Originally Posted by
staehpj1
I have toured with women and met quite a few more while touring and none of them were carrying an especially large amount of gear. In general they carried less than the guys I met.
+1. My GF doesn't carry a lot of stuff. I crossed the country with a small group that included four women. One of those women was the minimalist of the group of 13. Her front panniers were not that much larger than handlebar bags, and her rear panniers were relatively small. Another started out with a lot of extra junk, including a blow dryer, and mailed it home at the start of day 3. Only one carried what I would call "fluff," which included a mallet for driving tent stakes.