Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

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davetb
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Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

Post by davetb »

Hi Every one
Have just read with interest the topic "My first tour….." And thought I would ask the following from the 'experts' here. How much does their gear weigh. Chris and I are about to go to France for about 4 weeks touring. We will be camping and using small hotels gites etc. We are not beginners in light weight camping, but haven't done any cycle touring for quite a few yrs and that was in YHA's; mainly doing multi day walks in the Alps with bivvy gear. We cannot carry the weight on our backs any more. Chris has her gear down to two 15 L panniers (weight app. 9Kg) and a small bar bag; I am carrying all the camping kit and have it down to two 28 L (I think) panniers plus bar bag. Weight at moment app 16Kg. Its the tools and spares take the weight up:O) Tent is lighter than 2 bivvy bags, one concession is a full thermorest for Chris! mine is a short one, and a jet boil. Perhaps I ought to say our combined age is 140+ :o) Well why not!
I would just like some ideas of weight to aim for without spending too much

Thanks Dave
Gearoidmuar
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Re: Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

Post by Gearoidmuar »

I don't camp, but I tend to tour with lots of stuff and my total weight (2 20L panniers and a bar bag and sometimes a saddlebag (for stove like Jetboil) would come to 35lb (heaviest) or down to 20lb. Lightest ever was 15lb.
bikerwaser
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Re: Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

Post by bikerwaser »

As you can see from my Blog :

http://biker-waser.blogspot.co.uk/
my total bike weight was 47kg.

my bike with just racks and mudguards is about 14kg
so that leaves 33kg
which a rough rundown shows :
1.5 litres of water 1.5kg
lock 1.5kg
porridge 1kg
tent 2.5kg
tools etc probably 1.5kg
so everything else would amount to roughly 22kg
not sure how much my panniers weigh

it soon mounts up.

have a great trip !

Bikerwaser
tatanab
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Re: Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

Post by tatanab »

Camping kit - decent sized 1-2 person tent (2kg), sleeping bag, mat, small cooking set.
Clothing, toiletries etc
Waterproofs including a girt big old heavy cape as well as a jacket.
Tools and spares
Lock
Maps (IGN 1:100,000 sometimes 10 sheets)
Bags

All this come to something like 30 lbs, say 14kg

The only difference between a weekend away and a month (in the summer) is that I might take slightly more clothes, but if I am cycling, cycling and cycling then sometimes I do not even bother to take civilian clothes at all. Clothing and toiletries take up about 3/4 of a saddlebag (I stress this is summer touring so everything is low bulk). The longest I've been away with this sort of set up is 4 weeks.

You say it is tools and spares that you are bothered by. My tools are confined to the right sizes of allen keys, a double ended screwdriver, a Swiss Army knife, a 2 tyre levers, puncture repair kit, chain tool, spoke nipple key (I find multitool devices simply too awkward to use except as a get you home quick fix, so I carry separate tools). Spares are 2 inner tubes, maybe 6 spokes total, a chain quick link, maybe 10 cable ties of various sizes, a rear gear cable and a rear brake cable.
Last edited by tatanab on 22 Aug 2014, 5:12pm, edited 1 time in total.
mercalia
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Re: Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

Post by mercalia »

I dont think its only the weight that u need to consider but the terrain-distance-weight matter. That was the other Daves lesson? I can quite happily pull my trailer with 6x5 litres of old engine oil to the recyle dump or my camping gear food and all for about 20-25 miles before I get a bit fed up. Regarding what you take is a matter of what you think you will need - chain easylinks, spokes. spoke key, cassette remover ( not whip nor lever - borrow one), maybe hex key for things like seat post, spare brake/gear cable, some rubber gloves, inner tubes, puncture gear, decent pump, small bottle of chain lube. Replace things like inner tubes, tyres or brake blocks before you go if rather worn & lube everything esp chain.
Last edited by mercalia on 22 Aug 2014, 5:33pm, edited 5 times in total.
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al_yrpal
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Re: Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

Post by al_yrpal »

My tours are always 2 weeks or less

Bike weight with lock, water mudguards and rack 15kg.

If credit card touring, panniers and bar bag weigh 11 kg

Camping equipment weight 5kg

If touring for 4 weeks probably an additional 2kg of extra clothes etc.

My weight clothed 82 kg.

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
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BeeKeeper
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Re: Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

Post by BeeKeeper »

davetb wrote:Hi Every one
Have just read with interest the topic "My first tour….." And thought I would ask the following from the 'experts' here. How much does their gear weigh. Chris and I are about to go to France for about 4 weeks touring. We will be camping and using small hotels gites etc. We are not beginners in light weight camping, but haven't done any cycle touring for quite a few yrs and that was in YHA's; mainly doing multi day walks in the Alps with bivvy gear. We cannot carry the weight on our backs any more. Chris has her gear down to two 15 L panniers (weight app. 9Kg) and a small bar bag; I am carrying all the camping kit and have it down to two 28 L (I think) panniers plus bar bag. Weight at moment app 16Kg. Its the tools and spares take the weight up:O) Tent is lighter than 2 bivvy bags, one concession is a full thermorest for Chris! mine is a short one, and a jet boil. Perhaps I ought to say our combined age is 140+ :o) Well why not!
I would just like some ideas of weight to aim for without spending too much

Thanks Dave


I think you have cut down both the weight and volume very well. When I first started I filled 4 panniers but have now got it down to two rear panniers, a frame bag and a bar bag.
PH
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Re: Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

Post by PH »

25kg between two of you is OK, not brilliant, but certainly not OTT. Your 16kg is about what I carry for solo touring, but adding another persons kit might not need to add 9kg, but these are not huge weights for touring with. When I was refining my kit, i reduced it too far and was uncomfortable, IME that being uncomfortable will spoil your trip far more than carrying an extra couple of kgs.
But I'd be surprised if you carried that much when walking, so where does the extra come from? When I walked I felt every gram in a way I haven't by bike, the danger is thinking, well it's only a couple of hundred grams and adding it, then before you know it it's several extra kilos.
Clothes can be a big weight saving, I don't have anything that can't be worn on as well as off the bike, and stuff you know is going to dry overnight is a bonus. The big advantage of two people sharing is the great weight savings by not duplication anything unnecessarily.
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Re: Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

Post by bikepacker »

I regularly tour for more than 4 weeks so my equipment list maybe of some help, you can find it here: http://www.bikepacker.co.uk/List.htm

Never weighed it so cannot answer that question.
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davetb
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Re: Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

Post by davetb »

Thanks Everybody, thats really useful. At least I know I am about right, but can always go less. Yes you are correct when walking we did carry less, but then we didn't intend staying (but did) in hotels, so clothing was a bit less and we didn't have any tools:o) However my tools and spares seem about right as well, perhaps one too many cables and cable ties & spokes, and I have 3 inner tubes so could take 2!
The extra clothing we have is one shirt & trousers for the very occasional meal out (silk shirt and paramo trousers for lightness) all the other gear will double up.
Small 2 person Terra Nova tent (but we are very friendly, even after 50yrs !
with footprint groundsheet.
3 season for Chris, 2 for me - down/pertex
very old original long thermorest for Chris & short light Gelert copy for me
silk liners for use in gites or if it gets cold
light easy dry towels - 1 each (oh dear!) & flannel each:o)
Emergency food & soups
Jet boil stove, 1 spoon each, sharp knife with tools, 1 cup & use cup on bottom of jet boil
I think thats it so shall look at washing gear etc and weight of some of the clothes, it will come down before we go, it always does:o) But when it doesn't go on your back it is tempting to put that extra in; thats why Chris insisted on only small panniers for herself, and I would not have front panniers; although I can see a good use for them in balancing the bike, smaller size front and back. unfortunately the big ones came with the bike, so being a skinflint I am using them!
Thanks again everyone, will look in again and see if there are any more answers over the next few days
Dave
davetb
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Re: Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

Post by davetb »

Thanks Bikepacker just looked at your lists, I think you have spent a bit more on gear than me, but otherwise very similar, except we both get cold these days. Wouldn't be without our fluffy jackets, as you say much lighter and fold down better than fleece.
eileithyia
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Re: Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

Post by eileithyia »

Never weighed kit, just took the minimum, or maximum that could just about be carried in the panniers. Quite honestly kit for a longer tour is no more than for a short one, in fact possibly less. On a short tour you do not want to waste time on washing kit, whereas on a long tour kit can be washed.
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simonineaston
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Re: Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

Post by simonineaston »

Go For It, Mr & Mrs DaveTB!! :D I hope you have a great time - I am off to France myself on the 31st, for just a week as a Quick Break before I start a new job. I was 59 this month.
My Big Weight Saving tip is to leave the cooking gear at home. I have never taken Cooking Gear with me when I go to France and so far, I've not regretted it. Brekkers is dealt with by a coffee or a choccie at the first cafe I pass that morning and patisserie from the first bakers, midday meal is a picnic of the sort of things that are available all over the place in France - bread, cheese, charcuterie, fruit, chocolate etc. and the evening meal is either eaten in a local restaurant in the nearest town or else more of the food I buy for the midday meal. This tactic works well in France, where local shops sell local produce - in particular, you can almost guarantee that every town or village you go through will have an excellent boulangerie/patisserie and regions like Brittany and Normandy are home to lots of cheap and decent places to eat, (although ironically the best restaurant bargains are the midday menu ouvrier, which aren't much help to cycle tourists - too much food and too much drink!). I accept that this tactic wouldn't work for everyone. Probably the biggest disadvantage is not being able to cook and eat a Good Hot breakfast, but I've never been a big cooked breakfast eater so I don't miss it - in fact no cooked breakfast means a faster, cleaner start in the morning. I look forward to the day's croissant aux almonds or pain raisin :-)
Total luggage packed for next week's trip is just under 10 Kg, inc. a tent/mat/sleeping bag combo - tools are restricted to: spare inner tube / mini puncture repair outfit, tyre levers, multi-tool and pump. I can send you the details of everything I'm taking, in a spreadsheet if you are really interested! :roll:
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
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BeeKeeper
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Re: Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

Post by BeeKeeper »

I've got a Jetboil stove but I don't think the standard cooking pot it comes with is big enough for two people. On my trip up the West coast of France with my brother I also carried the Jetboil saucepan which we could use for making pasta or couscous dishes. It is bulky but you can pack things inside it.
davetb
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Re: Weight of total gear for a 4 week tour in France

Post by davetb »

Thanks Simoneaston; What you said about food & cooking was our first choice, and then I got cold feet:o) I think we will most probable return to it. As you say in France it is so easy. Always found supermarkets provide really good nice cheap meals also. I think you have increased our resolve, thanks. Our last long walk a few yrs ago, Via Tilman in the Dolomites, we didn't take any cooking gear just some muesli & honey, and ate when we passed a suitable place & once when they were not serving until 8pm just waited and then walked off into the hills to bivvy; woken in the morning by some early climbers:o) Have a great trip yourself as well.
Beekeeper (we had bees for several yrs) I have a jetboil pan which I always take on canoe/kayak trips (no real problem with weight) and it does work really well, but am trying to cut down this time to the bare min for two oldies! so that we really enjoy ourselves without going over the top on spending out during the trip.
I have another question which I will post now, then I think that will be all and we will just go:o) Will look in again of course because this has all been very helpful thanks. Dave
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