Originally Posted by
andrewclaus
. . .
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. . . .
In my mind, that's the big decision. Once you decide to ditch a set of bags and a rack, you save a fair amount of weight in terms of the rack and bags and you are forced to pare down what you actually do carry because you will have fewer panniers to work with.