Originally Posted by
luxlumis
I don’t think that I’ll go for a trailer just to avoid panniers. The only advantage of the trailer would be that I might be able to get rid of the panniers. But the disadvantages (even more weight than panniers, less enjoyable riding, more difficult to use with planes/trains/busses) outweigh that.
You've never tried a trailer, obviously.
A good trailer often weighs less than a full set of waterproof pans.
Less enjoyable? I almost stopped touring, years ago, because I was so sick of the way a fully loaded touring bike handled. Towing a trailer is almost like riding an unloaded bike, you just go a little slower.
If you're taking a lot of buses and trains/planes, it seems to me that you should just carry less stuff in general. How much cooking and camping gear do you really need when much of your traveling is on a plane? Still, some trailers break down pretty good and you can put the wheel/s and tow arm into the trailer and then have just one compact piece of luggage.