Originally Posted by
staehpj1
Obviously it depends on many things. People cite comfort as the reason to carrying more stuff, but the way to be less comfortable is to carry too much not too little in my experience.
For summertime touring with some cold conditions at higher altitudes in the US, 30-40 pounds including the panniers is reasonable assuming camping and some cooking.
Different strokes though, some like to carry all kinds of stuff.
Yep comes down to telling where the point is where less stops being more.
I think it's worth bearing in mind that the ideal weight for a short tour may be more than the ideal weight for a longer tour. As well as getting fitter I tend to lose a couple of kilos a week so, applying the half my bodyweight rule, that means I can carry a bit more ;-)