Originally Posted by
brentirvine
I've toured: .1. with a BOB, .2. with a BOB and 2 panniers, .3. with two panniers, and .4. with four panniers. For me, all work well, depending on what I'm doing. I find that we have drifted towards two or four panniers.
I've used three of those four configurations, but I hadn't even considered the trailer and panniers combination. It seems like a solution which would allow for far too much gear, although for a long expedition in a remote part of the world, it could make sense.
For shorter tours and credit card touring, I prefer rear panniers alone. It keeps the load small and compact. Using a trailer, I'll try to keep the load down to what I'd carry in rear panniers.