Old 11-20-08 | 04:37 PM
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cyccommute
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Joined: Nov 2004
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From: Denver, CO

Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones

Originally Posted by sleizure
Hello! I'm just getting started into this touring thing. Plans are in place for my girlfriend and I to do a year (or more) long tour in 2010. We've got the bikes, are obsessing over what equipment and why and wheres (based on reviews, and this forum in specific) and will be doing our first weekender in 2 months or so.

Now, my question - How much weight are we looking at carrying "fully loaded?" - Of course that is an open ended question, just curious to see what seasoned tourers are carrying. What about the solo tourer, how much do you carry with you in terms of lbs?
The weight carried is very dependent on the rider and how much or how little they want in comfort. And the weight will vary from day to day, depending on how much food you are carrying.

Solo or with someone (camping), I between 50 and 60 lbs. My ride partners (wife or daughter) are smaller and weaker than I am, so I carry the bulk of the shared equipment. Shared equipment is tent, cooking stuff, food, maybe some toiletries, etc. They carry their own clothes, sleeping bags and personal items. If you are riding with someone more closely matched to your size and strength, some of the heavy stuff can be shared between the riders. Obviously, if you are solo, you are on your own

I carry more clothes then most people because I just can't stand doing laundry every night. I carry 3 days of riding clothes (and am wearing one), rain stuff, some cool weather gear depending on the time of year, maps, a couple of paper backs, camera and some writing material. Depending on where I'm riding, I also carry 1 to 4 days worth of food.

How much your equipment weighs also depends on how much you spend on it before you leave. Lately, I've dropped significant amounts of weight with newer lighter tents (4 to 6 lbs), lighter sleeping bag (1 to 2 lbs), lighter pad (1 lb), lighter stove and pots (1 lb) and lighter camera (1 lb). The real fight is to not be tempted to add all that weight back by carrying more stuff...electronic gadgets being the biggest culprit.

If you are on a shoestring, buy the lightest stuff you can for as much as you can afford. Lots of this stuff will be with you for a long time. If you buy quality stuff, you'll enjoy it more. Tent, bag and cooking gear are the heaviest items, try to trim weight there.
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