I am looking at starting overnight backpacking trips,my knees are not in the best of shape,I am wondering if I can pull a trailer instead of carrying a heavy back pack on my shoulders thus reducing the stress on my knees? anybody else do this? would love to hear of your experiences,thanks.

Bal, probably depends on what kind of trails you plan on using. We hike in to a favorite fishing pond about 2 miles in, along a smooth horse trail, hauling a canoe on bicycle wheels and all the fishing gear. I fear that on a more typical hiking trail, you'd spend more time f'ing with the trailer than hiking.

Jon,
This is a kinda live & learn thing,I want to pick up pointers from other members,so far searching on here,I have come across the Dixon Rollerpack,seems interesting & should be ok for most trails?

You can probably use it on a lot of trails on National Forest System and BLM lands, but no wheeled vehicles are allowed in wilderness areas. Don't blame the Forest Service or BLM. It is due to the law passed by your senators and representatives. This also applies to wheeled carts sometimes used by hunters to pack out deer and elk.

Look at some of the single wheel carts out there.

Again a no go in the wilderness areas where one would really need it.

Interesting stuff, and not too much more than the new-style backpacks.

HI I am in the middle of making one out of some canoe wheels used for portaging. I have an area where I get in as far as 20 km on good even trail with only a few areas I would have to carry it over, and a couple of creeks etc.
I will let you know how it goes. Sort of like a travois on wheels....

I suppose its more of a case of discovering the place where you could use such a thing then making one, rather than make one and go out and trying to find a place yu could use it in.

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Dixon Rollerpack

Wonder if you replaced the wheel with a skid would it still be viable

You should consider the Pack Wheel, which is really an E-bike version of a game cart. They can hold 200 pounds easily, and go up to 50 miles on a charge.
Makes packing camp gear into the mountains a breeze. I have been using one to assist with both packing meat (elk , deer ,etc.) and for getting a nice camp far back off the roads.
As mentioned, they are not allowed in designated wilderness areas, but in virtually all National Forests and BLM areas.
Bill

How about pushing instead of pulling? The Game Tote may be a bit overkill and a bit higher priced than what you're looking for, but it would work really well. With its single large wheel and tire, it fits most trails and can carry a significant load. I have carried several whole elk and oryx on mine with two people, and lighter loads running solo. You could easily carry all the gear for a one to two person camp without overworking yourself.