Originally Posted by
bikexcountry
What if I did only front panniers and strapped the tent to the back? How would the handling respond, and would I be able to fit all my gear on front panniers (aren't they smaller?)
A lot of people tour that way. On the other hand, if you take standard gear, and it isn't all that expensive, you may need the capacity. People often suggest capacity is ust an inducement to carry more stuff, but some stuff just takes up more space. While in the past people toured mostly with only 2-3 bags rather than 4-5, there wasn't the same list of must have gear back then or synthetic fill, a long list of stuff that takes up more space. And in any case, the rear panniers are one of the few items I actually use a lot between the tours, so they are worth having.
That said, go this way, and save a bundle:
rayjardine.com