Overnighters are not overrated, jags!
If you put together a little SOL kit like mine, then you can do "casual overnighters" or Sub240s (Sub-24hour Overnighters) without much planning. Just keep several meals' worth of food and some stove fuel in your stores, and if you get "out there" too far from home to manage a return or just want to explore, simply set up camp and pretend a tour broke out.
I plan to start doing more of that this Spring. Instead of a 400K that is out-and-back, I will now have the option of 200-300K out and then explore a bit or take my time coming back the next morning instead of riding on through the night. So often I've gotten a good 200km or so from home and wished I could explore that area a bit more. Now...I can!
At 6-8lbs/2.7-3.6kg all-up for bivy-tent, pad, down bag good to freezing, my little pocket kitchen with .75oz/21g meths stove, some dried soups and energy bars and my sack of rain gear, I'm all set for a fine overnighter where I'll go to bed and depart warm, dry, and well-fed on hot food. If I leave the bulk of the gear packed in my rack pack, then all I have to do is velcro it on, toss a wind jacket and longsleeve jersey and tights in the HB bag, and I'm off for three seasons of the year here in the Valley and lower mountain elevations.
Even going out of an afternoon and enjoying Camp Life in the evening, listening to the mosquito hawks and night sounds before retiring to the little tent is a treat, then up early and back by 9AM is awfully hard to beat. "Best show (not on) television" is my motto.
All the best,
Dan. (...who encourages others to grab Life as they can; it goes past too quickly as it is!)
