Packing for this trip, I did a sort of triage. I categorized things as "Necessities," "Comforts," and "Luxuries." Necessities were packed without question. Comforts were given careful scrutiny. Luxuries were eliminated.
Before you ask, yes, Buddy was a necessity.
I estimate that I am carrying 40-50 lbs. of gear.
The three coast-to-coasters we met are even more minimalist than I am. They were riding with rear panniers, none on the front, and handlebar bags. Their tent was tiny and they seemed to be getting by with space blankets. People define "necessity" differently.
BJ started with about 70 lbs. of gear. He whittled that down by 5 lbs. or so when he ditched, among other things, an 8 inch adjustable wrench. I will confess that I have benefitted from BJ's penchant to carry too much stuff. I have used his spare cables, housing, and cutters.
On the other hand, BJ admits that we would have been OK without those things. We could have limped along until we found replacements.
I suppose that even my spare tire is a "comfort" rather than a necessity. When I had my blow-out, I could have cash booted the tire temporarily.
Cash boot? Oh, that's when you fold a dollar bill into a worn tire as a temporary patch.
As a teenager I once did a week-long pack trip at Philmont (a "famous" scout camp in New Mexico). The ranger in charge of our group made us empty our packs before departing, and then came along and said 'you won't be taking that, and that, and that -- it was a good lesson in minimalism, well appreciated.
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