By "outfit" I mean basic gear to live sleep be warm and dry and eat. That part of my gear is ultralite, 12 to 20 pounds depending on the weather I need to be prepared for. When backpacking that allows me to carry 10 days of food. When backpacking with 10 days of food I rarely take extra stuff like books or binoculars, but traveling on a bike allows a bit more flexibility there.

Yes you really need 6 gallons of water if you have no source for a week or more. Why is that so hard to understand?

If water is contained properly and place properly in the panniers I don't think it will "slosh around" much.

Since I started this thread I have seen trailers being used in pretty rugged conditions and I will be considering those.