I recently spent 8 days riding with a friend along a portion of the Pacific Coast route. Since I normally tour with my wife and a 2-person tent, I thought it'd be fun to experiment with a tarp and bivy, as my friend would be using his own tent. On this trip we also decided not to cook. With access to so many grocery stores along the way, we could easily rely on fresh food. As a result, I was able to significantly reduce the bulk and weight on the gear I brought. My base weight (not including clothes worn, food, or water) was about 13lbs. Although we only spent 8 days on the road, I could have used this exact setup for the entire Pacific Coast route or any long distance route for that matter in warm, dry temperatures. For a 3-season setup, I could probably keep the base weight below 15lbs without much effort.