Often during the organization of a bicycle trip I wondered if it was worth buying a bicycle trailer to carry my luggage or if i should continue to use the panniers I had already made the previous raid with. In this short article I will try to compare these two alternatives, listing advantages and disadvantages, trying to advise you bicycle-traveler the use of either solution.

Before proposing a comparison of the two alternatives I must premise that European cyclists usually prefer using panniers while traveling in english countries and in particular the United States, Australia and New Zealand, use of the luggage trolley (trailer) is much more widespread. In my opinion this different setting of the bike and load distribution on it, because that is what we are talking about here, depends not only on a cultural but also practical and dynamic factor. To understand why Europe has more widespread use of panniers and carts are more commonly used in other continents, you must think of the geographical and topographical characteristics of the continents: a multiplicity of states, cities, towns and streets in the old continent reduce the distances between different points of interest that may be encountered along a route; desert or agricultural acreage, straight streets and endless, unfathomable distances between locations instead, characterize the morphology of nations like the United States and Canada but also Argentina, Brazil, Australia, India...

In Europe there is the need to face narrow and busy streets, having to make more frequent stops and maybe leave the bike for a walk in the city, taking with you only part of all our luggage. In America and Oceania there is the need to travel longer distances on roads with little traffic without the need to leave your luggage unattended sometimes in densely populated areas.

So we go into details. The biggest factor that often tip the scales in favor of choosing panniers between them and a trailer is the duration of the trip and therefore the type and weight of baggage to carry. A short trip, a couple of weeks, can be dealt easily in lightness, having a spare or two, a few tools for bicycle maintenance and planning the stops to avoid unnecessary transport of food and supplies. In this case a couple of panniers, with about 40l of capacity (the couple) will be more than enough.
Another factor that you must consider is the type of trip you plan to address: If you decide to camp, you will have to add weight to carry tent, crockery and kitchen (stove, pots, torches ...). In this case it might be useful switch to a trailer, but if you decide to sleep in a hostel or hotel and dinner at the restaurant, you can safely keep using two rear panniers. The path that we take up, if it's dirt roads and rough, can cause damage to the trailer or cause it to tip, if it is not properly designed and tested, even though today you can find trailers of high quality and durability on the market.

If you planl to face long travels lasting a couple of months or longer, the idea of ​​buying a trailer should be evaluated due to its undoubted comfort and maneuverability over long distances. A trailer is roomy and allows us to carry more weight without compromising the CG of our bike and reducing our effort. You will have to control the speed, especially downhill, but our legs will probably be grateful tackling the climbs. Among the trailers, are to be preferred those with a single wheel, more stable in case of bumps on the ground. If we choose the panniers (up to now they have been my choice), try to distribute the weight even on the front wheel to maintain a certain balance of our bycicle.
In either choice, you should pay close attention to the impermeability of the tissue with which the containers are made of ... Unfortunately the rain is always lurking and in the evening when you reach your destination, dry clothes to wear is a priceless pleasure!
Ultimately, we can summarize as follows:

	Panniers to mount on a rack:	Trailer:
Benefits:	price separate provision of our luggages (many bags, pockets...) chance to use a single pannier as a bag higer safety on uneven terrain, offroad	more stable and balanced bicycle on asphalt roads lower CG and than lower transportation effort more convenient access to the equipment
Disadvantages:	small capacity unbalanced bicycle (if using only rear panniers) harder access to material	inability to arrange the luggage in different compartments high price for high quality trailers risk of rolling over rough terrain impossible to use without a bicycle