Touring - Panniers vs trailer handling when offroad

i know there are a many threads on this debate, and i don't want to rehash points already made, but i still have a question. I really like panniers on the road, but when off road i don't like front panniers because they make steering less agile and block my view of obstacles/terrain in front of me. So when riding off road i've just used rear panniers, which works ok but the weight is all in the rear which makes handling awkward and when dismounted the front wheel constantly wants to go airborne and sometimes leads to a capsized bike!
So i'm wondering if a trailer would be a good solution. No front panniers for quick agile steering and an improvement in weight distribution. Anyone have experience/thoughts about this?

i know there are a many threads on this debate, and i don't want to rehash points already made, but i still have a question. I really like panniers on the road, but when off road i don't like front panniers because they make steering less agile and block my view of obstacles/terrain in front of me. So when riding off road i've just used rear panniers, which works ok but the weight is all in the rear which makes handling awkward and when dismounted the front wheel constantly wants to go airborne and sometimes leads to a capsized bike!
So i'm wondering if a trailer would be a good solution. No front panniers for quick agile steering and an improvement in weight distribution. Anyone have experience/thoughts about this?

A trailer for off-road is definitely better than rear panniers only. I've never tried front panniers on a suspended bike so I don't know how they affect handling.

One thing to think about is that a trailer isn't perfect. It does tend to "push" the back of the bike around. On steep downhills it tends to lift the rear wheel putting you into a nose wheelie. It's not too bad but you have to think about it as you come down hills and you have to get further off the back of the bike then you would without the trailer.

You also have to worry about ground clearance when on rough trails. The trailer is much lower than your bike and it tends to hit things as you go over them. And the trailer makes your whole unit longer which makes cornering different.

Having said all that, I'd choose a trailer over panniers for off-road use.

Some of my touring downhills have been on unsurfaced logging trails, with large ruts and boulders. These were some of the most technically difficult descents I have done. The hostel load was in my rear panniers but want very heavy. I wonder how a trailer would affect the bike when riding at the edge of your traction.

Stuart, when you ride over rough terrain, do you feel you have to baby the trailer so it doesn't put too much rotational strain on your rear dropouts, or do you just ride full steam?

Stuart, when you ride over rough terrain, do you feel you have to baby the trailer so it doesn't put too much rotational strain on your rear dropouts, or do you just ride full steam?

The load on the trailer pretty much puts an end to any kind of full steam. I worry more about the quick release mechanism then the dropouts so yes I tend to baby it more than if I didn't have a trailer. If you go over too steep a transition the trailer can drag bottom also so I ease it over rocks and drops.