Burley: Coho XC or Nomad ?

[oldguybiker]

I'm planning a 5 day bikepacking trip which will include 2 days of rough 4x4 road and the rest mostly pavement with some gravel.  Instead of buying yet another bike, as a first attempt at bikepacking I'm thinking of getting a trailer to pull behind my trusty 2010 Trek Hoo Koo E Koo. The Coho's appeal is it has only 1 wheel centered behind the bike, so it will follow in the MTB's tire tracks, plus it has a shock to dampen the jostling. Downside is it weighs 21.5 lbs empty and is rated for 70 lbs carrying capacity.  The Nomad is designed specifically for touring, has 2 wheels, weighs 14.5 lbs and is rated for 100 lb carrying capacity.  I won't max out the carrying capacity of either on this trip, but it could be a factor for future trips. I pulled my kids around for thousands of miles in a kid type Burley many years ago, so am very familiar with that setup, but it was always on pavement with a touring bike.  This will be a solo trip into wilderness country with limited resupply points, and yes I'll probably over pack. So - anybody got any recommendations on Coho versus Nomad?   

[aggie]

While I don’t have the Burley Coho I do have and used a BOB and the Burley Nomad.  Based on previous forums on trailers vs panniers I’m one of the few preferring a trailer.  The Coho is similar to the BOB with the same carrying capacity.  If I was going to ride on gravel/trails for most of the ride I’d use the Coho.  It will track better and give some “cushion” over bumps.  Even when I started to tours and carried way more than I should have I didn’t come close to the max carrying capacity.  Just looking at the web site the Coho has some features I wish I had on my BOB.  I would suggest you put a tire liner in before you go and get a puncture resistant tire.  It will definitely be worth it. 

[oldguybiker]

Thanks, Aggie. Appreciate that you can draw from experience with the Bob and Nomad.

[aggie]

I forgot one thing about the BOB.  The bikes rear wheel does carry some of the weight of the trailer.  I was initially using a 32 spoke rear wheel and breaking spokes like crazy.  I switched to a 36 spoke triple cross pattern and haven’t broken a spoke since.  I did weigh 200+ pounds although I’m lighter now and I was riding 100% on paved roads.  You may want to keep that in mind as you are preparing for your trip.

[HobbesOnTour]

For off-road trailers the Extra-Wheel is great. A monowheel (in the same size as your bike so you have a spare front wheel should you need it) it tracks the bike perfectly. My model is the older Voyager and I think it is a great bit of kit, albeit with the proviso that the panniers are evenly packed in terms of weight.

It is attached to the (propriety) QR skewer of the rear wheel by tension so that in the event of an extreme event the trailer will decouple.

Only disadvantage is that the panniers can be a bit close to the ground.