I just bought a Bob Yak trailer from my shop and it is adjusted to my bike, ready to go but I need a bag for it. I am thinking of getting the dry bag made by B.O.B. but I need to be able to fit all of my camping gear plus my tool/stove box inside. I was hoping someone who uses a trailer would have info for the best trailer bag I should get if I want to put most of my gear back there. Thanks.

I have a BOB and have both the Dry Sac and a large black duffel bag with a waterproof liner. These hold a lot, but why not consider a second bag for the camping gear so as to protect your clothes and such?

B

The set-up I've been using for years and still think it's the best is the BOB waterproof bag and a mesh duffel. All your clean dry items go into the BOB bag and anything that gets wet or is dirty go into the mesh bag strapped on top of the BOB bag on the trailer. In the rain, I slip the mesh duffel into a heavy duty garbage bag and strap it down as normal. The mesh bag lets your wet tent and dirty cloths air out during the day.

As a B.o.B. owner for the last 4 years this is the best way to go....The BoB dry Sack is as good as it gets. One tip.... where the fork on the BoB attaches to the trailer you will see a pair of nuts (One on top,one on the bottom) with a pair of nylon bushings under them,snug these down...Not too Much...Just enough to make the trailer fork feel stiff (Almost like its too tight) when you try to swing it back and forth when the trailer is off the bike....This and loading the heaviest weight towards the rear will keep the BoB from going into "Wiggle-Wobble" Mode on fast Downhills.

https://www.thetouringstore.com/ORTLI...ACK%20PAGE.htm

The Rack Pack Extra Large fits perfectly in Yak or Bob trailers, and provides a higher level of waterproofing and durability than original equipment. Buy your trailer without the bag option and order one of these! When closed, the Rack Pack XL is 28.00 inches long X 15.7 inches high X 15.7 inches deep. Volume is 5431 cubic inches (89 Liters). Weight is 42 ounces.

https://www.biketrailershop.com/catal...289-p-104.html

The yak sak is cheaper ($70 vs 90-104) but heavier (~4.5 lbs vs 2.6) than the ortlieb xl dry sack. Nearly identical in size. The yak sak has large (heavy) straps/handles and is probably more abuse-resistant (my guess) - but I'd buy the ortlieb myself, and just be a little careful. It would be worth it to save ~1.5 lbs.

That's a big yak-secret. Bob bills its trailer as 13.5# to compete spec-wise with a burley nomad. They just don't tell you their bag weighs another 4-4.5 lbs, so that the yak complete ACTUALLY weighs 18 lbs.

Yes, I've actually weighed this stuff. I've weighed ~75 backpacking and bicycling items over the years. Around 95% actually weigh more than the manufacturer claims, sometimes significantly more.

Some folks use rigid plastic containers (rubbermaid,etc) in place of bag to extend protected/wp cargo capacity above the yak rail. Walmart has 3-4 candidates for this duty. The containers also double as a table / workbench in the field. Here's a custom carbon fiber container built for yak and long distance touring:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/p...=MF&size=large

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/p...=M4&size=large

This fellow probably has overloaded the trailer. He's broken the Bob fork welds and a rohloff hub in the course of ~12 months touring, mostly on pavement.

Check out plastic trash compactor bags. No kidding. Heavy duty, cheap and light. Your trailer isn't going underwater, is it? If you wear one out, stop at a Wal Mart and buy another one.

Sea to Summit also makes some eVent sacks that keep water out, but still breathe. Might be worth using one for your sleeping bag and warm clothes. I have one for backpacking. The material is kinda like Goretex, but IMHO they actually work. I wish someone would make panniers using eVent. That would be way cool.

He broke a Bob AND a Rolhoff? Wow! He should try Samsonite- if he doesn`t break that, maybe he can get some dough for starring in their ads.

Yeah, that Bob sack is really heavy. If you really need tough and waterproof, it`s probably up to the task- if you don`t need so much you can get lighter and cheaper with no problem. I use a nylon duffel bag from the thrift store for grocery duty in my Yak and like it much better than the big yellow dry sack that came with the trailer. Aside from lighter and cheaper, it`s quicker to zip and unzip than it is to roll and tie the drysack and I can easilly open it up a little bit without having to untie everything. Also, keep in mind when you`re packing that Bob strongly advises against hooking or unhooking a loaded trailer, so the less stuff you have tied on the easier it will be to untrailer your bike. This came into play on my first mini tour. We were on a rail-trail with a lot of anti-moto obstacles that I couldn`t negotiate with the Bob in tow, so I had to unpack a lot of crap every time, unhitch, carry the stuff about eight feet, then put it back together again. Kind of a pain. If it had all been in one big bag, the process would have been much simpler.