The idea that you can only go light weight comfortably for a few days does not fit my experience at all.
My base equipment weight of 15-18 pounds includes a warm bed, shelter with mosquito protection, rain protection, warm clothes for layering to meet all conditions from 10F and up, the ability to cook real food, a short wave radio for entertainment and information, camera, binoculars, bike maintenance and repair items, first aid items, H2O treatment, maps, guides and reading material. This setup has served me well from Alaska to South America from below sea level in Death Valley to 17000 feet in the Andes.
When I rode the Great Divide other riders I met and even Adv Cycling staff questioned my seemingly inadequate amount of equipment. They suggested that I would be cold wet and stranded unless I bulked up to more than two front panniers and a rack top stuff bag could hold.
Yet along the way I was the one who did not have mechanical breakdowns like cracked rear DH rims on suspended bikes pulling BOBs piled high with everything the guide books <suggested>. Their excess weight placed inordinate stress on wheels and running gear that I did not have although my rigid Gordon RNR only had 700X45 tires on 36 hole rims. Many did wonder why I could ride the steep sections and passes while they were pushing their bikes and BOBs. It was not because I was older than their parents or was in better shape. Gravity does exist and never sleeps.
I heard the second guessing so often that I began answering critics by saying that this experience had almost made me religious in that it was a miracle that I was able to ride the Divide at all according to their orthodox equipment requirements.
There are many sources of lightweight equipment from backpacking that transfer well to bike packing. They make climbing easier and with less stress on bike and human motor. No deprivation or discomfort required!