live and learn
We just got back from a 63 mile, 2 night, round trip. We got a late start and only did about 20mi each day. We spent most of the second day fishing at the lake 30mi from home.
I think that I can definitely say that I would not pull the rig this way again. I still can't tell if it is that much more unstable than pulling the trail-a-bike or the wagon by themselves, or if I am just not accustomed to pulling up hills at 5mph. It was smoother on the 30 mi back than on the first 30mi, but still suboptimal.
It was only after putting this all together with my new-to-me Cannondale T800 (which is AWESOME) did I realize that I still have room for my rack with the trail-a-bike. Therefore, we will be trying panniers on the next trip. Whatever can't fit in the panniers can stay home!
The wagon weighs 28lbs unloaded. The over engineered trail-a-bike weighs 25lbs. That's as much as my Cdale.
Between the extra rolling resistance of the 2-wheeled trailer, the fact that we would occassionally drop a wheel off the road when hugging the curb (the wheel jumped back up easy enough), and the weight of the trailer itself, I think it's a no brainer to go with the panniers.
I would have to pack the panniers low so that they do not interfere with turning. I also realized that if I take the shifter guard off the trail-a-bike I could probably fit it with a small rack. That means the boy can carry the tent and bed rolls if they won't fit into the panniers.
The good news is that the boy is a great stoker. His trail-a-bike is a 7-spd, and that makes a big difference when you are only going 5mph uphill. Otherwise you can expect to be dragging a lot of dead weight.
We stealth camped, cooked dinner and breakfast, ate tons of junk food in between, and had a great time. We'd definitely do it again with a slightly smarter rig.