Just what do you pack? I’m under the impression you just stuff a seat bag and a bar bag.
So what do you do when you get to a BB or hotel, just sit about in cycling kit and bare feet?

I ride in MT90s so just take some light trousers & a fleece depending on the time of year.

Getting soaked I imagine is problem.

Sandals shorts and t shirt. I go touring in July not January 🙂

I`m planning Lejog camping using just a barbag and small Carradice saddle bag .I could get a change of clothes in a barbag .Rohan trousers ,t shirt and take a midweight down jacket in a compression bag .Plenty of room in an 8 litre barbag

Sandals shorts and t shirt

Textbook cycle tourist 🙂

July you say….cunning.

textbook cycle tourist

I have a beard too

Edric we ‘might’ be doing the Pyrenees SR this year, less than 60 hours, IIRC 600km and 45,000 feet of climbing (which doesn’t sound right)
I’d like to do some rides to try out kit, lights etc.

I have a beard too

Brilliant

I see your point im planning a trial run over a weekend of ultralight camping .Before I end up on a Scottish island under kitted

I used a Carradice SQR tour for a weekend away.

Carried lightweight walking trousers, t shirt, fleece and a pair of very light Teva trainers. It’s good to get out of your cycling gear on an evening and it also allows you to rinse everything out for fresh kit the next day.

Those bags are 16 litres so you can get everything you need in. Also they’re small enough to stop you packing unnecessary kit.

No doubt you could manage with less kit but I do like some comfort!

The carradice ones are good and I used the sqr slim for a few trips. I recently sold it though and got a Revelate Pika which is nearly as big while being a lot more stable.

Pulls up chair and cracks open a new pack of mince pies

looking to do the same thing next whoops, this year 😀

I’ve done week long tours in the Alps on a std race bike and a light 18l rucsac, ~10-12lbs of kit inc light cotton trousers, a shirt and flip-flops and a book for the evenings. Ideal for France / Europe where there’s B+Bs in easy reach every day. Before that I used a racpack on a seatpost rack, similar content but I’d use a bar roll and small frame bag / seat pack now. If you stick to around 10lbs you hardly notice it after a few days.
Best advice for light packing I heard – set up for a long or remote day ride, add something to sleep in (or a change of clothes for CC touring) and just go. The only other things you need are food and water etc that you buy as you go. Grand Raid Pyrenees looks great.

being a lot more stable

I never noticed any movement from my SQR. It was absolutely rock solid.

It does put the weight a bit higher up than panniers would and this caught me out a couple of times. when stopped, the bike tipped and was stopped by a painful chainring/calf muscle interface!

Yeah, its solidly mounted, what I meant was the bike was a bit unstable due to the high and wide weight – bit pendulum like

pendulum like

Good description, but I only ever noticed when stationary.

I think from the write ups on the SR Pyrenees we’ll only have time to kip.
For UK riding I like the idea of a long day, ride, eat out and go home on lights.