+1. I tend to go for multi-week expeditions and so carry a bit more gear (my pack weight is around 20 kilos). Ive been using a 50L GiantLoop plus a 30l top bag (only half full) which is ample space but it carries the weight somewhat high. I'd love a pack that can expand to 70L but with most of that space below the saddle-line.
Personally, I think the 610 is the wrong bike for that sort of thing. You lose all the bike's great advantages by loading it down like that. But of course we all have different priorities and preferences. I specifically didn't want to go the pack-horse route. The longest trip I've been on with my kit so far is 4 days away. But I should be able to do longer trips because the only extra things I need to last longer is food and water, and you can buy those as you go along.
Nice. That may convince me to upgrade my sleeping pad. The size of the thermarest wasn't an issue on the Sprint ST. But I'd like to keep the weight and size of my gear on the TE to minimum. I would need the insulated version in my climate, but still would pack to less than half the size of the thermarest I have, and looks to be more comfy. Win.
Make sure you look at pad R-value, the Klymit pad is pretty low (1.3). Also check out the Exped or BigAgnes insulated pads (R 6-8) if you're in a colder climate. .
Hi Alan - For a four day trip, your setup looks super - you could go even lighter. I usually travel with just two polyprops / socks / underwear and shorts, and wash one, wear the other. I agree that lighter is always more fun. For longer trips, my experience is that, going from desert to mountain to rainforest you encounter a lot of weather variation, from heat waves or extreme cold to thunderstorms or even snow, and you can't always plan around bad weather. So I pack a thermal layer (heated jacket and gloves), a gortex waterproofing layer, and carry a 3.5 season tent, mat and sleeping bag (Dynobob mentions R-value, my mat is 3.8 and I am still sometimes cold in the mountains). Fatigue is also problem, and on hot days I go through a lot of water. I used to carry stuff in my backpack - I notice that you put your spare tube, medical kit, tyre irons, chain breaker, spark plug, jumper cables, leatherman, clutch lever etc. in your backpack. I put all those things in my luggage, and reserve my backpack for just water. My hydration pack is 3L and I carry an extra 1L in my luggage too, and when crossing desert I use more. Finally, on longer trips I have to do oil changes, chain lubes and repairs on the road - so I pack an oil filter, spare bulb, WD 40 and chain lube and a few other parts. A few snacks and grub and that quickly adds 10 kilos to the luggage. As to whether the 610 is the right bike for that type of setup - I can't think of a bike I would rather go adventuring with. Even with all that gear, it still packs down pretty well, and its a load of fun to ride.
Firstly have to say that looks like absolute heaven in terms of riding country I ride most weekends, but only do about 400km max on a ride. I have a small backpack that is prepacked with all the stuff I need to carry on short rides, with all the stuff you listed, including 3litres of water. I carry that backpack on all rides. I don't re-pack it into another bag on a trip away. It goes with me everywhere and I'm completely used to it. As far as weather goes, in South Africa we are blessed with probably the best weather in the world, in most places, summer is not too hot, and winter is not too cold (although it can get down to freezing temperatures in winter on the Highveld). But we don't really worry too much about bad weather, the way other countries might. For us bad weather is some clouds and a bit of rain, or some frost . So I understand that you may need to carry more. Although if you go to Lesotho - which is very nice riding - its very high altitude (3000m odd), it can snow any month of the year and temperatures can down to properly low figures, well below freezing. But I still maintain that one needs to strive for minimum packed sized and low weight. As I said, if you spend some time on the ultra-light hiking websites there are a lot of good ideas and info available on how to keep weight and packing space down, even in quite bad weather. And lastly - the 610 is a fantastic bike for getting away I agree, but I'm paranoid about putting on unnecessary weight! BTW, as bushwa mentioned, There is an insulated version of the Klymit Static V (R value of 4.4), alternatively you can look at the Thermarest Neoairn Xtherm, but that's quite pricey.
