Someting to consider is that "weight" is not - or should not be (IMHO) - a "be all and end all" consideration. Equipment functionality & durability are at least as important considerations as weight is for me. I don't want to have to be repairing, purchasing and/or re-purchasing a tent or a tarp because I went with material that was too thin to handle day after day use, for instance. Thin material requires more care than thicker material and generally doesn't last as long, even with care - at least not in my experience. (Lesson learned the hard way as a backpacker.)
Otoh, multi-use items can help keep weight down. For example, some people swear by "sporks" while the few extra ounces involved in carrying both a spoon and a fork are worth it to me. You won't catch me dead with a spork - well, maybe then.
50 pounds all up without food or water was VERY common from the mid-60s thru the mid-90s. Better/lighter materials and more books&publications showing how to do more with less on hiking, backpacking and bike touring trips may have lowered the average loads carried by some people since then. But few of these articles/publications really distinguish between global and US trans-continental weight loads - that is, they don't say things like, expect to be able to buy this for this trip and not have to carry that for that trip. At least, very few of the books, articles and pubs make such comparisons very clearly.
FWIW, I'm in the midst of planning a 9month to 1 year partial perimeter ride of the US and expect that my all-up weight w/o food&water will likely be in the 35-45 pound range. At least 10lbs of that is pannier/bag weight which I'm sure causes people like Pete Staehling (sp?) to choke as he reads that. But my choice of bags fits my organizational style, so it works for me and I don't expect to regret it (except on super-long or super-steep hills on days even dogs search for shade rather than chase me/bikes).
YMMV.
Added: BTW, I have nothing but respect for Pete and his method of "going lightweight". It's just a different perspective than mine.
Last edited by dual650c; 09-18-14 at 07:55 AM.