Welp it's Friday night and I've had a couple beers, and instead of going out into the world to socialize like a normal adult, I turn to my old standby . . . bikeforums

I will try to frame this question quickly and then give a little more for those who are interested: why do people seem to prefer racks and panniers over trailers for light or even weighted touring?

The reason I ask this question is pretty straightforward - I don't have a "touring" bike and I have never toured on my bike, but I am into camping and have done some light backpacking in the past, and I would like to tour or bike-camp soon. I LOVE riding my road bike (commuting and long group rides - 125+ miles/week in summer, did a century last year, might do a few crits this season) and I modified a MTB last fall for winter commuting and summer trail riding. There are several nice state parks within say 100 miles or less of my home, with excellent road and MTB trails. I envision riding out, setting up camp, and then being able to bike on or off road during the day, and returning to the campsite at night. I just bought a single seat toddler trailer for my 1yo son, and it is very well built with an aluminum frame and solidly built 16" wheels. It is relatively light, has a rain cover, supports its own weight, and holds up to 50 lbs. It attaches by a lug through the rear QR skewer and fits both of my bikes and on my wife's hybrid, and installs in minutes with no tools. Also, I got it on clearance brand new for $45 down from $179 (crazy I know). Even at the full $179 this is cheaper than quality racks and panniers that I've quoted, and much cheaper than sourcing or building a dedicated touring bike.

It occurs to me that the dimensions and weight capacity are certainly enough to hold all of my camping equipment for several days, food and clothes, and other incidental tools. The trailer supports its own weight, so it wouldn't add anything to my body, change the handling of the bike, or overweight my wheels, which I think would make me more comfortable and better handling in the long run. I have it setup on my roadified MTB at the moment (Kenda Kross tires, clipless pedals, fenders, lights, upright riding position), and it seems like it would be a great touring setup or even a grocery/commuting rig. The other upshot is that with a single cotter pin I can undo the hitch and be on my way riding as normal, bet that around the campsite, trails/roads, or town, without having to unpack everything.

So why go through the mess of getting a bike with a long wheelbase and stout frame that might not work for "side rides" on or off road, adding tons of weight and cost by getting stiff racks and weatherproof panniers, getting ridiculously low gearing, running unnecessarily large tires and heavily spoked rims, all to ride something that seems like it would feel like riding a camel, when you could just hitch up a road worthy trailer to your comfy hybrid, road, or converted MTB, and roll out?