Originally Posted by staehpj1

I have hosted and been hosted via warmshowers and it was a good experience. That said I see it as an occasional break from or supplement to camping. I don't see it as a substitute for camping, so I don't see it as a way to go lighter. I like to avoid bigger towns and cities most of the time and you just will not be able to reliably find hosts in remote areas and tiny towns.

I guess you might be able to manage a long tour using hosted stays exclusively if you planned the whole route around their availability. Me I'd rather pick my route to hit small towns and national parks and forests staying with a host only once in a while for a change of pace, to meet some nice people, and to have a shower and a bed.