Messages

1

Gear Talk / Trailers and Mass Confusion

« on: March 20, 2008, 01:25:48 pm »

Thanks guys, I appreciate all your advice.  As far as the shipping and transportation issues go, what I've decided to do is purchase a trailer when I land in New Zealand.  There are several that offer the brands I've been looking into, and the prices are quite comparable to the one's here.  That said, I havn't abandoned the idea of rear panniers....and although the idea of rolling up my knapsack and stuffing it into the panniers is an excellent one...the bag I'm purchasing for tramping is quite large and is outfitted with a pretty solid back support that cannot be removed.  I'm choosing this back because one of the many activities I will be partaking in involves a 10+ day tramp around stewart island.   I need the larger bag to carry enough food and gear, that and we plan on doing several other multi-day hikes as-well.

2

Gear Talk / Trailers and Mass Confusion

« on: March 14, 2008, 03:29:24 pm »

I believe this question has been many times before, but as I'm new to the idea of touring I thought I would ask some of the seasoned pros.  I've just purchased a rocky mountain touring bike and I'm headed off to tour the north and south islands of new-zealand and parts of asia (taiwan, thailand, cambodia, japan) in october.  As I understand the terrain will be quite varied depending on where I am.  I've settled on the idea of buying a trailer, mainly to hold a large backpack containing all my gear - I would have opted for the pannier route, but I plan on doing quite a bit of hiking aswell.  The trip will probably be 6-8 months long and I'm trying to do as much pre-planning as possible.  Unfortunately I'm having a lot of difficulty deciding on what trailer to purchase.  There is a local outdoor outfitter that supplies the "Yak", however I've heard mixed reviews on this product.  I'm also looking at the Burley Nomad, and another product called the Extra Wheel.  Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks