Touring weight

[Gravity Aided]

A few extra spokes always come in handy, and a good sized piece of aluminum flashing to block a bit of wind when using the Trangia with the triangle.

 

[Blue Hills]

Only one point I can add - take some gaffa/duct tape and a few cable ties. Never mind the weight - one day you will bless it. You can temporarily fix anything with them from a tent pole to a pannier to a frame tube and before anyone says anything no you really aint always near a bike/camping shop wherever you tour

duct tape truly is wonderful stuff, but how would you fix a broken frame tube with it?

 

[willem]

Apart from your painting stuf and the extra weight of the larger tent, lightweight kit would be about 12-15 kg. A decent touring bike should handle an extra 10 kg without problems, even if it will be harder work, and even if the bike's handling will be more sluggish, of course.

 

[roundisland]

Thanks for all the replies very helpful. I will be riding my surly disc Trucker I like the bike very much but quite hevey.

 

[Brains]

4 days or 4 months, it does not make any real difference in weight/what you take
Just ensure you do a three day/two night test run before you go, as it will tell you what you can leave behind

For a multi night trip with camping/cooking gear I aim for 10KG, but usually end up closer to 14kg,
You really don't want to go over 15kg including water/tools and painting gear

 

[roundisland]

Thanks Brains that's the weight limits I'm hoping to stay within. I will certainly be doing a couple of shake down runs before the off. Advice appreciated.

 

[hopless500]

Thanks mark interesting to know how much you carry. Is there a consensus of the average touring weight of kit not including the bike? I'm guessing around 12kg??

For me it's about half a tonne. I always pack the kitchen sink but find I have room to squeeze bottles of beer into odd gaps

 

[Gravity Aided]

I used to find, even when I was younger, and also on a 4130 bike at the time, that about 15 kg was the upper limit, as it weight above that cut into my speed and stamina drastically. As well as the ability of my tires to hold up or wheels to not break spokes at times. Luckily, tents and cooking gear are much lighter. I still have luggage and diet scales to weigh things out by the gram. You'd be surprised at what sort of weight you can save across a touring load. Good judgement and cold calculation will net you a lighter load. It is worth the time, and significant trouble it takes, to set up a spreadsheet of your camping gear, and its' weight, so that for this, and any future tours, you can have that information right at your fingertips.