-- Last Updated: Dec-31-12 5:26 PM EST --
That would depend who you talk to so one might know what "drawbacks" you are even talking about. Since your reply is directly to me, maybe I need to clarify for you that I never said anything against trailers in general. None of the specific negative issues I've mentioned have anything to do with trailers as a whole, and all can be avoided by making different choices (except for the example of trying to turn around on a narrow dirt path, and except for the fact that a good trailer costs many times more than a good roof rack), so I think you might be looking to argue against a point that I never made.
Maybe you were talking about the loading-height issue? Well, it's true. If you have a canoe on your shoulders, it's a lot harder to squat way down to set one end on a low rack than it is to simply step out from beneath it after setting one end on a roof rack, especially if it's a heavy boat. Also, it's also a lot harder to roll it off your shoulders and into your hands to set on a low rack than to simply set one end on a roof rack. It's not that low-loading is THAT bad, but it is harder, so I only mentioned that in response to all the folks who think that low-loading is universally easier. That "universal truth" isn't the case for all kinds of boats.