Been a while. I'm getting close to uploading pictures of my gear. I can fit most of my gear into about 600-700 ci. That's not including the compression sack filled with clothes, and bivy. Most of that stuff I'm going to strap to the top of my rack.

Nun, you got any pictures of your gear loaded on your bike? Matt

Yep there is one early in the thread

My mistake. Forgot about that picture. Looks good though! It was hard to judge how big everything was without it being on the bike. I don't think I'm going to be going as lightweight as you, oh well.

I made a small change to my list and I've included one of the Adventure Medical 6oz bivies. I like to spread out while sleeping, which is why I use a quilt, but when its below 45F you have to strap the quilt around your sleeping pad and tuck the edges underneath to stop the draughts, so basically you get back to the
uncomfortable confines of a mummy bag. I tried using a silk liner outside the quilt, but the cold still got in.
The solution is to put the pad and quilt inside the bivy. No draughts, not confining at all, I can sleep on my side or on my front and spread my legs out. This was super comfortable wearing a wool T and some long johns and socks down to 0C and I'm using a 15 oz summer quilt with 6 oz of fill, but all of that fill is on top of my body, not squashed underneath.

photo of adventure medical bivy top of page 3. I was using a down vest instead of a quilt.

I don't think our methods are so dissimilar as to be apples and oranges, nun. I'm taking a look at your setup in post #75 and it looks a lot like I pack. I've got a tent that weighs 51 ounces.

you're not the only person that can pack an ultralight tour kit out there.

I know, the thing is I see so many people carrying so much weight that I thought I'd share.

nun - I was really into ultralight backpacking for a while and came up with a few ideas on the camping side of things. I would recommend looking into a hammock. I use this one

http://ak.buy.com/db_assets/prod_lrg.../201133001.jpg
made by Byer of Maine (this is the Mosquito Traveller) along with an ultralight silnylon tarp. Hammock is 16oz, tarp is 7oz, rope is another 5 oz. I know it is still a little heavy, but the big thing is I don't have to bring a pad to sleep on. You can hang any gear you want to dry over the mosquito net on the hammock, so it can still dry, even in the rain. If you don't have trees you use the hammock as a mosquito free bivy and set up an A-frame with the tarp.

It is also more comfortable than any tent has even been. Just a thought...

an old, very good thread recently referenced.
What about tools? I saw a kevlar string to repair a broken spoke. I prefer carrying a cluster tool, and borrow a chain whip (pliers or vice) and large wrench.

ok lad's daft question to ask maybe, but why this thing you guy's have going as light as possible.i ride a thorn sherpa i only carry rear panniers /barbag,i proberly carry about 28 pound's on the rear plus tent..,now the only time this affects me is when im climbing mountain's...when im riding rolling or flat roads my weight is fine as is my speed..my point being are you trying to get to your destenation that bit quicker ,or have you another reason im not aware of.no lad's i think i'll stick to my creature comfort'e thank you very much.oh please don't take offence to this post, im just curious as to why you want to go as light as possible.

>If I credit card it I simply leave the camping gear at home and the weight comes down to
13.5 lbs.

Heh. We have different definitions of "credit card it". If I'm "credit carding it", I carry:
- water
- museli bars
- multi tool, pump, spare tube
- rain jacket
- lightweight pants
- light woollen jumper.
- phone, maps, wallet

Speaking of rain gear, has anybody just used a simple plastic poncho? I bought one for a couple bucks for a day hike a while ago, and I'm thinking of bringing it on my TransAm tour for occassional rainy days. It weighs practically nothing, and folds up small.

It's really loose, and hangs down to my knees, so aerodynamics could be compromised, but I bet a little duct tape could help fix that. I guess breathability could also be a problem, but I can live with that.

For rain pants, I'm planning on bringing a set of nylon zip-off pants that I'll waterproof with one of those proofing sprays.

Has anybody used a similar set-up? What are the pros/cons?

I am not sold on as "light as possible", but up to a point less is better. I have had as much as 50 pounds on the bike and it sucks a lot of the joy out of riding. Personally I think the law of diminishing returns probably will set in at anything too much under 20 pounds for me, but it depends on a lot of factors.

I carried about 28 pounds last trip and didn't touch a lot of the stuff I carried. I definitely felt like I over packed. About 19 or 20 pounds would have been about perfect on that trip. I guess with a generous application of $$$ I could shave some more weight and still maintain the same "quality of life".

i too could have left some gear at home ,mostly cloths and maybe to much bike spares and tools.,but i would rather be looking at them than looking for them..thing is 28lb's is not that much okay 20lb would be better i have no doubt about that ,but i don't think i could sleep under a cabage leaf like those guy's .guess im getting old.i thought i was doing really well with my 28lb weight ,obviously not.

I suspect that the sweet spot is different for all of us. I personally think that the lighter you go the less difference it makes to your riding so at some point the result is less overall comfort.

Your 28 pounds may be right on for you. Depending on the trip it might be perfect for me too. For example if there were going to be colder weather I would have needed more of the clothing.

I don't get it when folk choose to carry really heavy loads, but if they are happy then that's great. Some of them carry two, three, or four times your 28 pounds on a summer tour and are happy with that. More power to them, but I would not be happy with that load.

I think many people new to touring end up carrying heavy loads because they adopt the standard setup of 4 panniers and a handlebar bag and then set out to fill them. Also a complete set of panniers is itself very heavy; Arkels are notorious for this.

Eh. If you look, a lot of nun and bekologist's optimizations aren't aimed at sleeping under a cabbage leaf. Same for the other ultra-light guys. They're aiming at having the necessary gear (very carefully tuned to suit an individual style) in the lightest possible weight. One guy may be happiest in a hammock, another may prefer a tent that's a good bit heavier and warmer.

I don't think it's possible to hit the road at less than 20lbs without doing a lot of miles, both touring and just plain regular riding. I don't think nun came up with his list on the first try, or even the 20th... and it keeps changing even now. If you *want* to be lighter, do a few more trips with that 28lb load, and then start weighing your gear. Odds are, you'll find things where you're sure you don't need it, or that are stupidly heavy for how much you use them. If you don't want it to be lighter, then I wouldn't worry about it... use stuff til it wears out.

Well put. I enjoy tweeking my gear, but the core camping stuff and arrangement of bags stays the same

don't get me wrong .i think these guy's a brilliant.but even 20lb seem's be to heavy for them ,there still trying to cut back on 20lb.ah i have a long way to go to be as expert as nun and bekologist'e, if i could only get the cloths sorted i think i would be half way there.

I don't really believe that I'm doing anything extreme or brilliant, just making sensible gear choices and maybe taking an irreverent view of the problem ie not going with the 4 pannier dogma. When I decided to include a computer in my gear I settled on a robust simple 2lb model. The extreme guys do it like this

http://www2.arnes.si/~ikovse/weight.htm

i will have to put myself into the fair weather tourist category.going to those extreams will make the cycling end much easy'r no doubt about that, but comfort wise you would have to be pushing it.all the gear i have would be classed as lightweight ,for instance pipedream down sleeping bag,exped s/mat.akto tent.optimus crux stove ,1 pot 1 cup 1 small pan.okay that lot don't weigh that much ,but a lot more comfortable than a sheet of bubble rap and a tent that leaks ...what i want to know nun is ,how does your choice of cloths work..for instance your rain jacket ,does it keep you warm and dry inside and outside,your base layers do the work as they should like keeping you sweat free and warm,and im talking here in really heavy rain .when i came home from france i binned all my so called wet gear ,pure rubbish..this is why im asking about cloths they weigh a lot and take up loads of room in panniers,but if you claim your gear does the job ,i reckon i could save some weight .nun im asking for advice here not criticizeing you in any way ,as i said you have this down to a fine art but you only give the gear you have ,a review on how the gear works would be fantastic.

I ride in Smartwool long sleeve T-shirts and they are very good for hot weather all the way down to freezing when I would put on two of them. For rain wear I've settled on the Rapha Stowaway jacket, a shower cap and rain booties. This won't keep out all the rain, but it's the best compromise I've found between getting wet from rain or sweat. I find the secret to riding in the wet id to keep your feet as dry as possible. I don't mind getting a bit wet on my upper body as long as my feet are dry. The wool baselayer does a good job keeping me warm even if it's damp. For really heavy rain I stop riding and put up my umbrella. For cold weather I'd break out the Marmot Driclime windshirt, wool hat and neck gaiter.

Panniers are heavy, but they do vary a lot. My Nashbar Waterproofs weigh 6 pounds 6 ounces for 2 front and two rear panniers. If you go with 4 of the front panniers the weight is 4 pounds 12 ounces. One guy here said his panniers (Arkel) and handlebar bag weighed 16 pounds empty!

I think that I would have plenty of room with four of the Nashbar front ones and may go that route next tour. With two rear and two front ones I had a lot of space in the bags even when I was over packed with way too much bulky clothing. Six pounds 6 ounces wasn't too bad and four pounds 12 ounces is even better.

thank's nun i'll take a serious look at the smartwool stuff.i have the sealskinz socks found them to be very good,kept my toes nice and warm/dry.anyway nun i'll keep an eye on your post's just in case you come up with new idea's well done and thank's for the advice..

nun,

How has the gear you chose worked out over the last two years since your originial post ?

In my opinion this is one of the best jackets ever made. I've used mine to the top of Rainier to touring. It just flat works. Is light and keeps light drizzle off better than you would think. Packs small as well.

Did I say I like this thing? :)