Heh. Hope you're not being sarcastic. Actually I get the same thought when I look at how much some people carry on their bike. Like, four panniers?

Granted, I'm not the most minimalist traveler I know, but I keep trying to improve. I do recall one time taking a kayaking trip with a few other guys. I carried the least of any of us. One day one of the guys says, "Hey, I don't suppose any of you have a scissors, do you?" I reached into one of my bags and gave him a pair of scissors. He says to me, "Jamie, you carry less than all of us, but whenever we need anything, you have it!"

I took that as a compliment.

I have to say that I rarely stay in one place for more than a night, and if I do, it's usually a place where I've gotten a room, or in a few cases a palapa, or maybe I'm staying with friends somewhere and I'm planning to be off the bike during that time. If I'm exploring trails, I pack up my camp in the morning and head out because I never know where I'll end up by the end of the day. I can appreciate having an unloaded bike, but I just don't want to leave my stuff unattended for a bunch of reasons.

I've never had sopping wet riding gear in my tent. I wear rain gear over my riding gear when necessary, and on the few occasions I've made camp in the rain, I take off my rain gear and roll it up, or leave it draped over my bike, and then I get into my tent wearing my otherwise mostly dry gear.

I have found that in a two-man tent, I can lay out my sleeping pad, fold up my riding gear, helmet, jacket, boots, and the few other small belongings I need for the night, and there's plenty of room. When I camp with my solo tent (which also doesn't have a vestibule), I do end up laying half on top of my gear and it's a little tight. That's why I usually use a two-man tent on my bike.

It's clear that most people like to have that extra space. Kind of like a porch or mud room on your house. And garage and attic. But I just don't need all that space, and to me it just gets in the way.

What I find curious is that not a single tent manufacturer anywhere in the world that I can find makes a good quality, light-weight, three-season, self-standing tent which doesn't have a vestibule. I do have a mid-level tent that meets those needs, but I've been looking for one that is a bit lighter and packs a bit smaller.

Thanks for all the insight. I rarely travel with others, so it's interesting to see how others do it. I'm always looking for better way to do stuff. Incremental improvements.

Jamie