MY experiences with BOTH
pretty similar to the other responses but her it is:
the boyfriend and I toured with both trailers and sharing one set of panniers (trading day to day)
panniers
pros
- quick access, was eaier to grab snacks and tools from panniers and our handlebar bag was loaded with to much already.
- was easy to counter weight each other and hang into a tree at night (protect from raccoons and bears and such)
cons
- wind resistance, switching off gave us the advantage of comparing the days with panniers and without. it was easy to tell the difference, they act like sails in the first gust of wind
- unstable, as still fairly noobish in our experience we aren.t the most stable, even simply leaning to one side (waiting at stop light for example) would regularly cause our bike to tip over ( have a front set may remedy this- at least in combo with a trailer)
- parking- the above also makes it impossible to park. the combo bike has to be leaned our lain down, rather the the angle park with the non pannier bike.
- finding equal weight balance- we kept mostly food and quick needed (rain gear, tools, tires,ect) items in the panniers, so the weight was in constant flux. finding a balance day to day was a challenge.
trailer (bob ibex)
pros
- parking- easy parking just needs a little space!
- storage- can hold a ton in the bag and even more on top with just a few bungee cords (great place for the dirty cloths bag!), the weight isn't a concern to me. Its marginal if any while riding, once you are up to speed it rolls along no problem behind you- you have to look back to make sure it there!
- liquid storage- the platform has enough room to carry extra water bottles and fuel outside to prevent any risk of spillage inside the water proof bag
- less wear on bike- the weight is distributed and puts less wear on the frame and on the tires (allowing for few flats!)
cons
- attaching and detaching- for us at least it was a two person endeavor, although we've now gotten it to a science. one person had to hold the bike up at a angle while the other lifted the trailer up at a similar opposite angle in order to attach to the wheel (this may have to do with the bulkiness of our brakes)
- attaching and detaching pt2- the pins that keep it in place were not the most sturdy and often the holes would not line up in the morning (we often detached every night) and would take a beating from the channel locks to line up correctly. MY ADVICE do not detach from the bike unless absolutely nessicary.
cons debunked
-extra tire= extra flats- yes the only flat we had on 600 mile tour (x2 with two bike and two trailers) was on the trailer. It was easily patched and we were on our way no problem. the weight of and extra tube is negligible.
- any serious tourer uses panniers- Trailers are still new to the scene and those who have toured for a long time tend to stick to what they know. for ultra light tour pannier are probably the best course of action, but as soon as you add tents and stoves into the mix you need something more substantial. an exmple with skiing and snowboarding- snowboarding is finally gaining some ground and I suspect in a few years snowboarders will equal if not surpass the number of skiiers. but 20 years ago, you were punk screwing up the slopes getting in the way of there serious skiiers. Change takes time, and still new developments and improvements will come in both trailer and panniers.
I will always prefer the trailer for unsupported tours, for a day trip I may take the panniers with me in substitute. we are leisurely tourers we have fishing gear with us and sleeping pads and pillows. I love cooking at home so I make sure I've got what I need to give us a great meal. We arent on the road to see if we can go as fast as a car we want to SEE the world not race by it, I can do that in a car. On our rest days we want to enjoy ourselves if that means a little extra weight, I'm okay with that. whew! did not expect to write that much!!!