I'm all for load lightening, but it all depends on your trip goals. You really need to pack for your trip. If you're going on a cycling trip, the pack should only support the cycling. If you're going on a camping trip, pack for camping. If you're a photographer or blogger or travel writer, pack for that.

For my last multi-month tour I successfully ditched front panniers and HB bag, and even fit my sleeping bag inside a rear pannier. I got rid of a LOT of stuff. Going stoveless helped get rid of one front pannier and using a single-wall tent got rid of the other. A good tip I heard about clothing is that you should be able to wear everything you carry at the same time as part of a coordinated layering system. That tip pretty much emptied out a rear pannier for me.