Trailer for camping?

Hi Scavo

I am not really sure this is relevant to Backpacking Light?

Cheers

Too big for behind your hog. If your packing light (well you are here after all) a single wheel should serve you well. Plus there are some other bike specific trailers if you need more room.

How many grams does it weigh lol

Scavo,

First thought, like Roger, was it is not about backpacking light. But maybe it is a good conversation. A lot of us enjoy outdoor recreation activities that are not always backpacking.

Motorcycles, are light transportation (hogs are rather heavy bikes). They are fairly fuel efficient. My 1977 full-dressed Honda 750K gets well over 40 mpg. I have done more camping trips on my bike than I can count.

You should be able to strap your full backpack on your bike. Or leave the pack home and load your gear into saddlebags, trunk, or even a tank bag.

However, a motorcycle trailer is an option. In 1979 my 1st wife and I did a California-to-New York round trip, with a large loop through Canada. 10,000 miles and 3 months. We towed a motorcycle tent trailer. This allowed us to stay in campgrounds (cheap) or just boon-dock (free), have access to campground showers (when available), and carry extra clothes. I have towed a motorcycle tent trailer over 30K miles, although it has been a long time, since I sold in in 1987. Our trailer was manufactured by Time Out, and I think they are still in business. Do a Web search.

I am not familiar with the current offerings in these trailers, or the current technology, but in the day, I was quite knowledgeable. So here is some of my experience…

The trailer you are looking at is too wide. You want something much narrower, so it does not affect the geometry of your bike too much. My trailer was actually an inch narrower that the width of my crash bars. When I took my bike across Lake Huron in a ferry, the attendants said I had to wait in the car line (24 hour wait), because the trailer was too wide for the motorcycle parking area of the ferry (no wait for motorcycles, because bikes are parked along the curved sides of the hull, other vehicles in the middle of the ship). When I showed them the measurement (I had a key chain tape measure), they let me right on.

Single wheel trailers at first look like the best option, because at first you think the trailer can lean with the bike. No necessarily true. A two wheel trailer works much better, especially when you need to unhook. Many bikes I see have a hitch attached to saddle bag hardware. My hitch was attached to the swing arm, and the coupler was like a ball-joint. It could swivel 360 degrees, unlike the typical ball coupler used on most trailers — and I do see these conventional couplers on bikes. My coupler allowed the trailer the trailer to remain fairly level and the tongue nearly parallel to the ground, and the bike would lean as needed. I could ride the twisty mountain roads, drag foot pegs, and the trailer would just follow. The trailer did not affect handling at all.

Braking considerations. This is the Achilles heel. The bike's construction is not designed to handle two riders, gear, and potentially a 500 lb trailer. Braking distance is MUCH greater. Also, if you are on a road with loose material, like gravel, and you grab the front brake first, you are 100% guaranteed to go down. You need to brake with the rear first. New trailers might have electric brakes as an option; but you need to make sure the electrical system of the bike can handle the extra load, plus most electric brake systems require an auxiliary battery on the trailer.

So… your normal backpacking kit is well suited for motorcycle travel, and you should have room to carry a lot of extra luxuries if needed. But if you want a trailer, they work well. Just get one designed for a motorcycle.

guys, I think you've been [trick] trolled.
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