I used a BOB trailer on an eight-week ride in the Rocky Mountains with my then-8 year old daughter on a Santana tandem, and again on an 80-day coast-to-coast ride her when she was 10, again with the Santana. It is heavier than panniers, and you notice it when you are climbing, but it tracks straight, there is no frame flex, and you don' notice it at all on down hills, flat ground, or in winds. The BOB is excellent for bike touring. The "danger" with the BOB is that there is space to bring too much stuff, like a bike stand....