Does anyone else approach things the same way?
Yes, to a degree.
I do tend to pack for purpose, meaning what I take changes dramatically depending on the tour I have planned, duration, where (geographically), when (seasonally), and availability of resupply along the way.
Either I take two kitchen sinks or next to nothing. I've been very happy in both cases...
Sounds familiar to me, Pavel!
At the ultralight end of things is a long 300-400km day ride out, then back the same on the next day. Carrying a lightweight camping setup allows me to explore a little at the far end before making camp at night and again before returning the next morning. In this case, weight compromises speed and distance, so I go as light as I can. If pressed, I can even push this into a multi-day setup if I can find water.
I've managed to do this with as little as jersey pockets filled with energy bars and sleeping in my clothes under a mylar space blanket in summer, but it gets cold on mountain passes and I can count on shivering awake for good at 04:00, so not as much fun as it might be.
More typically, I can get by minimally with a Carradice Camper Longflap, augmented with my 8.5l Ortlieb handlebar bag if needed. Panniers and racks weigh more, so are not commonly included for this use. For this setup, I carry basics: Summer-weight down bag, minimal inflatable mattress, spirit or tablet stove and a cup to boil water, wind shell, light fleece or longsleeve jersey (depending on the season, mostly summer) and my tent.
At the other extreme is full-on expedition mode with racks for four panniers, HB bag, and perhaps my Extrawheel trailer to haul more water.
For me, water is always the single heaviest item to carry regardless of the journey's length. I prefer to carry it solely on the frame, but depending on where and when I go, I often have to carry more -- up to 26.5l, which is 26.5kg in weight *plus* containers. That's a lot of weight, but my camps are so often dry and riding in the desert or on mountain ridges where creeks and streams are in valleys far below, there's often little chance of finding a ready water source, so I must carry it.
...when I try to split it down the middle, somehow "neither fish nor fowl" works poorly for me.
Agreed. In-between these extremes is a mix of the two. What I carry depends on many factors and varies with every.single.tour. I find I am happiest when I can most closely match equipment to purpose and need. I'm getting better at it after nearly 40 years, but I still miss the mark from time to time. Because I am risk averse, being off-target generally means I end up carrying more than I need. I think of it as a "training bonus"!
I often reflect that at any given moment, I'm*not* using some 95% of what I carry. My ideal is to carry an inventory where by tour's end, I've used about 80% of what I haul with me, the remaining 20% being that irreducible minimum of what I "would really need in case of".
If I know where and when I'll be going and can plan in advance, then I'll be reasonably happy for the duration. The real challenge for me comes on longer trips where I must plan for greater variations and eventualities, and even those contingencies are addressed if I simply carry a more comprehensive kit. When the tour is in the middle of nowhere, then I must carry everything I need to be self-sufficient for the expected period plus an estimated safety margin in case of emergency. Going alone in places where I might expect to see a car once every 2 weeks to 6 months, I need a bit extra in case I sprain an ankle or fall. In the case of my 4 months-long double crossing of Europe, weather was the real variant. At the beginning and end of the tour, I awakened to morning temperatures of 3.3°C/38°F. In Serbia's two heat waves, temperatures were 43.3°C/110°F by 10:00 and 45.5°C/110°F for much of the day and with high humidity. I drank 8.5l of fluids on each of the hottest days, plus more for cooking. At times, I had high winds and days of rain, so rain clothing was needed as well as my sun jerseys. Fortunately, I'd packed with such variations in mind, so I did not find myself wanting at either extreme. At the coldest, I slept in my clothes with a silk liner in my down bag in my tent with fly. On the warmest nights, I slept in my underpants under my mesh tent canopy alone using only my silk bag liner.
I'm in the midst of (re)organizing my equipment lockers to make equipment selection easier. I've got a plastic storage box for stoves, another for pad/mattress options, a number of sleeping bags to choose from, and several options for my carry-along tool kits. Same for clothing by season and type. The idea is to "shop" my inventory to match each tour. The one thing that doesn't change is my tent! I've settled on a one-person model for all seasons and reasons, as mentioned above. I might go with an even lighter model that packs even smaller, but then durability can be compromised, and I want to get full value from my kit and investment by using it over a longer period. This is one reason why I avoid using lightweight panniers. One fall can be the end of them, and it is no fun trying to complete a tour with the remains duct-taped together. Been there, done that.
All the best,
Dan.
