To put it simply, bikepacking with a trailer is a game changer. With an 8 month old baby at home, my wife and I find it harder to be able to take off and travel as light as we used to be able to. The Burley Nomad makes it easy to travel with more, comfortably. On my Surly Crosscheck I’m able to run only a frame pack in addition to the trailer and carry everything we might need.

All this said, it doesn’t just make sense for families. If you like good food rather than some freeze-dried goodness while touring, then the trailer makes perfect sense. You can travel with full two burner stove and cooking gear in one of these. Not to mention beer… everyone loves beer. Whiskey and Scratch Labs is good and all, but every once in a while bringing a six pack along for the ride is just better. The Nomad makes carrying all this and more so easy. 



Who likes coffee? I do. I also like to drink more than one cup. Making a french press on the trail isn’t always convenient, they can be much more cumbersome than something like an Aeropress. I toss my Stanley french press system in with the cook set for maximum trail luxury. 



Let’s talk a little more about the construction of the trailer. The trailer comes with a waterproof tarp of sorts that is fit to the top. If you live in the northwest like I do, the weather can often times be very unpredictable. Making sure your stuff doesn’t get soaked in a surprise storm is important. The attachment point for the trailer is also noteworthy. If the bike tips over (god forbid you go down loaded) the trailer will stay upright. The trailer has two wheels rather than one which gives added stability. The stability combined with the balance point of the trailer being towards the back makes the fact you’re hauling quite a bit of weight go nearly un-noticed. On dirt and rocky roads, the trailer performs insanely well, there are very few adverse affects on bike handling. Behind my Crosscheck (cantilever bike) the only negative thing I can say is that the added weight made stopping a bit tough – then again… most people use disc brakes these days, I just wanted some pretty Paul parts. Aside from that, I might suggest running some sort of touring kick stand with a trailer if you find yourself touring through areas that aren’t wooded. Laying the bike over when its fully loaded is already a bit of a hassle, but having to detach the trailer each time you want to lay the bike down is a bit much.




All in all, if you want a little more creature comfort while not having to run panniers or racking, the Burley Nomad makes so much sense. Single track options and rides from camp have more potential than ever when you can leave everything at camp in your trailer! Coming in at a very approachable price point of $339 I think this should definitely be on the consideration list for most bikepackers!


GIVEAWAY

We are excited to have partnered with Burley Design for a giveaway! Follow this link to our Instagram page and follow the directions on the Burley post for your chance to win your choice of trailer!

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