jfgorham@... wrote:

>The list has been pretty quiet. Have we said all there is to say?
>
I sure hope not. My guess is that winter is not a great time to talk
about touring.

>So what is the goal of going ultralight as opposed to loaded? I'm not sure
that to me it isn't more about simplicity than the actual weight itself. All of
my tours of more than three days have so far been "fully loaded," so now I'm
working to reduce that load, but have some contingency for problems that may
arise (mainly weather and mechanical issues) AND stay within my means. It also
means taking what I want to take, although it might not be a practical (Ok, it
was a banjo). Over on the iBoB list, Kent pointed to Jeff Potter of
OutYourBackdoor, who writes about this on his website at:
http://www.glpbooks.com/oyb/article.php?id=328
>
Originally, when we started this list, the idea is my mind was to go out
touring on my racing bike. The "goal" was to not have to buy a touring
bike capable of handling 60lb loads. All the touring I have done has
either been CC touring or very well planned mailing of boxes full of
stuff. The former is too expensive, the latter is susceptible to all
sorts of problems like weather and route commitment. I think all the
principles of ultralight backpacking apply to ultralight touring. One
of the things Im concerned with is manufacturers havent clued in yet.
Once your gear is all taken into account, in much the same way as 20% of
Ryan Jordan's carried weight is his shoes, a significant portion of the
weight touring is the rack and panniers. I have my pack weight down to
about 8 pounds. I hate to put on a rack and panniers that weigh more
than that.

>Here are some other folks with whom I feel some kinship, although they aren't
camping, they aren't bringing a ton of stuff either:
http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~akuta/doai.html These folk do alot of the kinds of
rides I most enjoy.
>
>
>
Ive thought about just carrying my pack on my back.. but I love "riding"
not carrying stuff so Im not sure how that would be. I think I may have
to load up my pack and go riding and just see how that is.

r