Our hats go off to all the intrepid families that gear up and take their children bike touring. This is one of the most impressive examples we’ve seen of a family of 6 figuring out a great solution for getting the whole family involved.Here is what Eric had to say:”We did a 5 day tour of the Kettle Valley railway in BC. My wife and I with our 4 kids (6, 5, 3, 1) did about 5 days of self supported camping and cycling along an old railway bed. We saw lots or wildlife and beautiful vistas. I pulled all the kids and a bit of gear(tent, water etc.). My wife pulled a trailer with food for 5 days and sleeping bags and clothes for everyone. It was tons of fun, and the kids can’t wait to do another trip this summer!”To bring this family adventure together, the Carmichael family utilized a variety of bike child trailers. Dad had a very interesting setup, with his 6 year old son and 5 year old daughter helping pull their younger siblings by pedaling their tandem trailer-cycle.
The younger siblings ride in a Chariot Cougar 2. This is an excellent child trailer for taking children bike touring as it offers a lot of great features that definitely come in handy during the vigor of bike touring. The Chariot Cougar 1 and 2, like the Chariot CX 1 and 2, is a suspended bike child trailer. Suspension, goes a long way to making the young ones more comfortable during long days of bike touring especially when the road gets rough or turns to dirt as it looks like it was for this families tour. Another bike touring worthy aspect of the Chariot Cougar as well as the full Chariot Cross Country Series, is that it performs equally well as a bike stroller. While bike touring, their is certainly no room for bringing on a stroller along. However with a 1 year old and a 3 year old, a stroller certainly comes in handy for any non-bike activities.With Dad pulling all 4 kids, it was up to Mom to carry the gear. Mom utilized a Chariot Cabriolet, converted into a cargo trailer with a Chariot cargo conversion kit. With the whole families camping gear to pack, the large cargo capacity of this setup certainly looks like it came in handy.
We certainly hope that the Carmichael family sends us some more photos of their next summer travels. Have a look at some other great photos we’ve had of the Hayden’s family train and Peter’s family’s bike touring adventure.