Touring Weight?

Well, you can dump a load of tools to bring the 5kg of tools down. That's for certain.

Agreed. What do you guys' touring tool kits weigh? How "light" can I realistically make it?

Do you really need to carry three (possibly six?) litres of fuel in Western Europe, all the time? It can't be for your stove, as that runs on gas canisters. Need petrol for something else? Syphon some out of the fuel tank or put a spigot tap into fuel line.

Nope, not all the time. Just while on TET sections.

Do you really need to carry three (possibly six?) litres of water all the time? Half of your time you are in B&B's who, if nothing else will have water, surely?

Nope, not all the time. Just while camping.

Do you really need a bike cover, even a light one? The bike won't suddenly evaporate if the sun shines on it or rust away if it rains. Chuck it and save a kilogram

Cover is to keep curious eyes off my stuff, not rain or sun.

What's with the drone thing? I looked it up.... 300g or a third of a kilo... and you are getting worried that the whole lot weighs too much? Save yourself 300g of anguish by leaving the flying thing at home

I want drone footage of some of my trip. So I have to bring a drone. Simple.

Final drive oil? Why? See engine oil, below

Engine oil? Why? They sell it - and make it - in Western Europe. Buy a bottle if (and only if) you need some

Agreed. I was thinking of convenience - if I have some, I won't be screwed when I need some emergency oil on a Sunday, or during siestas, or at night... :augie I was in two minds whether to bring the oils anyway.
 
16 year old bike, 3000-4000km trip, no tools? Not even cable ties and gaffa tape? :nenau
 
Tools :- enough to fix a puncture, plus a few cable ties and just a few tools. Couple of kilo's max.

Clothes wise, i save up used tee shirts and underwear and take a pair for each day. At the end of the sweaty day I bin them.

We all take too much on tour first time. Second trip was an improvement but not by a huge amount. You can always buy stuff on the road.

Dont fret too much, the basics will do.

Saying that when I camped I did overload. Hotels etc you can manage just fine with panniers and a top box .
 
Two weeks touring with my darling wife , i get the sensibly packed small 38 litre pannier for all my clothing and walking gear , spare oil for the bike and bits and bobs, she gets the 42 litre (jump on the lid to shut it ) pannier for her clothes, the top box contains my toiletry bag and the bike docs plus the computer tablets AND her large Makeup bag, even larger toiletry bag and another bag full of various pills/potions and essential stuff .

Weighed the panniers once and then was so shocked of the weight I haven't bothered since .

If i go away solo the top box and the panniers are all less than 1/2 full
 
Only take the tools you know how to use. I've seen guys with what seems like a snap on tool chest tucked into their panniers and 90% of them are useless or they didn't have a clue what they were looking at.

Does your bike use oil now? If not, don't take any and as Wapping says, buy if you need to along the way.

Keep your clothes to a minimum. Remember you are in riding kit all day and then light clothes at night. Use merino wool/technical stuff which doesn't need washing so you can wear it day after day. There are laundrettes everywhere and you wash your clobber at a campsite B&B. I do trips up to 9 weeks stateside every year and only take 5 days worth of clothes and it works well. Most trips I only have a roll bag but we aren't camping.

Speak to a touring cyclist and see what they take. They seem to be able to pack clothes and camping gear into a couple of miniscule side bags.

You will take too much first time but will learn lessons for your next trip and don't worry about teh weight as teh GS will take it. I mean, who teh feck is going to weigh it?

You'll be wishing you had left most of it behind when you are struggling along the TET with an overloaded bike:D
 
I was in two minds whether to bring the oils anyway.

Get yourself into one mind, by leaving the oils at home

Cover is to keep curious eyes off my stuff, not rain or sun.

The world (even Spain and France) is not full of thieves. Nobody is going to steal your stuff. If you fear that they are, you have forgotten to add the weight of the bloody great Almax chain and its padlock, you’ll doubtless be carting about, too. And never forget that pound of butter in the fridge

What do you guys' touring tool kits weigh? How "light" can I realistically make it?

Very, if you just take a screwdriver

Suggest you lay out all the 5kg of tools / parts you plan on taking and ask yourself how many of them you really think you’ll need and why during your holiday. When you’ve discarded the ones that you are only taking because they are shiny or because you think you’ll need to split the third gear out, half way up a stinking hot dried up river bed on the TET, return to the forum with your list for critical analysis
 
Only take the tools you know how to use. I've seen guys with what seems like a snap on tool chest tucked into their panniers and 90% of them are useless or they didn't have a clue what they were looking at.

Does your bike use oil now? If not, don't take any and as Wapping says, buy if you need to along the way.

Keep your clothes to a minimum. Remember you are in riding kit all day and then light clothes at night. Use merino wool/technical stuff which doesn't need washing so you can wear it day after day. There are laundrettes everywhere and you wash your clobber at a campsite B&B. I do trips up to 9 weeks stateside every year and only take 5 days worth of clothes and it works well. Most trips I only have a roll bag but we aren't camping.

Speak to a touring cyclist and see what they take. They seem to be able to pack clothes and camping gear into a couple of miniscule side bags.

You will take too much first time but will learn lessons for your next trip and don't worry about teh weight as teh GS will take it. I mean, who teh feck is going to weigh it?

You'll be wishing you had left most of it behind when you are struggling along the TET with an overloaded bike:D


+1:bow:bow:bow

In riding to our offices in Europe only ever used - Gaffer tape, screwdriver, and puncture repair kit. For everything else there has been Mastercard and BMW warranty card (other credit cards available). Weight = petrol and makes bike harder to ride over the day plus hassle leaving on bike and worrying if taking into B&B etc.
 
A good tip regarding clothing from my wife, if you can't wear all the clothes you're carrying when it gets cold then your carrying too much :eek:
 
Long time since any of my tools were shiny.

DIY is cheaper than Visa, so if it's something I can fix, I'd rather do it than pay for it.

Clothes are light and few. Plenty of time hiking and camping means I'm happy with my clothing choices.

I guess I'm just gauging if the overall weight of my rig is way over typical or average. Seems to me it's not.

Probly could take 5-10 kg off, but that's still a heavy rig...
 
Long time since any of my tools were shiny.

DIY is cheaper than Visa, so if it's something I can fix, I'd rather do it than pay for it.

Clothes are light and few. Plenty of time hiking and camping means I'm happy with my clothing choices.

I guess I'm just gauging if the overall weight of my rig is way over typical or average. Seems to me it's not.

Probly could take 5-10 kg off, but that's still a heavy rig...
'Rig' - Really?
 
LEFT PANNIER - 15-18kg?
  • 38l pannier - 5kg
  • Stove (Primus Express Spider - they don't come much smaller or lighter) & gas - all stored inside my 1l pot.
  • Plastic plate, mug & spork.
  • Camping food. Buy it as you need it as it's heavy
  • Laptop (in neoprene sleeve) & storage - I'll be video recording the trip, and will be dumping SD card content in the evenings. Exrea SD cards are cheap
  • Drone camera (DJI Spark - again, about as small & light as they get).
  • Spares, puncture repair kit, air pump.
  • Rain jacket & pants. Use waterproff bike clothing
  • 1l bottle of engine oil, maybe a bottle of transmission / FD oil. Ahem
  • 3l canister of water or petrol. Use a back pack bladder

RIGHT PANNIER - 23kg
  • 45l pannier - 6kg.
  • 2-man tent (Vango Mistral 200 - 4kg).
  • Sleeping bag (Snugpak Jungle Bag) & Exped SynMat 9LW mat - 2kg.
  • Folding camp chair (Aldi special - can't stretch for now to the smaller & lighter Alite MayFly I'd like) - 1kg.
  • Tarp (DD Basha 4m x 4m) - 1kg. Unnecessary
  • Light bike cover (Aldi special) - 1kg. Ahem
  • Tool roll - 5kg. I suspect I can significantly reduce that - there's a fair bit of doubling in there of certain tools.
  • 3l canister of water or petrol - 3kg. WTF

DRYBAG
  • Clothes.
  • Toiletries.
  • First aid kit.
  • Bike security.

TANK BAG
  • USB-rechargable stills camera.
  • USB-rechargable battery pack and/or jump starter.
  • USB-rechargable torch.
  • USB-rechargable shaver. WTF
  • USB cables.
  • Documents.
  • Tripod WTF
  • Multi-tool.
  • Glasses.
  • Sunglasses.
  • Maps.
  • Snacks. Buy them en route
.

Some ideas above.
 
No smiley for tongue-in-cheek - I find "rig" an amusing term to use.

So no-one carries extra fuel if riding routes like the TET?

I do use a hydration backpack, but I'll consume that during the day, so on camping days, won't I be glad of that 3L canister for cooking & washing?

Anyway, you fuckers are getting all sarky now, and I just wanted to know if my RIG'S weight in relation to GVWR was unusual.

Fuckers. :augie ;)
 
So no-one carries extra fuel if riding routes like the TET?

I do use a hydration backpack, but I'll consume that during the day, so on camping days, won't I be glad of that 3L canister for cooking & washing?

You said you're doing the easy bits of the TET on a GS so doubt you'll want for fuel.

Take a spare bladder then, so it folds down flat when you're not using it ..... fucker :D:D
 
So, now we have got:

Many less tools
No tarp
No extra fuel
No extra water
No bike cover
No engine oil
No final drive oil
No extra stuff carted about for days on end but bought locally instead, on a day to day basis only as needed

Now look at what remains and start jettisoning some more. Repeat at will.
 


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