How light can you go?

[glucas]

Hello,

I am a newcomer to bike touring and I would like peoples thoughts on overall weight limits and whether it differs according to the tour. I did the Peninne Way last July/August and my total setup was about 19k. Bike was around 10k, rack + bags 2k, contents of bags around 7k (including clothes, d lock and 2nd lock, battery pack, spares, pump etc). I thought this was too heavy at the time as I was having to push the bike up some pretty horrendous hills! I did lose around 8 pounds during the trip so it did get easier towards the end.

What are peoples experiences? If you do EV6 e.g. a flatter route - is it not worth obsessing about these things? Or do people try and keep their set up as light as possible regardless?

Graham

[Jdsk]

How much camping and cooking gear included in that?

Jonathan

[glucas]

Jonathan,

In this case, none - I just stayed in b&bs and guest houses. Because of cost I do plan on buying a tent etc + cooking equipment for future tours. Looking at the examples in this thread I can see this would add around 3k to 5k. As a result my set up would have been 22k to 25k, or will be in the future. In fact add another 2.75k because I changed my bike to a Canyon Pathlite.

Graham

[willem jongman]

My typical touring weight (excluding the bike) is 12-15 kg for a solo camping trip, and that includes a bit of food. Between them, my solo tent and summer sleeping gear weigh about 3 kg. Even a light stove and pots (Trangia 27), fuel and some food can add up to 2-3 kg. So when all is said and done and for the rest, I guess I am in the same ballpark as you were for your B&B tour. If you cannot get up a hill, get lower gearing.

[glucas]

Willem,

Thanks for that. It's good to know. I was starting to obsess about achieving a total set up of around 15 to 17k including the bike! But that seems ludicrous as I would be missing quite a few items. I believe I have fixed the gearing issue now by switching to a canyon pathlite, which has 17 gear inches.

Graham

[willem jongman]

I have some friends who manage with a few kilos less, but that quite rapidly involves a loss of real comfort. Their tents are often Terra Nova Lasers of about 1 kg (excluding the quite necessary footprint), but those are really tiny. My tents (Helsport Ringstind Superlight 2 or MSR ZOIC 1) are both about 1.8 kg including footprint, but quite a lot more spacious than the TN Laser. Most important, however, is to keep the volume of the sleeping kit in check. I have a PHD minimus down sleeping bag and a choice of two different Thermarest Neoair mattresses, depending on the weather. My mattresses are each in the 500-600 gram range, and there are lighter ones, but those are also colder and a lot more fragile (been there). Similarly, you could save a few hundred grams by taking only one pot and a lighter stove, but the Trangia is easy and good for real meals. So it is always a compromise between the comfort of what you take, and the comfort of a lighter weight.
If you want cheaper stuff, have a look at Decathlon.

[glucas]

Willem,

Thanks again. That is food for thought. I can see the weight/comfort trade off consideration. My guess is that I will err on the side of comfort. Being up in the scottish highlands with a flimsy tent and thin mattress and sleeping bag when the overnight temperature plummets to 0-5 degrees in the summer does not appeal!

Graham

[willem jongman]

You are quite right there. In those conditions it is not even just comfort but also safety. So yes, get what is needed to be comfortable and safe. But also realize that for any item that you buy there may be an equally functional alternative that weighs only half and does not cost more. I use cheap lexan cutlery and a cheap plastic plate that are both lighter than fancy titanium. I use a headlight that weighs only half of the alternative and costs the same. Same with pocket knives etc. I use a Garmin Etrex 30 gps that is lighter than other models and needs only two rechargeable AAs every five days so with a few spares I don't have to bring a clumsy charger. And it us their cheapest model.

[glucas]

Thanks again Willem. I will take a close look at your sleep set up and Tangria equipment. Your comment about swapping items for lighter alternatives really has me thinking, so I will form a complete itinerary and do some googling. I have for example an allan key toolkit which I know is too heavy. My wife is now going to be asking what I am up to again!

[willem jongman]

I have been lightening my gear over the past decade and did so mostly when something old and worn needed replacement. Maybe I should post a list of my ideas for cheap and ultralight options that do not give up much or even anything in terms of comfort.

[KTHSullivan]

Hello,

I am a newcomer to bike touring and I would like peoples thoughts on overall weight limits and whether it differs according to the tour. I did the Peninne Way last July/August and my total setup was about 19k. Bike was around 10k, rack + bags 2k, contents of bags around 7k (including clothes, d lock and 2nd lock, battery pack, spares, pump etc). I thought this was too heavy at the time as I was having to push the bike up some pretty horrendous hills! I did lose around 8 pounds during the trip so it did get easier towards the end.

What are peoples experiences? If you do EV6 e.g. a flatter route - is it not worth obsessing about these things? Or do people try and keep their set up as light as possible regardless?

Graham

I order to reduce the mass of the luggage to reasonable levels one has to be comparatively ruthless with the amount of "redundant" equipment and especially clothing carried. I am not and have never been an advocate for sawing the handles of toothbrushes etc for in there lies madness. However, significant inroads can be made by having kit that satisfies two or more functions, lighter sleeping bag and a down vest being a perfect example mentioned upthread; for example, I have found that zip off trousers and shower gel used as washing up liquid fulfils my craving for multi-functionality. Again what is comfortable for one person will be different to another. Personally over the years I have endeavoured to keep the gear as simple and as basic as possible, as for me the simplicity generates a certain purity that provides me with the requisite antidote from the clutter of modern life.

K

[willem jongman]

Indeed, I love the simplicity of fewer items.

[foxyrider]

I order to reduce the mass of the luggage to reasonable levels one has to be comparatively ruthless with the amount of "redundant" equipment and especially clothing carried. I am not and have never been an advocate for sawing the handles of toothbrushes etc for in there lies madness. However, significant inroads can be made by having kit that satisfies two or more functions, lighter sleeping bag and a down vest being a perfect example mentioned upthread; for example, I have found that zip off trousers and shower gel used as washing up liquid fulfils my craving for multi-functionality. Again what is comfortable for one person will be different to another. Personally over the years I have endeavoured to keep the gear as simple and as basic as possible, as for me the simplicity generates a certain purity that provides me with the requisite antidote from the clutter of modern life.

K

IME cutting/drilling stuff never gains as much as you lose in function. Sometimes something comes along that is a relative game changer, for me this was the S2S folding kettle. Early in my cycle camping career i decided that i wouldn't take a pan, i didn't intend cooking meals, i'd eat in restaurants, takeaways or eat cold stuff, so it was just a Trangia kettle for hot drinks, pot noodles, cup soup etc - on occasion i did heat tinned food either in the kettle (messy) or directly on the stove, in the tin which can be a bit perilous! A new Esbit kettle didn't change anything although the lid is a bit bigger making access a teeny bit easier and the anodised finish is easier to clean.

Then i discovered the X pot kettle, twice the capacity, 1.3l compared to 0.6l, half the packed size and it can be used as a pan as the top is fully open, the spout is integral to the rim plus the double handle arrangement and wide base make the whole thing more stable both on and off the heat source. So okay, it costs nearly twice as much as the Esbit and weighs @ 70g more but the added functionality and space saving has given me more options for eating, a less bulky cooking set and its quite dudey too!

As far as clothing is concerned, another fan of zip offs here, i take legwarmers rather than tracky bottoms, the off bike full zip fleece works as a top layer for riding if the temp drops. I took far too much stuff on my first couple of trips, clothing, guides, stuff, even bike parts (why did i take spare bar tape?) that i realised i didn't need to carry. So i ended up being quite ruthless, out went the extra shoes, the multiple pairs of off bike shorts, the map measurer etc, etc - i gained a lot of space and reduced the rolling weight considerably. I'm sure i still carry more clothing than a lot on here, 3 sets of bike gear and off bike gear to cover 'smart-ish' as well as casual. But i do make an effort to use lightweight stuff and i'd rather not be the smelly one on/in the boat/plane/train/restaurant/shop/museum because i've cut back on my gear so much! (one reason i eschew wild camping - i like a daily shower!)

Comfort of course is relative, i've been camping for best part of three score years, i'm used to sleeping directly on the ground so my Neo Air is luxury, a decent floor shouldn't need a footprint for normal use - if it does its not fit for purpose. If i want 4* comforts i'll not be camping, part of the experience is the simplicity and lack of stuff you need to carry.

Now if there was a microwave under a kilo.... lol

[Bmblbzzz]

I thought the footprint was for durability of the tent not for comfort.

[foxyrider]

I thought the footprint was for durability of the tent not for comfort.

whatever you think its for, i've never quite seen the point for summer camping (i get insulation in winter), the only holes i've ever suffered in a 'ground sheet' have come from objects inside. Nope, another 'essential' bit of kit that perhaps isn't really so essential.