Originally Posted by staehpj1

It was just a suggestion, but it has worked for us even in some pretty remote areas. We did have some occasions where there was nothing for 80 miles or so. I have never been anywhere like that east of the Mississippi though and fitting a few days worth of food in the panniers is pretty easy.

Just food for thought...

I guess it depends on what you want to pack and how long you will be between stores. So yeah it may not work for you, but I would spend quite a bit on postage to avoid hauling a trailer with a bunch of heavy stuff in it in addition to my panniers for a multi month trip (or a short one for that matter). A trailer in addition to panniers may make sense if you are really hauling a lot of stuff, but I doubt it makes sense unless you plan on carrying a load approaching 100 pounds . It may work for some, but that load would suck every bit of the joy out of touring for me.

On the mailing stuff home...

We have had good luck with finding boxes and packing stuff at the post office. The cost is pretty variable depending on the size and weight of what you are mailing. If the stuff is light it is pretty cheap to mail. If it is heavy but not too large flat rate boxes work well.

Also we have had stores that were willing to mail home stuff we bought for us at no charge. It never hurts to ask.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you need to get that trailer home at the end (or to the start at the beginning) of the trip. Shipping it is both an expense and a hassle.