Ho Lee Chit, y'all carry a lot of stuff! You can get by with less. My tent, bag and pad weigh in at under 5 pounds. I'm going to Ushuaia in November using only 50l topcase in November.

You will be much happier and the bike will be happier if is isn't overloaded.

Give or take a few things...





20 + 35 + 31 + 27lt

How much does it all weigh?

No idea, have no scales. Probably around 25k and certainly under 40 excluding water and extra fuel. My sleeping equipment (thermarest, fleece liner, thermarest pillow) are bulky but very light. Tools, spoons and innertubes are pretty heavy, but everything else is fairly light. This is my first overland trip that I intent to camp, etc, so will no doubt make some alternations in a few weeks (or days!). I could have certainly reduced that by using things like a 2/3 length mat, no liner, no pillow, small 1-man tent, etc, but wanted to try and achieve a balance between comfort and weight/bulk.

Will let you know how it works out

The direct answer to your question has already been given. Low, forward and (often overlooked) as "tucked in" as possible.

Nothing wrong with your bike if you can handle it on the dirt. Mongolian dirt is vast and relatively easy. Until it gets wet, but everyone already knows that.

I would also reconsider all your gear though. As Molly said, there is always time to do this, and these days there are plenty of luggage options if you get to the point that you feel like you can change it. But you can still go ahead with your setup even with much less in it.

There seems to be a misconception that it's ok for an overland bike to feel like a beached whale. It's not. It "should" feel as close to riding it without luggage. That's the ultimate price. The soft adventure luggage industry is really young but working towards is really quickly.

My first trip was in 2005 and there was nowhere near as much available like there is now, so I had the same traditional setup as you have. That trip was still the best because everything was a novelty. But I always wished I had less stuff so I could ride it like a motorbike should be. Particularly in Mongolia.

I've moved back to my old rule. If I wouldn't take it hiking for 3 days, I won't take it on the motorbike. A similar rule applies to tools. If I don't use the tools on a standard service, or I could do a task with a tool I've used on another task but less convenient. I'd leave the dedicated tool behind. You can reduce you tool kit to fit in a litre milk carton.

Do you really need a self inflating mattress that's full of foam and thus bulky and heavy? Do you really need a 4 season sleeping bag, or could you sleep in a 3 season and on freezing nights wear your puff jacket and thermals. Do you really need a > 2.5kg tent or would a 1.5 kg trekking pole tent or shelter do. Do you really need a full kitchen kit for the few times you cook a 2 course meal, or would a 1 litre kettle or 1.5l pot do to cook a stew? do you really need jeans, 4 t-shirts and 10 undies?

These questions, IF the answer is not really, can help reduce your kit to a 50l setup + 10l water + tools. But it's all about what your expectations are. Nothing wrong with your current setup, it'll just be a hand full. Most people end up reducing their gear, so these forums can help bypass that for new comers so you don't have to think in a few year, "that would have been awesome on a lighter setup", or "I wish I could have done that route if I had a lighter setup".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igzj...vGbBnvmztnN6aQ

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

What he said. I have a 3 lb tent, 1 lb sleeping bag and a sleeping pad the weighs 8 oz and rolls to the size of a soda can. Weight is not the bugaboo it is in backpacking but sometimes weight and bulk go together. Water and fuel are very heavy so it pays not to carry it unless you really need it. I only carry extra fuel when I know I will need it, pick up discarded oil or antifreeze containers for the purpose and then discard them. I have a 1 l water bottle I use and a 2l Platypus container that get used for cooking but is usually carried empty.

Bulk is AS important as in backpacking/ hiking for the exact same reason. It makes everything much harden to maneuver.

Moment_of_inertia

The only difference is that is depends on how you intend to ride your bike. Highway, no problem. Single or double trail dirt, more so.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

you're absolutely right.
I've been on the road for the past 4/5 months now, with my setup. What I can say is I've realized quite early my mistakes, but still couldn't figure out what to keep, what to change, and what to dump. Then the dirt roads came, and more and more nights out for camping.
There was many stuff I just never used at all, and were sitting at the bottom of my bags for nothing. Even if they would have make my life easier, I just couldn't bother to get them out of the bag, and always found a solution to do without, or replace them by something more handy.

I also learnt by talking with other riders on the road how to reduce my toolkit, or optimize it.
I had a lot's of paper guidebooks. It now seems a strange idea, but.. i only got a smartphone in kazakhstan, never used one before, neither a tablet. And I realize now how handy it is, I have all my maps, guide books, and more in it. Battery life doesn't matter as I can plug it on my bike (usb).. whereas my laptop was useless after 2 or 3 days (battery).

I wanted a "big" bike, because I have this image of travellers who where ready to overload their bike to go further than anyone else could with smallers luggages. Nowdays, there are so many options to lighten the bike, that is image is no longer what an adventure bike should be.

I'm now trying a new option, with soft luggage, and all together, maximum 30-35 kg. Very few changes with my gear, but lot's of adjustments make a huge difference.

I will do a report with my organisation a bit later, as it was the first question of this topic

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Asie rider : https://www.asierider.com
now in south America !

New riders feel the pressure of the advertisers. It's an easy sell: Buy our new laser etched stainless unobtanium combined bash plate/heliograph/bird bath/ BBQ and avoid the risks of a leaking sump, loss of sunny day emergency communication with boy scouts, ability to wash your feathered (special) friend and lack of charred-raw gristle burger.


Empty space has no such comfort factor and as it's free must be worth every penny.


Read the Hubb and build up your kit rather than buying loads and getting rid as you go, leaves more cash for petrol.


Andy