While hiking trailers can be helpful for carrying gear, they also come with their own set of problems that can make your adventure more challenging. Even on trails like the Camino, which are generally suitable for hiking trailers, these issues can arise. I created the Trekker’s Friend to offer the advantages of traditional hiking trailers while solving many of their problems.

Hiking trailers do not help in all terrain, and are impossible in some

Many types of terrain are not suitable for wheels. Using a hiking trailer can make your journey harder in many places. For instance, it would be easier to carry your pack up stairs than to use a hiking trailer. There are many other similar examples, such as where there is no trail or where the trail is very narrow, rough, or crowded. Hiking routes often have long distances where a hiking trailer would not help you.

It is difficult to take other hiking trailers through such terrain. They are usually large and heavy, making them hard to carry. To take one with you on a walking trip, you need to know in advance that you’ll be able to wheel it all the way. But even if you can, it may not make your journey easier.

The Trekker’s Friend hiking trailer addresses this issue because you can quickly convert it to being carried, attached to your backpack. It only takes around a minute to change the configuration to carry your backpack rather than wheeling it. This makes your trekking poles available to assist with walking on rougher terrain. You can then change back to wheeling in around a minute when you want to. This gives you the best of both worlds – both backpacking and using a hiking trailer.

They are often not very portable

Hiking trailers are usually large, heavy, bulky items even packed up, so:

• Transportation in cars or on public transport, especially planes and buses, can be difficult and require special arrangements. As reported by some hiking trailer users walking the Camino, often these arrangements need to be made in advance. Similarly, the hiking trailer may require specialised packing
• It is hard to go into shops, accommodation, or crowded streets with them. This means that you need to leave them outside, often with all of your possessions.

The Trekker’s Friend hiking trailer addresses these issues as follows:

• It is small and highly portable when dismantled. You can pack it into the small day pack it comes in. It can then be put inside your main backpack or carried onto transport as hand luggage. There’s even room for other hand luggage!
• It is easy to take into shops, accommodation or crowded streets. It takes around a minute to change to carry your backpack, with the Trekker’s Friend attached, rather than wheeling it. You can then change back to wheeling in around a minute when you want to.

The Trekker’s Friend hiking trailer is also significantly lighter than any other hiking trailer I have come across.

They are often expensive

As for most things, the prices of hiking trailers change over time. However, all of those that I have been able to find cost substantially more than the Trekker’s Friend.