Originally Posted by
Machka
It's more difficult carrying it all from one train to another when you've only got 9 minutes until the next train leaves.
It's more difficult carrying it all up 4 flights of stairs to your hostel room.
It's more difficult cycling up long, steep hills all day long.
It's just so much more comfortable and less of a slog with a lighter load.
To a point, of course. You've got to have what you need plus a luxury item or two.
I've got to agree with elcruxio to a certain point. Just about any discussion of touring gear devolves into the lightweight evangelicals telling the rest of us that we are doing it wrong. We should all be wearing the same clothes for 90 straight days, doing our laundry in the shower and eating out of catfood cans while cooking on cat food can stoves. And we should never, ever, not in a million years carry more than 2 lbs of weight. Perhaps we should all be riding on barbed wire saddles as well...just to get the proper amount of suffering to satisfy them
If it works for you (and them) that's great. But I also understand where traveling with more load has advantages as well. Not having to do laundry every night is high on my list of priorities. Being able to eat is another. As I've detailed in numerous posts, I have yet to find anywhere in the US where I can find food reliably every night. I often have to carry at least 3 days of meals...even in the highly settled eastern parts of the US. In the western part, it's even worse. That's the bulk of my extra weight.
As to climbing hills, yes, it is slightly harder to climb with more of a load but most bicycles are poorly geared for bicycle touring to begin with. And the current trend of higher low gears...which isn't all that different for the past trend of higher low gears...doesn't help. I've gone to a lot of effort to ensure that my bike has lower gears than most people would even think possible, much less ride. I don't always use my 20/34 low gear but when I need it, I'm very glad I have it.
However, on my "regular" bikes, I also have lower gears than many would use. I don't stick with the standard gearing on mountain bikes, commuter bikes or road bikes. Even unloaded my bikes usually have 22/34 or 24/34 low gears. Many would say that makes me weak. I say that it makes me smart.