Originally Posted by
tarwheel
If you stay in hotels rather than camp, you can carry all that you need in a large seatbag, racktop bag, or backpack.
I'll add that if you pack very carefully and are willing to go a bit minimal you can camp and cook with those setups as well. I started out carrying more (50-ish pounds), but have found it quite enjoyable to go with a very minimal setup. It works out fine even on multi-month tours. I can go with as little as 5 or 6 pounds base, but generally want a few luxuries so I am more likely to have 10 or 12 pounds of gear and clothing. At that weight there is really no need for a dedicated touring bike and in fact a road bike is actually more suitable IMO.