Looked a ways back in the threads and it doesn't look like this has come up in a while, so hopefully I don't get flamed too badly for starting this thread for probably the 100th time

My wife and I are going to start doing some light bikepacking/camping and short tours, and could use some advice. We'd like to know what a good goal is to start with as far as mileage and length of trips, any handy little hacks for packing, must have gear that isn't super apparent when starting out, things of that nature. We aren't "serious" riders, on back to back days on the road bikes we do maybe 40 miles a day. Thinking to start out with a few overnighters, and then look into moving out further. From what I have seen, it seems that a very common mistake is overpacking when starting out - we should be able to avoid that as we do a lot of back country camping and have learned all about weight penalties for carrying too much stuff.

Would love to hear some tales about how folks started out, mistakes made or lessons learned.

Wife is on a Specialized Vita, and I just picked up a Cannondale Quick 5 Disc. Just running rear racks and panniers for now, with a handlebar bag up front. We know these aren't touring bikes per se, like I said we are just giving the light stuff a go for now. Thanks in advance for any tales or advice!