Gear list....more than I thought

Last year, on my tour on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) and C&O Canal towpath, I stayed at the hostel in Harpers Ferry on my last night.  Also staying at the Tea Horse Hostel were 5 hikers traveling the entire length of the Appalachian Trail.  Talking with them as a real eye-opener for all three of us riding our bikes.  I had about 60 pounds of gear with me for my 6 day ride from Pittsburgh.  Another rider who joined me on this ride had started in Chicago (!) and was carrying about 50# of gear.

The AT hikers were carrying 20-30 pounds of stuff for a 8 month hike.  I remember one of them, Gardener, had bought a TEEEEENY bottle of nail polish in town to do her nails.  It couldn't have weighed half an ounce.  She was having a terrible time deciding whether or not to take it with her when they left.  Their philosophy was, count the grams, and the pounds will add up.    Another hiker told me that if he didn't use it for 2 days, he probably didn't need it.  He was mailing home a mosquito face net because he didn't think he would need it.  It probably weighed 2 grams.

This winter, I spent some time reading up on ultralight backpacking and learning their tricks.  One thing they recommend it to weigh everything and look for places to save a gram or two. So I did.  here's the list:

item	weight oz.
tent (Eureka spitfire)	46
sleeping bag (Fleece Liner)	19.3
mattress (Neo Air)	24.6
shorts
shirt (Under Armor)
cook pot (Grease Pot, foil lid)	3.2
stove (soda can)	0.3
tent stakes (4 ti)	1.2
bic lighter	0.4
matches	0.3
rain jacket (Gander Mountain)	12.6
flashlight (Photon keychain)	0.4
kindle touch	7.4
phone (HTC Incredible)	4.9
5 phone batteries	4.4
charger/cord	1.9
inflatable pillow	6
small bar soap	1.2
toothbrush	0.2
toothpaste, small tube	0.7
shamwow towel	3
disposable razor	0.3
Leatherman Squirt	2
p38 can opener	0.3
rope (nylon cord)	1.4
sunscreen (small bottle)	2
chapstick	0.3
bugspray	2
ti spork	0.5
bungee (on rack)	1.7
lock (small masterlock cable)	9.7
spokes (6)	1
chamois buttr (5 packets)	2
toilet paper	1
wipes (packet)	2.2
First Aid Kit	2
powdered laundry det.	3.5
glasses	0.8
earbuds	0.4
emergency blanket	2
water purification (AquaMira)	1.3
deodorant (travel size)	1.5
panniers (LL Bean)	48
trunk pack (Nashbar)	18
maps	2.5
Digital Camera (Kodak EasyShare c1505)	4.8
Total oz.	249.2

I was pretty proud of myself for having a base weight of 15-16 pounds.  This doesn't include food, water and fuel, which are usually not counted.  Today I packed everything into the panniers, plus 5 days of dinners and breakfasts (dehydrated food).  I hopped on the scales with the gear, and it really did come out to about 16 pounds.  Then I put it on the bike...

The bike was noticeably heavier in the back.  Think about it.  Unloaded the bike is about 25#.  I've added another 2/3 of it's original weight.  All of it on the back.  On a loaded touring bike, usually you try to distribute the weight between the front and back wheels, with more in the front, when possible.  This isn't to save the wheels, it's for stability.  There is a potential for the front of the bike to shimmy at high speeds when the weight is all on the back like this.  How fast is high speed?  Oh, I'd say 30 mph ought to do nicely (see yesterday's post and video).