Kuat Sherpa 2.0 Hitch Rack

Kuat has been an Iconic brand that I personally have been a fan of for quite some time. The only downfall was that being a teenager, I wasn’t exactly focused on managing money and was never able to afford one. Now that I put my big-boy pants on with a job and bills to pay, I have become a lot more conscious when it comes to spending and saving. One thing I knew I needed was a quality bike rack. Yes. You thought right. After saving up enough money I blew it all on a Kuat Sherpa 2.0 Hitch Rack. You might be thinking, “how many lunches did this guy miss to afford this rack?” Well, to be honest, not many. Cup of Noodles are a great meal replacement that really helps cut down how much you spend on food. I lost a bunch of weight eating only this for so long so it was a win-win in my eyes. That was a joke, but on the real, purchasing the Sherpa 2.0 Hitch Rack was one of the greatest ideas I have ever had.

Why I Chose The Sherpa 2.0

The Kuat Sherpa 2.0 Hitch Rack comes in a pearl white color. This happens to also match my 2018 Subaru Crosstrek almost perfectly. Without hesitation, I decided to keep everything matching and ordered the white rack. Most important to me was the fact that the rack fits all my bikes. A 20” BMX bike (recommend getting the adapter even though it does work without), a 26” Deity DJ, and a 29” Yeti SB4.5. Aside from that was the integrated bike lock. Riding BMX, I have learned not trust people, especially in some sketchy areas. The last reason was that I wanted something that looked good. A lot of racks look like sh*t and Kuat doesn’t make anything I would be ashamed to have on my car. This meant I needed to get a hitch installed on the car.

Installation

The rack finally showed up and I got to work on piecing it together. Installation was very easy and straightforward. Simply follow the instructions and you won’t have any issues! Really, just read the damn instructions. I don’t care how smart you think you are. All the needed tools were included along with all the hardware. The best part is that the hitch pin is actually the allen you use to tighten the rack together so the chances of you losing it as slim to none. The Hand-Tight Hitch Cam System made for a very secure fitting to the car. Overall, installation took me about 20-30 minutes with a few distractions. It is that easy! I would recommend having someone handy in case you need them to hold up one of the trays while you tighten the bolts.

First Use

I started off by first putting my 26” DJ on the back and driving through some rough terrain to make sure none of the bolts came loose. They didn’t and the rack did not fall off the car so it was time to party. The next day was our weekly Friday Night Ride. Chance and I loaded up the rack with the trail bikes and took off to Sycamore. The entire drive I was looking in the mirrors to make sure everything was running smooth. There was barely any movement in the rack and the bikes were a secure as they could ever be.

The Big Trip

Easton and I began our journey from the shop in Newbury Park, CA to Boulder, CO where we would stop and ride some sweet trails along the way. When we left I made sure everything was secure with the rack and from installation, nothing had become loose. We mounted our 2 trail bikes and took off. Driving through California to Nevada was a breeze but once we got into Nevada and Utah the road conditions were much harsher than anticipated. The rack continued to hold true. We experienced Monsoons, 115+ degree weather, dust storms and spontaneous off-road adventures and the rack still held true. No rust formed and the paint did not pit or chip. The easy to use foot assisted lever was very convenient and allowed for the bikes to be kept on the rack to access the back of the car.

Final Impression

I am extremely happy with the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 Hitch Rack. Looking back, I don’t think that I would have been happier with any other rack. It does exactly what I need it to and I trust the security and durability of the rack. The only thing I am missing is the Kuat Pivot Hitch. Hopefully, I will snag one of those in the next couple months to make accessing the back of the car that much easier. The only downfall I experienced so far was the visibility through the rear window when certain bikes are held on the rack. Obviously this isn't a flaw in the rack but depending on what bike you have, you might experience a loss in visibility through your rear window. If you have been debating whether or not you need one of these racks or you are afraid that your wife will think it’s a stupid purchase, just do it.