A gram scale was very important in my reduction process. It showed me, for instance, that my warmer, bulkier hat that I swore was heavier was actually 2 oz lighter than the small one I was going to pack. That extra pair of socks that weighs practically nothing actually weighs a quarter pound. Clothing can get heavy, and that scale really helped fine-tune the clothing.

The typical packing list has about 60 items. If you reduce each item by an average of one ounce, that's almost four pounds of nearly imperceptible weight gains.

In my experience, pack weight reduction was a sort of spiral. One big decision was eliminating three packs--two front panniers and HB bag--therefore limiting what I could carry. Not only did I reduce bulk and mass to fit my kit in the remaining rear bags, but I eliminated about eight pounds of rack and empty pack weight. When I got on the road with the revised rig, I found I could suddenly ride centuries quite easily. So I carried less food and water between resupplies. And that meant a lighter load. And that meant more easy and enjoyable miles--thus the spiral effect.