Looking at Trailers?

[krash670]

I am looking at getting a trailer for bikepacking. I am new to this, and I am planning my first adventure in January on MLK weekend. I am planning on riding mainly forest service roads, and maybe some singletrack. Can anyone tell me anything about using a trailer? Do they work well for this type of travel? The unit I am looking at getting is an Aosom Steel One Wheeled Bicycle Luggage Carrier Cargo Bike Trailer. I found some on e-bay for a very reasonable price. I have looked at the B.O.B. trailers, but they are way out of my price range. I'm but a lowly public servant, and have a very tight budget. Also, building my own is out of the question. I have zero talent/ability, and even if I did I have no place to build said items. Also, I'll be using my Surly Karate Monkey on this adventure (full rigid / 29er). I was going to go single speed, but I think I will strip down my son's Gary Fisher Sawyer, and swap all the gears over to my KM. He'll be going with me, and he'll be riding my Marin Nail Trail 29er. Any helpful advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[AZTtripper]

Looks like a cheep, heavy, knock off of a Bob. Will it work sure, I see no reason why not other then it's a tank, unless it can't take the beating of off road. Tho it says 88 lbs I can't see you needing to put that much in it, and you shouldn't even try. Trailers are not the go to setup on here, I see them more as a bikecamping system then a long distance bikepacking rig. As long as your not looking to set any speed records or ride anything technical then this looks like a less expensive way to get started.

Tim

[Mike McElveen]

I used an Extrawheel on the GDMBR last summer.  It's cheaper, much lighter, and immensely more nimble than a BOB.  You can use two standard panniers and a 10 L dry bag if necessary.  If you're doing more off road riding I suggest whitewater dry bags mounted horizontally instead of panniers,  which affords better clearance.  You can see them at www.bikeshophub.com.

[Done]

If you want to carry a lot of gear, trailers work. But they are pretty hard to pull, especially on climbs, soft ground, or technical singletrack.

If you want to carry a fair bit of gear, but not tons, panniers and a rack work surprisingly well, even on technical terrain. Just make sure that you get a heavy-duty rack, such as the type that Old Man Mountain makes.

If you don't want to carry much gear at all, rackless seatbags and handlebar bags are the way to go. Lightweight, and low-bulk make for fun riding. List of bag makers: http://forums.mtbr.com/bikepacking-bike-expedition/bikepacking-gear-bags-who-makes-em-766873.html