Originally Posted by
CliffordK
I've carried heavy loads on my trailer. This was probably 300 or 400 lbs, and the cargo bike and trailer aren't light either.
The load really SLOWED ME DOWN. It was hard work even in relatively flat areas.
At some point I get to where it is very difficult for me to pull my trailer up a hill walking. I really needed lower gearing and a trike to allow riding slower than walking.
There are a lot of kid's bike trailers that are designed to connect to the bike, and some of them can do quite well. And, are even lightweight. I've seen some apparent nomadic individuals who adapted wheelchair wheels to their trailer (long wear no flat tires).
I agree, this whole thing sounds tough on the dogs. But, 5 to 10 miles a days is also extremely short. Most bike tourists ride maybe 50 to 100 miles a day.
I'm not sure how you deal with a raw meat diet, or if it is even necessary. One of the differences between the typical domestic dog and wild dogs is the domestic dogs are adapted to metabolize carbohydrates. I don't know about your particular dogs.
Anyway, I'd encourage you to really consider economizing on weight. Perhaps 50 pounds max including the trailer.
My wolfdogs do absolutely require raw meat, because my higher content (more wolf blood) CANNOT digest ANY cooked protein of any kind! It gives him diarrhea and he begins to lose muscle mass quickly if I don't keep him on raw. He was on kibble as a puppy, but when he hit about 6 months of age he started having the issue and by 7-8 months he was getting very thin and that was it, I put him on raw cuz I've studied wolves and wolfdogs for years and I knew what the issue was. Now, he can't even have a decent size snack with some cooked protein in it or he will get diarrhea for at least 1-3 days. My other wolfdog has allergies to every single kibble I've tried except a kangaroo diet, but then they took those bags off the shelf. He hasn't been on kibble since about 8-10 months old also. No need to switch them because I know now how much garbage and actual poison is also in the pet store dog foods. My dogs are extremely healthy, and when they've been to the vets their checkup always comes up perfect, and I don't even use flea or tick meds, dewormers, or vaccines. Everything I do for them is entirely natural given to me by God, and it works, and my dogs are extremely happy and healthy.
As for the weight, I'm expecting it to be heavy and honestly I want a decent amount of weight because my dogs are crazy. They are very strong and still young, and the more weight we have the safer we will be for the fact if they try to run after a cat or something they won't be able to. Only issue is downhills, so I'll figure something out for that. I'm sure we can handle at least 100-150 pound with little problems, but after that idk.
It's just... at the same time I do want us to be as light as possible because I want us to enjoy the scenery and the travelling, as if we were just walking, I want it to be nearly that easy and comfortable. But I understand this is a mission for God, and it's a job, and hardly ever will any job be easy or always fun. I'm just trying to make sure I'm as prepared as I can be, cuz it won't just be my life at risk, but my dogs too.