Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
Interesting. I always used panniers, I assumed trailer would be a lot heavier. But, trailer not much heavier than my stuff when I pack heavy with the full set of Ortliebs:
Item Weight (Grams)
Front Rack Tubus Ergo 570
Rear RackTubus Logo EVO 860
Front Pannier Ortlieb Frontroller 1,640
Rear Pannier Ortlieb Backroller 2,140
Duffle Ortlieb Yellow 31 Liter 795
Handlebar Bag Lou G 9 liter 900
Total grams 6,905
Convert to pounds 15.19
But, realistically cutting the handlebar bag would cut about 2 pounds, but I like the convenience of it so am willing to carry it.
The weights are as I measured them on my scale, so might differ from manufacturer specifications. Sorry the formating is messed up, this website deleted extra spaces that I used to setup neat columns.
Yes, depending on the rack and pannier choices they could be heavier than a trailer. Go with Surly Nice Racks and the heavy duty Arkels all around and you can be well above the weight of a BoB.
On the other hand it is pretty easy to make rack/pannier choices that come in lighter than pretty much any trailer. First, I'd argue that the biggest reason for the handlebar bag is to be able to reach items easily while on the bike, so one might choose to use it even with a trailer. Second, many of the items that might go on top of the rear rack really don't require the duffel. Third, all those bags assume that you want/need a lot of capacity. Going with only one rack and one set of panniers is sufficient for many. And fourth, there are lighter bags.
I have done the range of packing styles over the years, but these days I have a hard time relating to 15 pounds of racks and bags. My most recent tours have been with total loads of less than you list for your racks and empty bags.
Of course some folks just like to carry more stuff. I met a guy on the TA in Rawlins, WY who had heavy duty racks (Surly I think), a full complement of heavy duty Arkels bags, and a BoB trailer loaded to the max (BoB bag and another duffel on top). His empty bags, racks, and trailer must have come in at 40 pounds or maybe more. I won't even guess what his total load must have weighed. You couldn't pay me to haul all of that but, he had come from the coast and seemed happy. He must have been tough because he was a little guy and his bike and gear were probably double his body weight or more.
My point in all that rambling is that a trailer, say a BoB, can be very light or very heavy depending on what you are comparing it to.