Which two wheel trailer to buy
 

I think I have narrowed down what I want as far as a trailer to pull behind my Trek hybrid as I enter the world of Bike touring.I think I want to go with a two wheel flatbed with Ortlieb water proof bags.My two choices are the Burley Flatbed and the Crooser travel cargo.I'm leaning towards the crooser because I like the wood deck,railing and from what I understand the way it tracks directly behind the bike.I'm anticipating using the trailer around town as a utility trailer when not touring.Can Anyone shed some light on the Crooser travel? Do I appear to be on the right track here? Thanks in advance for any feedback!

I don't have any personal experience with the Crooser, but there are two things that would bother me. One is the wood deck. Sure it looks nice, but I wouldn't trust it for a long trip. I would be afraid of the wood failing after multiple cycles of wet, dry, freezing conditions. But I am not sure, it could outlast me.

The second thing is the 16" wheel. I would rather have 20" wheels. It could be more difficult to find decent quality 16" tires when out and about, than the 20" tire.

My experience with Burley is that they build a solid well built trailer. Mine is a Nomad but they are built with the same quality and design concepts. The Burley is a nice weight and can haul about as much as any trailer I can think of. Very stable with a load as well.

Don't have any experience with the Coozer you mention.

I'd say six of one, half dozen of the other. Both are very good trailers.

Just a thought:

Why do you want a flatbed? I ask because the standard canvas wrapping that comes with the Croozer cargo or the Nomad is really handy, and pretty water resistant. I've found that it's real nice to just undo a couple of hooks and be able to get at whatever is in the trailer in seconds. Unless you're carrying some very heavy or bulky items while not on tour, I'm thinking you might regret not getting a covered trailer.

I have one of these;

http://store03.prostores.com/servlet...Trailer/Detail

Bought mine off of Amazon. Well made. I did change the tires.

What does this trailer weigh? I can't find anything on the page linked. Just curious since it does seem like an inexpensive option.

I guess the reason I am leaning towards a flatbed is because neither the Nomad or the Croozer cargo are advertised as completely waterproof.I am thinking a flatbed with a couple of Ortlieb waterproof bags attached would be more aerodynamic,keep things completely dry and allow me to use the trailer for other things around town.In all honesty if the Nomad had been advertised as completely waterproof I would have bought one and been done with it.For some reason keeping things dry is very important to me.

In heavy rain the Nomad is not going to keep your stuff dry so you are correct. When I use mine I just tend to use either a dry bag or garbage sacks.

I don't tour with mine though. Makes for a super grocery getting trailer. The flatbed is a great trailer. I'm partial to Burley. Well made and great customer support. I think they are still hand built in Oregon? I can't remember for sure on that part.

I have a Nomad. In my experience it's pretty dry. In the front, near the bottom corners, there are spots where some water can get in if you're riding through a frog-drowner. I usually have my sleeping bag, packed in a waterproof sack, stuck in the front so it stays dry no matter what. The rest of my stuff that's packed in the rear and top stays dry no matter what I'm riding through. I've also left the trailer out in the rain over night and everything stays dry, so I believe the top cover is waterproof. It's just the few spots in the front where there a gaps in the cover where water can get in.

Shipping weight is listed as 30.2 pounds here;
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00..._ya_oh_product

I haven't actually weighed it.

I have the original Nomad and am very pleased with it and the newer design looks even better. Still if I were buying now, I think there are more versatile trailers out there. Having had a BOB and the Nomad, I think the idea of a flatbed is great since you have many more options regarding what you carry and how, as well as a reduction in weight (why have a structured tarp if you still have to put the contents in containers of some sort?). I think the Burley flatbed is too wide for many situations but it all depends on the types of roads you ride.

Thanks everyone for your comments!

Check out Wike trailers. They've a touring specific one, several cargo trails that would work well for touring also.
http://www.wicycle.com/

The 2 nomads we had on the Otesha project tour I rode on were both good, no troubles from them. They had versatile hitches and would go on every single bike on the tour. They never broke down or suffered any serious problems, although there was an incident where someone hadn't tightened one of the wheels in enough and it nearly popped off while in motion.

The flatbed is pretty nice too, we had one back at the Good Life bike co-op and it was useful for toting equipment out to community outreach events.

I like them both, although last time I looked at my catalogues, they are now up to a ludicrous $520 flatbed / $610 nomad retail price here in Canada. They're nice, but simply not worth that money.

That is something to watch for, with the Nomad. Those quick release things can vibrate out of place after a while and you wouldn't want a wheel coming off while coming down a mountain.