am I the only one?

stormpriest1066 said:

OK, I know there is a large percentage of tourers who think weight is evil, I can concur in some regards, but I have always been a Clydesdale in the regard of my gear; I actually weigh about 12 stone, my bike how ever...
I do this all year round, as a result, I have learned that no matter the present season, pack for winter. What this translates to in equip. is; a canvas tent with wood stove (in the trailer with the mutt) wool clothes, cycling and civies, full kitchen including at least 2 liguid fuel stoves, upwards of a ga. of fuel for said stoves, Solio solar charger for the fone, 2 pairs of cycling shoes ( Keen spd sandals and Sidi dominators in spd) full set of tools, cuz, back me up here, WHEN, not IF something breaks, it's 20+ miles from any shop.upwards if not beyond a ga. of water ( having a dog changes yer limits pretty quik) and other supplies.
This whole thing ends up weighing anywhere from 160 lbs to 320 lbs. And to me, after the better part of 30 years is normal. AM I the only one?

I'll be you're one of the very few who haul around all that. I'll bet that the folks who ride around the world don't haul that much, and they likely face obstacle worse than you see and have bike breakdowns much more often than you. People can do exactly the same routes as you, in just as much comfort, with much less weight. As a bonus, riding with much less weight offers the advantage of speed to outrun or find shelter from weather. It can reduce the need for so much food and so much equipment. More importantly, riding with much less weight means the likelihood of having breakdowns is less, very possibly much less. 320lbs on a bike plus a rider is a big load which adds a lot of stress to a bike. 160lbs plus a rider on a bike is a big load and a lot of stress. There is no doubt that there are stoves way more efficient than a portable wood stove and way lighter. The same is true for the canvas tent. In fact, many modern tents are way more robust than a canvas tent in harsh weather. Oh, in the vast majority of the world, kg and lbs are what are used for mass and weight. It's okay to use those same units.

not true bout the tents, like I said, I have been on the move since June of '84, and with modern nylon etc tents have had to replace my equipment every 2 years, tents, sleeping bags, packs pannier etc,. a $1100 canvas tent made for Wiscon. winters is priceless in regards to knowng it'll still be there and functioning in 10, 20 or more years.
As to outrunning weather, I'm a native Oregonian, so long as where I sleep is dry, or can be made so, ( wood stove drying out the area before mats and blankets are set out) I really dont care what colour the clouds are, or where they are or their direction.
I dont have breakdowns any more often than anyone else, that comes with what ever quality you were willing to pay for, in regards to your bike, racks trailer etc, as well as your camping equipment.
And the 300 + lbs, is spread through the bikes' racks, pannier and the Blue sky cycle cart trailer I pull. Not all on the bike it's self..

I have never toured myself.... not yet. But I have thought about it. Although admittedly... I was thinking more like adventure or credit card touring. I regularly read about and look at the pictures of others tours here: crazyguyonabike.comcrazyguyonabike.comOpen ↗

stormpriest1066 said:

not true bout the tents, like I said, I have been on the move since June of '84, and with modern nylon etc tents have had to replace my equipment every 2 years, tents, sleeping bags, packs pannier etc,. a $1100 canvas tent made for Wiscon. winters is priceless in regards to knowng it'll still be there and functioning in 10, 20 or more years.
As to outrunning weather, I'm a native Oregonian, so long as where I sleep is dry, or can be made so, ( wood stove drying out the area before mats and blankets are set out) I really dont care what colour the clouds are, or where they are or their direction.
I dont have breakdowns any more often than anyone else, that comes with what ever quality you were willing to pay for, in regards to your bike, racks trailer etc, as well as your camping equipment.
And the 300 + lbs, is spread through the bikes' racks, pannier and the Blue sky cycle cart trailer I pull. Not all on the bike it's self..

I'd say you need to update your knowledge of tents, as quality nylon tents aren't nearly as fragile or short lived as you imply. I understood completely that the 300lbs isn't just on the bike but was on panniers and the like. That much is obvious. It doesn't matter to the bike, though. Interestingly you mention that you don't break down any more often than other people, and that can be read to say that other people don't break down any more than you, meaning that lighter weight stuff isn't the detriment you might think it is. In any case, it doesn't really matter because you're going to do what you're going to do anyway. You might find it interesting to learn just how durable today's cycling products can be, be those products nylon tents, aluminum or carbon fiber frames, or whatever.

Canvas tent does sound awful heavy. Some research into lighter tents may be in order.
I have a dome I got for free from a neighbor some years ago, wouldn't survive a WI winter, but works fine in NM April - Oct.
Pretty heavy at 12 lbs.
Outrunning weather?
Yeah... I'd like to see someone outbike a storm........