Full Count, Welcome to the forum, and hopefully touring on a bike

It is true that you can tour on anything, and in about any configuration. However, some configurations make the trip more enjoyable.

This fellow was riding a 1946 German made bike. The bike was in good shape, and working well for him. He and his son were on a 3-4 day tour.



IMO- I would not consider carrying a backpack on my back while riding. That is the luxury of bike touring; you don't have to carry the load. I carry a pack quite a bit and know how the difference in weight affects my feet and legs. Imagine taking all the bumps and road irregularities on your sit bones with 30 pounds on your back. If you ride in an upright position all that weight is on your butt, and if you ride with drop bars the hands will have to support some of that extra weight. Out of the thousands of bike tourist I've seen over the years, I've only seen one or two people touring with a pack on their back. There is probably a good reason for this.

The same goes for carrying a loaded backpack on top your rear rack.

While I prefer panniers over a trailer, it is just personal preference. I have never toured with a trailer, but I use a Bike Friday trailer to haul groceries, and run errands. I usually pull about 50 lbs of groceries, which is about 15 pound more than I tour with. I have one good hill on the way to the store, and it is really hard with the trailer. Yesterday, I was going about 24 mph down the hill with the empty trailer when I hit a bump. The trailer flipped over giving me an exciting ride to the bottom. It didn't do the trailer much good either. That will not happen on a loaded tour. I think in your situation the Jamis and the trailer would be a good combination. If you decide to dive in and get the LHT later, the trailer is really good for hauling groceries! Good luck on your venture