child carrier for a bike-camping trip?

[Zachary Ulissi]

For an upcoming bike-packing trip in a couple weeks, I'd like to be able to carry a tent+sleeping bag + clothes on a bike.  Does anyone have thoughts on using a child trailer to carry things?  I have a set of panniers, but I don't think it would be sufficient for the tent/sleeping bag (probably plenty for clothes/misc though).  I could spend some money on light/compact tents/etc, but I'm not sure how much use they'd get.

If a bike-trailer a reasonable idea, does someone have a trailer I could borrow for a weekend?  

[Nathan Dushman]

Do you have a bike coalition membership? If so, I recommend borrowing one of their trailers (https://www.sfbike.org/bike-boxes-and-trailers/) rather than using a child carrier. A child carrier will probably work, but it will not be aerodynamic. The kid trailers are tall with a big opening and you'll feel the extra resistance. A simple flat cargo trailer will be better for what you want to do.

Nathan

[Peter Colijn]

Yeah I've used the SFBC's ones a couple times, they're very sturdy. They have a bunch of different ones to choose from as well.

On Fri, Jun 17, 2016 at 9:05 PM, Nathan Dushman <n...@abtech.org> wrote:

Do you have a bike coalition membership? If so, I recommend borrowing one of their trailers (https://www.sfbike.org/bike-boxes-and-trailers/) rather than using a child carrier. A child carrier will probably work, but it will not be aerodynamic. The kid trailers are tall with a big opening and you'll feel the extra resistance. A simple flat cargo trailer will be better for what you want to do.

Nathan

--
-- follow: http://twitter.com/sf2g | terms: http://sf2g.com/terms.html | bike prep: http://sf2g.com/bike-prep.html | unsub: http://groups.google.com/group/sf2g
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SF2G" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to sf2g+uns...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Mark Sullivan]

I love bike camping with my Yuba Mundo cargo bike, and I'm sure a
cargo bike has less drag than a bike+trailer. Two weeks ago, it
joined ~40 people to ride through Planet of the Apes and spend two
nights in Pescadero. Depending on the weekend, you're welcome to
borrow it.

But most of my bike touring friends carry their stuff with front and
rear panniers on something like a Long Haul Trucker. Are you sure you
need extra carrying capacity?

--mark

[BikinHowd]

Here's what I recommend: front and rear Ortlieb panniers, with tent and sleeping pad bungied onto rear carrier. I have a Trek 520 that came with one of the sturdiest rear racks ever, added a Surly front rack, and have used for bike camping for 4 years now. My low gear, 22f x 34r, gets me over the VA Shenandoahs and western PA Alleghenies just fine, fully loaded. My current take on this: If it can't fit on the bike you won't want to pull it... I have a Bikes-at-Work (Ames IA) travel trailer that will tow 300 lbs, but even when modestly loading it (50 lbs) it becomes very tough to haul even on flat land. I have to agree with other posters than a child carrier would be terribly un-aerodynamic. Try to fit everything on the bike, start parsing out unneeded items until it does. :-)

[Zachary Ulissi]

Thanks all! We thought we were going to have to fit enough for two people in just one set of rear panniers, which would have been really tough. I think we're going to get it down to rear panniers + a large saddle bag on each bike.

On Mon, Jun 20, 2016 at 9:33 AM BikinHowd <htm...@gmail.com> wrote:

Here's what I recommend: front and rear Ortlieb panniers, with tent and sleeping pad bungied onto rear carrier.  I have a Trek 520 that came with one of the sturdiest rear racks ever, added a Surly front rack, and have used for bike camping for 4 years now.  My low gear, 22f x 34r, gets me over the VA Shenandoahs and western PA Alleghenies just fine, fully loaded.  My current take on this: If it can't fit on the bike you won't want to pull it... I have a Bikes-at-Work (Ames IA) travel trailer that will tow 300 lbs, but even when modestly loading it (50 lbs) it becomes very tough to haul even on flat land. I have to agree with other posters than a child carrier would be terribly un-aerodynamic.  Try to fit everything on the bike, start parsing out unneeded items until it does.  :-)