Author Topic: Packs and pack weight for long tours  (Read 23085 times)

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Offline Ty0604

Re: Packs and pack weight for long tours
« Reply #15 on: October 26, 2015, 10:17:35 pm »
I'm going in another direction from this race to the bottom. My total weight is 80 pounds. That includes my bike and everything on it, except me. Including food, water, my helmet and bike shoes. The panniers alone weigh almost 9 pounds. Believe it or not, despite everybody posting here, my setup is no heavier than the average cyclotourist. I meet many carrying more than me.

That's a bike tank there!
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WI—>WA—>CO—>TN

Offline atodaso

Re: Packs and pack weight for long tours
« Reply #16 on: October 26, 2015, 11:01:50 pm »
If you're riding in flat dessert the weight is fine, but once you hit the cascades you'll need those granny gears.On my first trip years ago down the west coast from WA to Big Sur my bike was pretty unwieldy - in the 70 lb range probably.  It's so liberating to carry less weight. To feel that sense of self-sufficiency having everything you need with you, and being able ride nimby and hammer up hills, that is freedom.

Offline staehpj1

Re: Packs and pack weight for long tours
« Reply #17 on: October 27, 2015, 09:47:35 am »
I'm going in another direction from this race to the bottom. My total weight is 80 pounds. That includes my bike and everything on it, except me. Including food, water, my helmet and bike shoes. The panniers alone weigh almost 9 pounds. Believe it or not, despite everybody posting here, my setup is no heavier than the average cyclotourist. I meet many carrying more than me.
My observation has been that U/L tourists are the small minority on the road.  I have found backpacking the same way.  I read about a lot of folks that go U/L, but see very few of them out on the road or trail.  After having read a lot about U/L I was surprised by this.  I know that on the road I am often mistaken for a credit card tourist and when backpacking I am enough of an oddity that people always comment on my little backpack and ask what I have in it.

I'm not sure you'd want to cross the Mojave Desert with an ultralight load. I carried 24 pounds of water.

I really don't see the amount of water I need to carry as being a factor in how minimal I go with the rest of my gear.  I have done a good bit of riding in the desert with both light and ultralight setups.  I find that I can generally find a route where I don't need more than 24 hours of riding without access to a water source and that is typically only for a single day here and there.  Sometimes lack of water resupply might mean a longer than I would have preferred day.

In one case I went so far as to carry what must have been close to a gallon of water bottles in my jersey pockets.  In another case I used a tiny lightweight backpack to carry water for a long dry day.  For those few days I pick up used sport drink or bottled water bottles.

I guess that there are places where you could go for multiple days without water resupply, but yeah, I will skip those.

Offline Ty0604

Re: Packs and pack weight for long tours
« Reply #18 on: October 27, 2015, 11:43:18 am »
What do you mean by a "credit card" tourist?

The longest I've ever gone without seeing water was about a half day and I too avoid those routes where longer is needed.
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WI—>WA—>CO—>TN

Offline atodaso

Re: Packs and pack weight for long tours
« Reply #19 on: October 27, 2015, 12:39:06 pm »
Credit card touring refers to carrying only the most basic necessities needed during the day, mostly clothing:  no camping gear or cooking equipment because you stay in hotels or b&b's and eat out along the way.

Offline Ty0604

Re: Packs and pack weight for long tours
« Reply #20 on: October 28, 2015, 04:47:35 pm »
Credit card touring refers to carrying only the most basic necessities needed during the day, mostly clothing:  no camping gear or cooking equipment because you stay in hotels or b&b's and eat out along the way.

Got it... I could afford to do that but it sounds terrible! I grew up really poor though so now that I have money I'm pretty cheap and still live "poor" I guess you'd call it!
Instagram: tyjames0604

WI—>WA—>CO—>TN

Offline atodaso

Re: Packs and pack weight for long tours
« Reply #21 on: October 28, 2015, 05:14:41 pm »
Credit card touring refers to carrying only the most basic necessities needed during the day, mostly clothing:  no camping gear or cooking equipment because you stay in hotels or b&b's and eat out along the way.

Got it... I could afford to do that but it sounds terrible! I grew up really poor though so now that I have money I'm pretty cheap and still live "poor" I guess you'd call it!
I mostly agree, at least with respect to the accododations part. I'd rather camp in a meadow or on a hillside than stay in a hotel any day. But I do love finding a great little independent brew pub at the end of the day and a good cafe for an almond croissant and triple espresso in the morning.

Offline Ty0604

Re: Packs and pack weight for long tours
« Reply #22 on: October 28, 2015, 05:38:12 pm »
Credit card touring refers to carrying only the most basic necessities needed during the day, mostly clothing:  no camping gear or cooking equipment because you stay in hotels or b&b's and eat out along the way.

Got it... I could afford to do that but it sounds terrible! I grew up really poor though so now that I have money I'm pretty cheap and still live "poor" I guess you'd call it!
I mostly agree, at least with respect to the accododations part. I'd rather camp in a meadow or on a hillside than stay in a hotel any day. But I do love finding a great little independent brew pub at the end of the day and a good cafe for an almond croissant and triple espresso in the morning.

Mom and pop cafes are great so I agree with you there. I plan to visit them on occasion. As for the brew pub, I'm not a beer drinker. I love cider and it's easy to find here in the PNW. I'm afraid it wont be as easy to find the further east I get.
Instagram: tyjames0604

WI—>WA—>CO—>TN

Offline atodaso

Re: Packs and pack weight for long tours
« Reply #23 on: October 28, 2015, 07:22:52 pm »
Not so, at least when you get east of the Mississipi. I'm a cider drinker too (the good stuff though), and my last two trips were an extended cider/IPA tasting tour. In moderation of course, maybe one or two every couple of nights.  There are a ton of great micro cideries on the eastern seaboard.

Offline obinja

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Re: Packs and pack weight for long tours
« Reply #24 on: November 19, 2015, 04:26:11 pm »
Best general rule EVER for cycling, back packing and traveling. LESS IS MORE!
With the exception of the most basic tools and maybem MAYBE rain gear, if you have not used it in a week, DITCH IT! Unless you are going to the most remote corners on Earth, fully self supporting where there will not even be road kill, most of what you think you need, you don't.
My Ortlieb Rear Roller classic are only half full now. My clothes fit into 2 5 liter stuff sacks, tools in seat tool bag, sleep/camping gear all goes infront handlebar bag. Ukulele (soprano) strapped onto rear pannier.
That's it. Any more questions? drop a line.
Have fun and keep the rubber side down.
Never a bad day to ride...

Offline staehpj1

Re: Packs and pack weight for long tours
« Reply #25 on: November 19, 2015, 05:53:18 pm »
Not so, at least when you get east of the Mississipi. I'm a cider drinker too (the good stuff though), and my last two trips were an extended cider/IPA tasting tour. In moderation of course, maybe one or two every couple of nights.  There are a ton of great micro cideries on the eastern seaboard.

I lived in the mid Atlantic region for 64 years and never even knew there was such a thing as a cidery.  I guess I must have lived in a cave.  This post piqued my interest so I did some googling about it.  It looks like there are a quite a few in New England and they become less and less frequent as you go south.

Any way in New England it looks like you might find a few somewhere near whatever route you take, but I doubt you would find many by chance alone.  Further south they are quite scarce.

I'll have to add it to my list of things to look for and try.

Offline Ty0604

Re: Packs and pack weight for long tours
« Reply #26 on: November 19, 2015, 10:34:24 pm »
Not so, at least when you get east of the Mississipi. I'm a cider drinker too (the good stuff though), and my last two trips were an extended cider/IPA tasting tour. In moderation of course, maybe one or two every couple of nights.  There are a ton of great micro cideries on the eastern seaboard.

I lived in the mid Atlantic region for 64 years and never even knew there was such a thing as a cidery.  I guess I must have lived in a cave.  This post piqued my interest so I did some googling about it.  It looks like there are a quite a few in New England and they become less and less frequent as you go south.

Any way in New England it looks like you might find a few somewhere near whatever route you take, but I doubt you would find many by chance alone.  Further south they are quite scarce.

I'll have to add it to my list of things to look for and try.

That's exciting! I'm passing through all the New England states so will keep an eye out for them.
Instagram: tyjames0604

WI—>WA—>CO—>TN