After my first tour, I decided to try and see how much weight I could lose without leaving anything essential at home. I was amazed at how much weight I could get out of my toiletry bag. First, I took much less of the stuff I was taking (just enough tooth paste, after shave lotion) and put everything I could into little plastic holders I got at REI. I bet I took more than 1 pound out doing just that!

I also took a hard look at the clothes I was taking and bought lighter versions of them. I now take nylon pants instead of cotten ones. If it is a short tour where I will be mostly riding and camping, I don't take shoes other than my biking shoes, which are easy to walk in.

I was amazed at how much weight I could save by focussing only on how much things weighed.

Ray