I have just returned from a 3 day Wales Coast 2 Coast trip and it got me thinking about weight and what others are carrying on their jaunts. So excluding water and food, but including everything else (bags, mounts, dynamo charging gear, tools, pannier rack, cooking equipment, tent, mat …) my total setup comes to 12.8 Kg

Now I have read some folk have a total setup of 6KG, but I honestly do not see how I could shed 6KG from this setup as my tent is 1200g, mat is 500g. So none of it is heavy stuff.

500g mat is heavy for starters

the 6 kg and less folk will have very limited clothes, super light tarp, super light mat, tiny meths stove etc etc

My tent weighs 750g including pole. There will be similar differences in other kit but it always comes down to weight vs “comfort”, affected by how fast you want to travel and how long you want to be stopped.

I don’t know what mine weighs, went for my first trip away in decades on Monday for 3 days. All I do know is that riding up to the scarp slope of the south downs to Blackcap above Lewes was a real struggle. That I can sort out with some lower gearing, the bit that was really hard though was pushing the thing up a short very steep loose bit of ground where I’d lost traction and couldn’t restart. That made riding seem easy.

What I did realise though from the trip was that it doesn’t really matter if your going slowly because the bike is heavy if the whole point of the ride is just to enjoy the views, stop and talk to people and just go off and see what’s down this or that track. In 3 days I covered less distance than I’ve done in a single day unloaded but I had a great time, as enjoyable time on a bike as I’ve ever had and found places I’ve cycled past many a time but never seen.

750g tent saves you 450g.
Neoair Uberlite saves you 250g.

Move to a seatpack rather than panniers, and you’ll save at least the pannier rack of 500g? Probably some on the weight of the bag, too.

That’s >1kg without trying very hard.

mrs tj and I had our combined base weight at 15 kg

the 6 kg and less folk will have very limited clothes, super light tarp, super light mat, tiny meths stove etc etc

That is a good point. The matt is the x-large thermarest which actually weighs 640g! Great mat and warm too, but weighty.

I actually purchased that matt as it meant you had a really comfortable bed for the night, but given I sleep terribly after long days riding (norepinephrine and cortisol) not sure it matters!

I also agree with the gearing. I was riding a 46/30 with a 11-42 cassette, but on the 15 – 20% climbs that I encountered it was a grind (50 rpm cadence) and that certainly tires the legs. Going to fit an XT 36/26 for future trips.

Move to a seatpack rather than panniers, and you’ll save at least the pannier rack of 500g? Probably some on the weight of the bag, too.

I have a seatpack, but unless your seatpack is the tardis, you can’t fit a stove, clothing and food. I have a seatpack, but binned it for that very reason.

I see too many folk with a seatpack, but have to also use a rucksack. And I’ll never go back to using one.

This is the point – you pack less to get that low weight. tiny meths stove. one cup for all duties, tiny light mat, duvet rather than a bag, that sort of thing.

My mat is a Synmat UL 7. 470g. I could get away with something lighter for a few months of the year, so maybe saving 200g or so, but I’ve not been able to justify the added cost for that small window.

I might take a rucksack in the winter but only because my winter bag is a bit bigger. Mostly I just have seatpack and bar bag.

Not the best photo but this was my complete setup for a 3 day trip.

P1050618 by Colin Cadden – Flickr2BBcode

Point taken about the matt, tent and stove. I also take 2 bibs, 2 jerseys and a change of clothing for when at camp. That you could argue could be binned, but all comes down to comfort.

mrs tj and I had our combined base weight at 15 kg

Is this for the 2 of you or per person?

I have a seatpack, but unless your seatpack is the tardis, you can’t fit a stove, clothing and food.

I can, but you do need to think about your kit fairly hard.

I’ve fit in: sleeping bag, sleeping mat, stove (a real one too, petrol), fuel bottle, cookware, aeropress/grinder, clothes, food, kindle

Probably fits into 8 or 9L.

Could obviously strip out the aeropress, kindle, and switch to a alcohol stove and get it down even further.

Mine is pretty heavy, but I can still lift the bike to carry it up stairs, over gates, etc. I have gone ultralight in the past but I get far more enjoyment by going carrying a bit more and going slower. This is especially important on longer trips where whatever I lose in distance/speed, I make up in having a good night’s sleep and feeling fresher the next day. As long as the bike is loaded correctly it still rides well. If you’re not racing, take your time, enjoy the sights!

Now I have read some folk have a total setup of 6KG

I can definitely do an overnight running with 6kg of kit. Bikepacking will be a bit more due to the spares/tools and also the greater number of heavier duty bags.

A lot of it is pretty spendy stuff but I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing safety or comfort to get that light.

Is this for the 2 of you or per person?

for the two of us – and that contains chairs and a few other luxuries but not clothing or food. We would usually add quite a bit to that when cycling but thats the minimum kit for backpacking

Again the super light guys will have hardly any clothes.

Unless you’re on the proper cheap (get a bivy bag from alpkit?) 1200g for a one-person tent is HEAVY.

If you want more space than a saddle pack, swap the pannier rack for a tailfin carbon.

That you could argue could be binned, but all comes down to comfort.

That’s the root of why you can’t see how to shed 6kg 🙂

Get rid of the tent, go buvi and small tarp. Lighter mat.no cooking gear or small meths stove. One pot / mug.

And cutyour toothbrush down.

My tent weighs 750g including pole

What tent is that please?

There’s a weigh in at the start of the Welsh Ride Thing every year. I’m usually somewhere around mid 50’s in pounds, so around 23kg-26kg.

That’s all in. Bike (rigid Solaris), kit, food, water etc. Includes two bottles of water, loads of snacks and usually a dehydrated meal. My food and water weight adds up. Actual kit is pretty high end and not that heavy, but I’m tall so have kit that’s heavier than for ‘normal’ size users (quilt, bivy, thermarest neoair etc)

The seasons make a difference too. My autumn/winter sleeping bag (900-1100g depending on which one) is over twice the weight of my summer bag (430g).
I’m experimenting with this tarp tent next week

I can probably shave 10-20g more with better pegs. That’s less than half the weight of my usual GoLite SL3 with carbon pole. Also it fits in a cage mount so less bags needed.

This is how things are normally packed

No idea on weight but definitely not 12kg.
Frosty SL3 pitch

Previous iteration with drybag and bar harness.

1200g for a one-person tent is HEAVY.

Is it?? I have a soloist at that weight and was quite pleased with how light it was.

What tent is that please?

It’s not uncommon. I picked up a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 cheap on sport pursuit a while back – packed weight is 737g.

Mine is a Lunar Solo.

If I want to go lightweight or just prefer to bivvy then my full size tarp (270 X 180) is 124g and micro tarp is 72g. The latter mostly mandates the use of a waterproof bivvy bag though so it’s not a direct comparison. Add 150g or so of pole, pegs and guys to those weights.

Some nice light setups here, makes mine feel rather portly! 😀

I’m at 3.5kg for my full tent, footprint, sleeping mat, pillow and sleeping bag.

Now I have read some folk have a total setup of 6KG

About 5kg for an average week away, a bit over 6kg if I expect bad weather as well as take a camera. Has worked for up to 3 weeks.
<4kg for a weekend ride 1-2 nights out in summer. I’d pack differently for a longer tour or something genuinely remote.
All comes down to packing / kit mentality I think. If you want to exist with less you’ll end up with a 6kg pack, easily. If you want comfort it may be 10kgs. And what’s the real difference of that extra 4kgs? Not that much really. Bike feels different, hills a bit harder. But unless you’re trying to go fast or maximise mileage it won’t matter much.

I don’t take changes of clothes beyond a spare set of socks and pants. No tent (maybe a small tarp and pole) or trainers for campsites etc. Meths stove and a small mug for morning coffee, no more cooking than that. Dynamo with lights and USB-Werk for power so you could say my bike is a bit heavier and some of that should be attributed to my pack weight.
I have ended up sleeping in random places in bad weather and been a bit uncomfortable at times but I’m also travelling light enough that it feels like riding still, it has minimal impact on the riding itself. I like the element of risking discomfort and the unknowns ie ride across France with only a bivi – a few rainy days has me sleeping in interesting places or a bus shelter. Making it all work with less is a big part of the appeal – a simpler life for a short while. I do look forward to slower comfortable tours as I get older (ie wiser and nothing to prove to myself, almost there I think).

I wouldn’t always rule out a rucksack either.

Once invested in lighter kit it means the bike has to take less weight and some more gnarly routes become enjoyable.

I wouldn’t always rule out a rucksack either.

I find a wee rucksack very useful when bikepacking. Hard items can be awkward to pack in a bikepacking set up as they can rub so a rucksack is useful for them. Likewise fragile items. It’s also handy if you pick up food (and or beer!) in a town before heading to your campsite.

The one true answer …

It depends.

My “race” kit (bags, harnesses, tools, spares, bivy kit, etc.) is 3.5kg. That’s summer only and not expecting to get a good night’s sleep but equally I won’t die.

Summer touring setup comes to 4.5kg using tarp and bivy, 5kg using my share of a two man tent. Did the King Arthur’s Way route over three days (with three bivvies) with that setup.

None of the kit is out of the ordinary with perhaps the exception of the cuben fibre tarp. Some of the kit like the meths stove is homemade.

Somewhere in an old thread if you can find it is a list of what I take – tjagain wanted to know how I got such a light weight.

Here’s what I took on the KAW

Bags and harnesses – various Wildcat and Revelate stuff – 1000g

tent – Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 with groundsheet – 1500g/2 = 750g
Cumulus 150 quilt – 360g
Exped Winterlite Synmat – 470g
Sea2Summit pillow – 100g

Alpkit Mytimug 650 with homemade meths stove and windshield, pan scrub – 185g
Alpkit bowl – 65g
Plastic fork/spoon – 10g

Garmin Oregon GPS – 210g
Powerbank – 170g
iPhone – 125g
Exposure Joystick – 90g
rear light -50g
various leads – 50g

Tools and spares (all depends on the bike I’m on) – 500g

Spare clothes – 750g

That’s roughly 4.2kg so I’ve forgotten something but should give you an idea of what I take.

It always amazes me how much gear people carry!
12kg is not that heavy though.

I take this:
Sleeping bag
Pillow
Camp mat

Bivvy bag if it looks like rain
Jumper if it will be cold

NOTHING ELSE!!

finephilly – how about your morning coffee? Your nighttime dram? Your dinner?

Morning coffee from a shop – everywhere sells coffee these days. Don’t like whiskey. Always eat out – that’s part of the fun!

Oh, should say, I thought I’d a light setup. A couple of years ago at the WRT with the weigh-in I was nowhere near the lightest bike+kit, probably 3kg heavier.

Ah – you are obviously not doing this in the highlands. could be a 3 hr ride for your coffee easily! s for eating out – just not possible some places where the nearest place could be hours of riding away

At next weekend’s JennRide I’m considering taking the hammock and associated underquilt and tarp. That bumps the bivy kit up from 1700g to 2100g.

I sort of struck lucky when I started bikepacking as much of my bivy kit from my Alpine climbing days was on its last legs – 20yr old synthetic sleeping bag anyone? So I could replace with modern lightweight kit from the off. If you are just using what you already have then it’s likely you’ve less choice.

That Alpine climbing was good training for bikepacking as I’d already got the mindset of “doing things with less” when you have to haul yourself up a rock at 4000m you don’t want the kitchen sink in your rucksack!

Cooking does tend to be a bit “boil and pour”, if you want to fry things then just the nature of that means more and heavier kit. Doesn’t mean basic or not tasty though, herbs and spices don’t take up much room.

Again, all the above weights are for summer. In winter, particularly in places like the Arctic, there’s no cutting corners.

Sure – where you are riding makes a massive difference. I’ll happily skip breakfast if it’s less than an hour for food but, on the other hand, lying in my bivvy watching the morning happen with a coffee is one of the pleasures

lying in my bivvy watching the morning happen with a coffee is one of the pleasures

Absolutly. One of the reasons I take the compromise of the jetboil is I can make coffee quickly and easily before getting out of my sleeping bag. I don’t function well pre coffee

Depends.

Poncho/tarp/emergency overnighter with Tyvek groundsheet, or 1 man tent and all creature comforts.

Going by my heaviest long-stay kit:

Tent 2kg
Bag (2-3 season) 1.2kg
Inflating mat 500g
20000mAh Ultra High Capacity Power Bank 331g
Wood gas stove 470g
Swiss Champ multitool/pocket knife 185g
2 x Mess tins 410g
THRUNITE BSS H01 headtorch 78.5g
Stainless Steel Folding Shovel with Sheath 175g
Café/short stop bike lock 180g
Microfibre towel and cagoule – 400g
Wash kit, toothbrush, minimal first aid and Tick twisters 200g
Water 750ml 750g

About 7kg (6.88kg) before adding rack and 2 panniers

Then rack, panniers and 24hr MRE ration kit (lasts me three days) about another 5kg total so in the region of 12kg tops for everything.

I can halve that or less for emergency shelter, no cook, snax, eat from shops, etc.

Wow. There are some super lightweight setups there. I am going to go through my recent gear and see what I didn’t use and what I did use that I could have done without.

Panniers / rack / tri bars (need these for taking the weight off the hands) and salsa handlebar mount will no doubt weigh probably 2.5kg alone.

One of the best tips I was given is take a couple of these, you can even drink coffee from them if you are careful. A quick rinse and you can use them again.