Originally Posted by
Louis Le Tour
For my first X-county tour starting next spring I'll be pulling a YAK-BOB trailer. Do those of you who pull a trailer find you tend to overload it? Right now I'm looking at tents and having a nice BIG tent with plenty of room for me and my trailer is a really tempting idea. However, that big tent will probably weight about 6+ pounds and I just may very well deeply regret every extra pound I have to haul up a long hill climb. You experienced trailer pullers please chime in here and help me stay on the straight and narrow! BTW, I'm 5'7", 180#s and 71 years on the planet.
Your tour sounds like fun! I've toured many miles and taken many trips with a BOB trailer and enjoyed it. But you're right that a trailer encourages you to pack more than you might need and to pack heavier items (e.g. a two-person tent instead of a one person tent). Having a packed trailer definitely makes hill climbing difficult, and many is the time I've had to dismount and push my bike/trailer up a step hill. Nevertheless, I appreciated being able to bring gear that made my trip comfortable. On the other hand. your LHT is built to carry a lot of weight, so with front and rear panniers, you might be able to take everything you need and eliminate the weight of the trailer. If I was contemplating a long tour like yours, and had LHT, I think I'd leave the trailer at home and just try to pack everything on the bike.