Drop the pounds ... Time to go on a diet ...

.... ..

I'm taking my Kermit Chair!

Camping ...
10x12 Tarp and rope
Ground cloth
Sleeping bag appropriate to the season
sleep sack to extend the range of the sleeping bag
3/4 length pad

Eats ...
Stove ... whisperlite dual fuel
small aluminum bottle (refill from bike)
soup packages
single serving coffee
water bottle

Light ...
LED headlamp

That will do

It's been a great day of riding - fabulous country, stuff you've never seen before. Tired, cruising down the trail between the tall trees, the front goes right in the rut when it should've gone left.

Stopping the gas flow, life blood, is done. Now what?
He, he...you can't pick the fcker back up, can you?

Clothes for seven days, freshies each day? Are you serious?
A full liter bottle of Brute cologne?
Cotton beach-size towel with silk screened Mickey's face?
Two page foldout of intructions for the condo tent?

9, 11, 12, 15 and 16 mm sockets and wrenches in the sets that will never be used?

An hour to repack and ride again?

Sure, no reason to ditch that old Playboy, but jeez....

I'm kinda pissed.
Maybe it's the winter weather, but I haven't been able to find some Tyvek at any of the construction sites going on in my area.

Good points

I made that mistake in Mexico last year ... too much stuff.

High tech clothes are nice though, as they sooooo light.

Ride gear, extra compression shorts, one whitey tighty, T, extra sox for riding, tevas, shorts

that 'll do, assuming one is headed south ... more needed for north

I forgot to mention above that all I want when camping is something to warm my belly. I try and eat the big meal at noon.

How do you drop the pounds if your riding for multi years through weather from snow to tropical weather

Hey, I want to ask a simple question here.

Why do people buy titanium pots when AL non-stick jobbies are avalable at Wally and don't weigh squat? Well? Huh?

FedEx

And my cool aluminum folding table!

I'm sticking this one to the top, as Geode is on a good subject for what trip planning is about. Less **IS** more.

Everyone has a realistic threshold of comfort. Everything you carry beyond that is an anchor.

If you slit the middle, they make great evaporative coolers for those hot days on the road or trail.

Exactly. It depends on the place. In the desert offroad, I travel super light, needing not much more than a tarp or space blanket, a pack of tortillas, a bic lighter, and a sixpack. Wouldn't work well for the Sierras.

There's the must haves, and the didn't needs. And in between is the decision of what, based on where.

You can't fedex into a lot of countries and expect to have the stuff arrive:huh

1. Go on a trip, packing how you normally would.

2. When you come back, carefully sort through your gear.

3. EVERYTHING you did not use on that trip, think VERY carefully about carrying it next time.

4. Cut down on the amount of room you have to carry gear on your bike. Intentionally use the smaller panniers, or leave off the giant tail bag. This will force you to cut weight.

5. Don't leave stuff "packed and ready" on your bike between trips. This makes useless stuff accumulate in your bags. Pack fresh each time.


Good luck!

For those really looking to lose weight and maintain comfort, I can not recommend my buddy the Corroded Archer's website enough. He comes at it from perspective of a seasoned white water kayak explorer, but is also light minded on his DRZ. He's got the science down to an art, and each river trip I take with him, I learn something new. I've never been more impressed than when observing his level of comfort on a multi-day trip with just 7 lbs of "extra" gear.

http://www.earthenexposure.com/kayaking/home.htm


Specifically, I recommend the sleeping system section, shelter, stove and food.

I've been on a repacking kick, rethinking my junk and also learning what forgotten biohazardous stuff has been residing in (but never used) my gear bag.

My Dirt Bagz carry the spares and tools. These live on my bike, rarely ever removed. I can't do anything about this stuff other than maybe carrying just one tube rather than two, replacing steel tools with AL, and exchanging the qt size bottle of 90wt chain lube with a small spray can. So, at this time, I'm not messing with this kit. It is what it is.

The only difference in my packing, whether it's a 5 mile run across town or a very long trip, is the MotoFizz bag I throw on the rear rack. This is something I can change, at least what goes inside. Finally, mostly helped by getting a new tent, I can now pack everything inside the MotoFizz, still non-expanded. Even the soft sided cooler is folded and under the top flap of the bag.

There's plenty of room left in the Dirt Bagz and they are kind of a catch-all for me - paperback, water, food, camera, etc - with easy access. Even though the MotoFizz has the convenient slide clips for mounting, I still thow a couple of long bungees around it. The bungees are also handy for securing the rain cover and a loaded cooler.

The packed MotoFizz, with all camping gear, cooking stuff, laptop and things I need for long trips, weighs in at about 35lbs. One handle to grap, one bag to strap...bang, out the door, gone. Yeah, I could go lighter, but for now, I ain't giving up the air mattress and its 12v pump.

Bob,

Do you have the small, medium, or large?

The large. It's about the same size as the medium expanded, but has a much larger D-shaped zippered opening.