Packing my steed is half the fun. Sometimes I pack over and over again. Getting the perfect mix of look, weight, profile. Each time I pack. Do I have to much? Not enough. Trepidation, anticipation. Calling my riding partner, What do you have? You carry this. I'll carry that. Tools. First Aid kit. Water. Spare this, spare that. I've tried it all. No tank bag for a week long trip. Silly if you ask me. But everybody has their own idea of what should be packed. We all go thru it. Show me your packed Steed ready for the road. In a couple days, I'll show you mine. I used to think I had it all figured out. But one time in Silverton Colorado I pulled out a knife. Then another. Somewhere I have a picture of like 12 knives my buddy and I stuck in a table. Right now I have at least 5 flashlights loaded on my GS for next weeks trip. Show me your road ready steed. I'll show you mine.
Here's mine. Loaded for a week and a half trip. I decided about half way through I had too much stuff. here's a closer view.
Hopefully, this is what it WILL look like when it is packed, plus a tank bag. I am guessing that is not ice tea in that water bottle?
Here's a road ready steed for a 3 day ride. Here's a nice one for a 3 day ride. This one is way overpacked. Way,,,,, Overpacking can lead to trouble.
From last weekend. Just a two-day trip, and probably a little overloaded. Like you said in the OP, I think leaving the tank bag behind is silly - it's just handy for so many things. I'm still figuring this all out, though. I hoteled, so no camping gear.
I used the Givi about half the time I went on trips. Otherwise I just used the rack to tie stuff down on.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffconlin/862751716/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1168/862751716_a348e93950_b.jpg" width="1024" height="681" alt="looking back" /></a> "Road" ready? That's the setup for my current cross country trip. Winds up being about 5 days worth of clothes, laptop, camera, tools and misc stuff in the Jesses. Tent, sleeping bag, and cold/raingear in the Ortleib/BMW duffel. Tankbag is for documents, notes, flashlight, knife, and holding the GPS and XM when I'm away from the bike.