Touring - load balance spreadsheet

I'm getting ready for my first fully loaded tour and have been trying to keep the weight as low as possible. To help this process along, I made a little spreadsheet in Excel to help with load balancing. It has columns for item name and weight and then 3 toggle columns: pack (y/n), front/rear, and left/right/center (where front center is the handlebar bag and rear center is on the rack).

So for any item, you enter its name and weight, then whether you want to include it or not, and where you want it to be (e.g. front left bag). It then calculates your total packed weight and the packed weight in each of the bags.

I think the pack (y/n) column is really useful. For example, I have 2 tents--a lightweight, tiny 1-person tent and a heavier 2-person tent. This way I can have both entered in the spreadsheet and just "turn on" whichever I'm planning on bringing for this particular trip. Yes, I'm a big nerd. :p

Anyway, I'm (hopefully!) attaching this thing as a zipped Excel file. It's still very much a work in progress. The only requirements are Excel (obviously) and a kitchen scale. Hopefully someone else will find it useful. Enjoy!

wow.

I usually just hand weigh the front panniers until they feel pretty equal, then everything else goes in the back ones.

I'm more organized by type of gear.

Back left - clothes,

Back right - food and stove.

Front right - sleeping bag, pad, TP, first aid kit.

Front left - tarp, tent, raincoat.

Handlebar bag, valuables.

I keep food and first aid on right side of bike for more conveinent access while off bike (away from traffic)


way to go on the number crunching.

Yikes! You need to spend more time on the bike, spaceman. You're really looking forward to this tour, aren't you?

It is pretty darn cool. Have fun on your trip!

good luck,
tacomee.

I agree with tacomee.
Also I have found that people tend to get on & off their bikes on the same side as well they usually stand there loaded bike on the same side most of the time. I personally get on and of on the right, so I keep things in my right panniers that I may use during the day. As you tour you will tend to re-arrange things as conditions change.
On a loaded bike weight distrubution is not really a big deal as long as the weights are close left to right. Front to back weight distrubution is even less important as many times I have toured with only rear panniers and not noticed any difference from when I use rear and front panniers.
The more or bigger panniers you use the more stuff you will carry which you likely won't need.
Remember the time spent reaching your destination is more important than accually reaching your destination. Make sure to enjoy the trip!

Well, I did say I'm a big nerd. ;)

Part of the motivation for this little project is because, simultaneously with planning the trip, I'm also moving. So I'm trying to keep track of everything I might need and make sure I don't box it up. The load balancing really isn't the important part for me, it's the inventory and total weight. I'm definitely going to follow the advice of you guys on the forum and pack according to how I'll need to access the stuff, but the spreadsheet could help if I discover that one bag is wildly heavier than another. The next step is to group certain items and lock them together.

And I have been spending lots of time on the bike! :) But I also spend all day sitting in front of a computer and there is only so much time I can spend avoiding work by browsing the web or playing Sudoku.

I'm getting ready for my first fully loaded tour and have been trying to keep the weight as low as possible. To help this process along, I made a little spreadsheet in Excel to help with load balancing. It has columns for item name and weight and then 3 toggle columns: pack (y/n), front/rear, and left/right/center (where front center is the handlebar bag and rear center is on the rack).

So for any item, you enter its name and weight, then whether you want to include it or not, and where you want it to be (e.g. front left bag). It then calculates your total packed weight and the packed weight in each of the bags.

I think the pack (y/n) column is really useful. For example, I have 2 tents--a lightweight, tiny 1-person tent and a heavier 2-person tent. This way I can have both entered in the spreadsheet and just "turn on" whichever I'm planning on bringing for this particular trip. Yes, I'm a big nerd. :p

Anyway, I'm (hopefully!) attaching this thing as a zipped Excel file. It's still very much a work in progress. The only requirements are Excel (obviously) and a kitchen scale. Hopefully someone else will find it useful. Enjoy!

Nice spreadsheet. I don't bother with balancing side to side as I don't use panniers and pack everything along
the centerline of the bike. I use a saddebag and a small bar bag and then strap my tent underneath the saddle and my sleeping pad across a small front rack

Spaceman,

I was creating a spreadsheet for my biking tours then thought of checking out the web for ideas. I found yours and thought it was a great idea. Is that load balance spreadsheet still available?

Rapid Ray

Is that load balance spreadsheet still available?

There's a working link at the bottom of the OP.

Click it. (http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=49846&d=1184643160) :rolleyes:

You guys are joking right?
I use two bags on the front and one saddlebag. Each holds about8-10 lbs.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RYcm8eTg-2s/Td0EHOAyAhI/AAAAAAAABo4/soF33wlRmuc/s320/IMG_0875.JPG
It's worked comfortably for the past forty years. (http://simplecycle-marc.blogspot.com/2011/04/bike-packing-101.html) How do you plan to adjust the spreadsheet when you buy a souvenier t-shirt enroute, or decide to move the clif bar to a different pocket? There might be more to consider than you realize. If I was thinking of all that, I'd probably forget to pedal. Ah, what do I know, I still look at maps. (http://simplecycle-marc.blogspot.com/2011/04/getting-there-newfangled-way.html)

Marc

Thanks for sharing your work on the spreadsheet. It's a useful packing list, with the total packing weight in pounds. I might use it see how much my total packed gear weighs.

4 year old thread, don't expect a reply from the OP.