I am working up a post-trip video on gear and the trip. So I laid out all my gear - I have not unpacked much at all from the trip. This is a good gauge to the space I want. Of course, with the bags there is a lot of dead space between that adds lot to the overall volume here - so the actual gear volume is a lot less. However, I'd rather have space and not need it than to not have space and end up tieing stuff on the outside.
Another thought is organization. With space available compartmentalizing is a reality. I can put my food and water in the middle over the axle, for example, and section off the front and back for other gear. That way the heavy stuff (water and canned foods) are closest to the axle and all together, unless I need to move weight for balancing then moving water bottles fore/aft is easy ballast.
From the split in the concrete to the rake handle is 4 feet. If I make the box inside dimensions 24" x 24" x 48" that will fit what you see here with room to spare. That is the stuff in the bags to boot, not split out of the bags. So volume-wise the dimensions here may have my gear taking up about 75% of it. If I add another foot and stretch the box to 5 feet/60" that would give me a ton more space. I am not sure that I want that much, but I will mull it over. At 4 feet looking at the layout of the gear I am sure that would give me plenty to work with, but the builder and packer in me says go bigger.
Maybe a design that allows me to stretch the trailer and add more space if needed is on order. That sounds like a better plan - in the summer time Id probably have less gear so it wouldnt make sense to only fill the trailer 1/4 full. Or at that point I could forego the trailer all together and go panniers only. Lotsa options.
