Greg_R

Bike clothes:
2 jerseys
2 shorts
2 pairs of socks
biking shoes
2 pairs of underwear (top and bottom each)
rain coat
rain pants
rain gloves (not willing to leave any of the rain gear...I had to use it almost every day)
fingerless gloves
long sleeved jersey
tights
vest
shower cap for helmet cover
reflective vest

Off-bike clothes:
fleece jacket You already have a rain coat and long sleeve jersey. A thick insulating layer (breathable) should be enough. Jackets come with heavy zippers, snaps, etc.... just get a pull-over (wool, thick polypro, etc.).
thermals (top and bottom) must have for this time of year see above. If it is always cold then get 2 warm sets of clothes, otherwise carry one. Right now you have thermals, long sleeve jerseys, jackets, vests, etc.
capris
thin t-shirt
(didn't bring sneakers but I really regretted it and will be this time) shoes are heavy. Crocs are very lightweight and are almost as good as shoes.

Kitchen:
OK, way too much kitchen gear. You have a water bottle for your bike and you should have 1 pot for your meals (prepare/cook for 1 pot). Eat from the pot. Fork, Spoon, multi-tool (bike repair, can opener & knife for eating). By the way, cans are extremely heavy, you should be able to avoid them with careful shopping (tuna comes in foil pouches now, etc.). I think your main issue is that you are cooking like you are at home. You can make very delicious 1-pot meals with all the prep work being done ahead of time. If you really want to shave pounds then look into "Pepsi can stoves" instead of traditional fuel stoves. Also, I prefer hurricane matches over a lighter in case I need to start a wood fire.
stove
lighter
2 pots
collapsible bowl
collapsible cup
fork
spoon
knife
can opener (small scout kind)
folding spoon for cooking
small plate
2 Platypus bags (had to use both a couple times)
sharp knife (decided to leave that at home this time since the other knife will work)
cutting board

Camp:
tent what tent are you using? There are light ones and heavy ones. The same goes for your mattress and sleeping bag
sleeping pad & mat (can't sleep without both so not willing to part with one or the other)
small couch pillow (same as above...clothes in a stuff sack doesn't cut it)
sleeping bag
silk liner
rope for hanging clothes to dry and food off the ground Heavy, but if you have a rodent or bear issue then you'll need it for food storage
clothes pins
headlamp
camp towel Small plastic garden trowel, something lightweight

First aid kit...I wont list what all I took but let's say that it weighed in at 4 lbs so I want to know what the average first aid kit consists of because I want to pare this down. I'm thinking that allergry medicine, allergy eye drops, advil for sure but what else should I definitely have? What does a road rash kit that most people take with them have in it? I had a horrible crash with bad road rash so I was carrying everything I needed to take care of it like I did at home but obviously that's overkill...Large gauze pad and tape, needle & suture thread, -real- pain killer, Advil, blister care kit, asprin for heart issues, Benadryl (allergic reactions), antiseptic wipes, & personal meds. Anything else will stop bleeding. Your goal with the first aid kit is to get to safety if you have a major medical problem. For minor medical problems they will work themselves out with Advil.

Toieltries: (items were travel size when possible)
ditch the deodorant and nail clippers (your multi-tool should have small scissors or a file for clipping a sharp nail edge). I'm not sure about needing the hairbrush (I have short hair so I don't bring one).
hairbrush
tooth brush
tooth paste
deodorant
sunscreen
chap stick
lotion (well, I didn't bring it last time but won't go without it again)
floss baby wipes
multipurpose soap
nail clippers
toilet paper

Tools:
The previously mentioned multi-tool, tire levers, & pump. Cell phone if you are riding in an area with reception.
So I won't list what I brought here either...but the people I was with had more than enough tools so I'm just going to be bringing the stuff necessary to change/fix a tube and a multi tool to make minor adjustments in case I have trouble and they're not around.

Misc:
phone
camera
Garmin bike computer Maps are lighter & don't need batteries
compact charger for the three above items consider alkaline batteries for the camera & replace along the route as needed
wallet What do you need from this? Drivers license, 1 CC, and some cash... no need to haul everything else around
tiny little pad of paper as a journal don't forget a golf pencil
cable lock (will definitely be bringing again) HEAVY but if you think it's a requirement...

Keep in mind, a few ounces here and there will soon add up to a few pounds

LeeG

lay out your cooking gear and remove the largest items that are not essential to cooking. The problem I see is that you start with the idea that X,Y, Z are necessary to do something and they really aren't. When I started touring I started with a complete cooking set but realized I was eating all the time while riding and preparing a camp meal that was a picnic of uncooked foods satisfied my needs for "cooking".

Looking at your list above I could see that lots of water would be needed for cleaning every pot and utensil. Cut down on that and you cut down on a lot. You don't need two pots, cutting board, fork, bowl to cook. My $.02 is to try one small pot, one non-collapsible cup to fit in it, one large spoon, stove and bandana. Your cup is your plate and bowl. The pot is your bowl. The bandana is the table.

What GregR says above is worth repeating, a one pot meal can be very satisfying with finger foods on the bandana.

LeeG

Only you will convince yourself.
clothing is personal but I'd suggest that there's only one category called "clothes" and whatever you wear should be appropriate for riding and whatever you have for riding should be ok for walking/camping/sleeping.

Leave the Garmin behind.

valygrl

Er, that was tOwel, not tRowel.

So, I wonder, for the people who don't double up on on & off bike clothes. What if you are riding in the rain, and you are wearing your long sleeve jersey & tights, and then you get to camp, and it's still raining, and you change into.... what? you didn't bring off-bike longsleeve/sweater & pants? Even with a good rain jacket, the jersey underneath is going to get at least damp, if not wet. I understand the theory of bringing clothes that do double duty, but the idea of not being able to change into warm dry clothes after a day of cold wet riding - if that happens even once, it would be worth it TO ME to bring the extra warm clothes.

So, what do you all do?

LeeG

valygrl, are you responding to me? Having dry clothes is always good. My point was simply that "clothes" are one category, not that you only have one set of clothes.

IslandHopper

I agree that a spare dry set of clothes is essential - for me that normally means wearing the non cycling off duty gear : long trousers and a fleece jacket.
To save weight and bulk, I normally do not take a mat anymore : the fleece jacket and other spare clothes do double duty for that at night.

milkcratebasket

If you want to bring 2 jerseys and a wool sweater, maybe 1 regular jersey and 1 wool jersey?

Machka 

I would be riding in my short-sleeved wicking T-shirt with a fleece jacket and a rain jacket ... and I'd change into my long-sleeved wool when I arrived in camp. I'd sleep in the wool, and might opt to wear it while cycling the next day ... while my T-shirt and fleece dry out.

I used to bring a lot of cycling-specific clothing, but not so much anymore ... regular clothing like wicking T-shirts and merino wool will work both on and off the bicycle.

Niles H.

The four-pound first aid kit:

You can lose some weight here. You should be able to get it down way below this, even when riding solo. If you are with others, you should be able to go even lighter.

It's hard to be more specific without knowing the contents and approximate weights or descriptions for the different components of the kit.

You should be able to go way lighter.

Niles H.

Concentrated, dry multipurpose soap in a small, light container (like a mini Ziploc bag).

It's only for a week.

Niles H.

Can you live without a cutting board for a week? Or maybe use a large yogurt container's lid, or something similar? Or share same with another person(s)?

You can also cut the rim off this sort of lid, to make a small rimless rectangular (or other shape) cutting board.

Or you can cut or trim down one of the flexible cutting boards.

You can also use a plastic produce bag as a cutting board. It won't last forever, but the bags are replaceable or disposable, and light, and come free with the produce; and one or two of them might even last the week.

You can also learn to cut without a cutting board. With greens for example, just roll them and grip the bundle tightly, then trim off at a slight diagonal right over the pot or bowl, inching your grip backwards as you cut. Carrots, cabbage, other produce can be cut in similar ways, right over the container. Sometimes it helps to keep rotating. This works well when shredding cabbage, for example.

Also, you can usually find a lighter knife to take.

Remember it's only for a week, and you might not be spending a huge amount of time cutting up vegetables. You don't need to bring your best Santoku for this.

phasenine23

I am a huge fan of Merino Wool clothing, such as IceBreaker & Ibex. The thicker pieces are very warm, the thinner pieces wick very well, and look nice. They function as on and off bike clothing. I usually carry about 2 sets of clothes for most backpacking/bike touring trips, but have never ever found myself doing laundry every day or every other day. Let's be honest, there is no reason you cannot wear clothing for few days in a row. The nice thing about Merino wool is that is is very good at keeping body odor at bay. The longest I have worn an Icebreaker top without washing was 22 days, and at the end, it had only the slightest smell to it. And half of those days were very strenuous skiing. Merino is also much better keeping you warm when it is wet than other materials.



As far as first aid kits go, I tend to carry quite a bit. This comes from me being an EMT, and having grown up spending most of my time in the backcountry, be it backpacking, bicycling or skiing. With that in mind, this is my first aid kit of the top of my head:

- various 2", 3" & 4" sterile gauze
- various sizes of Band-Aids
- individually packed antiseptic wipes/alcohol swabs
- decent amount of moleskin
- small roll of athletic tape
- 2 rolls of sterile gauze
- 1-2 sets of nitrile gloves
- disposable CPR faceshield
- small ACE bandage
- suture kit
- SAM splint
- safety pins
- small tweezers

- Imodium (Good for stopping things up, bad because it doesn't let the bad stuff make it's way out. Only use when neccessary!)
- Advil
- Tylenol
- Benadryl Quick Dissolve Strips (Fast acting antihistamine. Also functions as a sleep aid.)
- Vicoprofen
- Cipro (Very hardcore antibiotic. For really, really bad stomach bugs, UTIs, Traveler's diarrhea, etc.)
- Oil of Oregano gelcaps (Good to treat diarrhea by actually killing bugs. Also for treating oncoming colds, flus, coughs, etc.)
- Cayenne capsules (Also good for treating oncoming colds, flus, coughs, etc. I have heard of 1/2 teaspoon in hot water stopping heart attacks, no subsitute for an ER, but if you are in the middle of nowhere... Good for stimulating circulation, and gives you a great energy boost!)
- Traumeel creme (A homeopathic cream good for bruises, sprains, etc., but also great for general muscle soreness.)
- Neosporin creme

That's all I can think of right now, but it all doesn't end up weighing that much. I don't have an exact weight, but it all fits in this:

https://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/...2010%20Edition

Stuffed to the gills, which is 8x5x3.5. The only thing not inside there is the SAM splint.



I am also a HUGE fan of Big Agnes tents and pads. Their tents have great space to weight ratios, and are well made. Their Insulated AirCore pads have allowed me hundreds of nights of comfortable outdoor sleeping. I have only had one puncture, and they have a repair kit built into the stuff sack. I have heard many tales of Thermarest NeoAir pads puncturing regularly, plus they are a bit more expensive. I know you stated you did not want to buy new gear, but this piece has made one of the biggest differences in my outdoor experiences....