Current Status

The Friendmaker is fully functional. After selling our car it became our main laundry/grocery hauler and certainly had more local than touring miles. While using the mounted solar panel to charge underway did work, the best way to actually add powered miles to a day is stopping in a sunny spot and tilting the whole rig. While our bikes are on board Ayala, we left The Friendmaker behind while we work out our on-board storage.

The two upright poles are difficult to attach and remove, and they stick out at a cumbersome angle when the trailer is folded. One of the fiberglass uprights broke in June 2020, we replaced it with with PVC that required some grinding to fit and has been that way since. We would like to redesign the poles to store more easily but there is no current plan to do so.

Technical Specifications

Model: 2008-2011 Chariot Cougar 1
- made in Canada by Chariot
- In 2011, Chariot brand acquired by Thule. 2012 and later Chariots are Thule Chariot brand.
Purchased: June 2019 from Craigslist for $36
Came with a wonky wheel. One wheel is OEM, the other is an unbranded one, purchased secondhand.
Recovered with Marine Sunbrella Fabric

How We Use the Friendmaker

grocery trips

We use panniers for most trips, but whenever we need to get big items the Friendmaker makes it easy. In quarantine, we got up to 13 days between shopping trips using the Friendmaker.

laundry

The cart is the perfect size for our accumulated laundry bag (an old bright orange sail bag) and detergent. It can easily fit 2 weeks’ laundry.

travel & long trips

It’s got so much capacity that it’s easier to over-pack than under-pack.

day trips

Fits our big cooler (at an odd angle) but it’s more than enough for a BBQ at the park.

mobile solar charging

Charles was determined to get off the grid / on the go for our e-bikes, so we built a self-contained mobile solar charging station on top.

grocery trips

We use panniers for most trips, but whenever we need to get big items the Friendmaker makes it easy. In quarantine, we got up to 13 days between shopping trips using the Friendmaker.