Originally Posted by
LeeG
It's not unpopular because you don't see many. You don't see many because they're so fast.
Actually I think that sometimes you don't see them is because they aren't recognizable as self supported tourists. They look a lot like credit card tourists or just someone out for a day ride, so there may be more than we realize, but I agree that there probably aren't many.
Originally Posted by
Buffalo Buff
The thing is, it is incredibly rare for me to see other people who approach touring the same way, and I'm just kind of curious as to why? Ive seen maybe 3 or 4 people out of hundreds online post an UL rig, and I've NEVER seen another tourist on the road setup with anything less than quad panniers + more.
I have seen quite a few with less than 4 panniers, but seeing folks going fully supported with 20 pounds is pretty rare. I don't recall ever seeing another person touring with under 20 pounds. Interesting to me is that it has been pretty much the same for backpacking. Most of the people I have met backpacking were carrying 30 or more pounds of gear plus food and water. For example on a JMT hike I met a lot of hikers and most were carrying very large packs that looked very full. Most acted like they had never seen anyone a few days into the back country with a smaller pack. I did meet a couple guys who were carrying 25 pounds of gear, but they were the only ones I met out of a lot of folks on that hike.
Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
- Ultra light equipment costs considerably more than basic gear and a lot more than lightweight gear.
There is some truth to that but it isn't that hard to get down to 20 pounds with inexpensive gear. Also if you have way fewer items you can afford to spend a bit more on each one.
Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
- the boyscout motto of 'always be prepared' hits home for many(most) when they are packing for an adventure such as an unsupported cross-country ride.
Sadly the "be prepared" motto gets interpreted as have a lot of stuff along rather than have the right skills and a well thought out selection of the necessary stuff.