter or an alternative mounting solution. Some RV owners mount the bike carrier on the rear of the RV itself if it has a receiver hitch—many travel trailers and fifth wheels now come with bumper or frame-mounted receivers specifically for cargo accessories.
Pro Tip: Number each bike’s position on the carrier and always load them in the same order. This prevents the frustrating puzzle of figuring out which bike fits where when you’re trying to load up at the end of a ride. Consistent positioning also lets you adjust the cradle arms once and leave them set.
Buy the Swagman 4-Bike Carrier
Best for: Premium cargo carrier with a sliding platform and built-in lighting for easy access
The GearDeck takes the basic hitch-mounted cargo carrier concept and adds two features that elevate it significantly: a sliding platform that extends the cargo tray rearward for easy loading and unloading, and integrated LED lighting that illuminates the cargo area in low-light conditions. It’s the kind of thoughtful engineering that shows someone at Let’s Go Aero actually uses this stuff in the real world.
The slideout mechanism works similarly to the MORryde compartment tray but in an external, hitch-mounted application. Pull the tray rearward, and it extends past the vehicle’s bumper, giving you full access to everything on the platform without reaching over or around the vehicle. Load your gear, slide the tray back to its stored position, and the cargo sits securely within the vehicle’s footprint. This is particularly valuable for heavy or awkward items like generators, coolers, or firewood bundles that are difficult to lift over a fixed cargo platform.
The LED lighting solves a problem that every cargo carrier user has experienced: arriving at a campground after dark and trying to unload a cargo carrier by headlamp. The integrated LEDs illuminate the entire cargo surface, making late-arrival unloading safe and efficient. It seems like a small thing, but after you’ve dropped a lantern on your foot while fumbling in the dark behind the truck, you appreciate purpose-built lighting.
Build quality is premium—this is a heavier-duty carrier than basic stamped-steel platforms, and the slideout mechanism is built to handle repeated use with heavy loads. The price reflects the additional features and construction quality, but for RV owners who use their cargo carrier on every trip, the investment in a better product pays dividends in convenience and durability.
Pro Tip: Secure a weatherproof cargo net or cover over the GearDeck when driving, even if your items seem heavy enough to stay put. Highway winds are surprisingly powerful, and even heavy items can shift, or lighter items on top can blow off at speed. A cargo net takes thirty seconds to apply and prevents losing gear on the highway.
Buy the GearDeck Cargo Carrier
Best for: Heavy-duty general cargo hauling at a straightforward price point
Not every cargo carrier needs to slide, light up, or fold. Sometimes you just need a sturdy platform in the hitch receiver that holds heavy stuff securely and doesn’t cost a fortune. The Ultra-Fab Cargo Carrier XL is that product—a no-nonsense, heavy-gauge steel cargo platform that does one job and does it well.
The “XL” designation refers to the oversized platform dimensions, which provide more surface area than standard cargo carriers. This extra space accommodates larger items like generators, fuel cans, large coolers, firewood bundles, and the kind of bulky gear that doesn’t fit in a standard-width carrier. For RV owners who routinely haul heavy, oversized items to remote campsites or boondocking locations, the larger platform is a meaningful practical advantage.
The steel construction is built to handle abuse—the kind of abuse that camping equipment endures over years of loading, hauling, and unloading in parking lots, campgrounds, and gravel roads. The finish resists corrosion from road salt and moisture, and the welded construction eliminates the flex and rattling that plagues cheaper stamped or bolted carriers. At this price point, you’re getting a carrier that will outlast most of the gear you put on it.
Mounting is standard—slide it into your 2-inch receiver, pin it in place, and load it up. The platform sits at a comfortable loading height behind most trucks and SUVs, and the raised edge rails keep cargo from sliding off the sides during transport. It’s the kind of simple, functional product that doesn’t need a lot of explanation—you see it, you understand what it does, and it does exactly that for years without complaint.
Pro Tip: Always check your hitch receiver’s tongue weight rating before loading a cargo carrier. The carrier’s weight plus the cargo weight plus the hitch ball/mount weight (if applicable) must not exceed the receiver’s rated tongue weight capacity. Overloading the receiver can cause structural failure or adversely affect vehicle handling.
Buy the Ultra-Fab Cargo Carrier XL
The best cargo solution depends on what you’re carrying and how often you need access to it. Internal slide-out trays are ideal for items you access daily—tools, hookup equipment, outdoor cooking gear. Hitch-mounted cargo carriers are better for items you load at home and unload at the campsite—generators, firewood, extra water containers. Bike and motorcycle carriers serve a single, obvious purpose. And the GearDeck’s slideout platform bridges the gap between fixed carriers and internal storage trays.
Weight distribution matters with any rear-mounted carrier. Heavy loads behind the rear axle can lift the front end of the tow vehicle, reducing steering response and braking effectiveness. If you’re carrying significant weight on a hitch-mounted carrier while also towing a trailer, pay attention to how the front end of your vehicle feels—if the steering becomes light or vague, you may be overloading the rear and need to redistribute weight or reduce the carrier load.
Storage limitations are one of the few genuine frustrations of RV life, and they’re almost entirely solvable with the right exterior carrying equipment. A sliding compartment tray transforms your basement storage from a disorganized pit into an accessible, organized system. A hitch-mounted carrier gives you an extra platform for heavy and bulky gear. A bike or motorcycle carrier brings your preferred mode of campsite exploration along for the ride.
Every product in this roundup is built for the demands of RV travel—highway vibrations, weather exposure, repeated loading cycles, and the general rough handling that outdoor equipment endures. Match the right carrier to what you need to haul, verify the weight ratings against your actual loads, and you’ll add significant carrying capacity to your rig without sacrificing interior space or comfort.
I’m Bill Rowell, the founder of RVupgrades.com. In 2002, I launched the business to help fellow RV enthusiasts find unique and hard-to-find products. Over the years, it’s grown to offer more than 15,000 items, with a warehouse in Eastlake, Ohio. Having owned and repaired nearly every type of RV, I bring over two decades of hands-on experience to the table. For me, this isn’t just a business – it’s a passion and a way of life that I love sharing with the RV community.
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