A word on tents, cheap and light is great because most of the time you dont really need a tent, it is just to give you a sense of privacy and security. When you "need" the tent, weight isn't such an issue. I was looking at my very portly 16 year old mountain hardware tent that hasn't seen much action in a few years. I put it on the back of the bike and it was blown away by how big it was compared to the sights I see on the other touring bikes here. So I opened it up in my living room with thoughts of taking pictures and seeing if I could sell it. And then I remembered why I bought it. Because I can tie it down in basically a hurricane while wearing mittens. This was important to me after a night spent on Longs peak with a cheap light tent because I didn't want to backpack any more than I had to. So for my first camping tour I will be bringing along the MH tent as I will be the KATY in the spring. No hills, weight penalty isn't a big deal, still not sure where it will live on the bike.

compromises, what are your compromises?