Now that we have stat priority...

[Dar]

Ofcourse, if you're an elf with a below average strength, some weapons will put you to easilly managable. You can forget ... anything obsidian. Yeah, in my experience. Strength trumps agility in many many many aspects where combat is involved.

[Good Gortok]

That list looks almost completely identical to the one I made, with the exception that you're excluding the second most numerous race in the world. I also wouldn't want to keep almost all of my food and water on my mount where I could easily lose it. One gourd of water and three strips of dried meat will last you an IC day at most if the weather isn't mild. That's putting yourself at risk, as is wearing the lightest armor in existence. I have never claimed that it's impossible to travel light, but if you happen to be a human with below average strength, let alone an elf, you'll either be suffering encumbrance penalties or you'll be suffering equipment shortcomings.

[a strange shadow]

...and that is a bad thing?

One of the most enjoyable, heart-pounding experiences I've had was being lost in the desert with minimal equipment and a dead mount. Making it back to civilization felt like a real triumph and a story to pass around, instead of "oh, no big deal. I have three skins of water, a week's worth of food, a whole backpack full of everything I could possibly need under the sun, and sweet armor."

[Jingo]

...and that is a bad thing?

One of the most enjoyable, heart-pounding experiences I've had was being lost in the desert with minimal equipment and a dead mount. Making it back to civilization felt like a real triumph and a story to pass around, instead of "oh, no big deal. I have three skins of water, a week's worth of food, a whole backpack full of everything I could possibly need under the sun, and sweet armor."

Heh heh. I've done that before.

But honestly, my character learned after his first expierience.

[Clearsighted]

A "light" desert kit outfit would look more like this, IMO:

> Leather or reinforced sandcloth armor, with heavier pieces for the head and neck.
> Two main weapons, a couple backup knives, either a two-handed weapon or a bow, either a shield or a quiver.
> A skinning knife, a few throwing knives.
> A waterpouch/small drinking container for emergencies, a few pieces of dried meat.
> A cloak & veil/facewrap
> A few tablets, 250-500 coins, tickets, minor lightweight minutiae, a torch/crystal
> A backpack with rations, waterskins, climbing gear, extra lights, an extra bag, to be packed on the mount

Yeah. This 'does' look better then what Gortok mentioned. All you really need on you is armor (head/neck/wrists mainly, the rest not so important). Weapons+backup. Cures. A cloak. And enough water/food to be able to return back to the city/camp should shit hit the fan and you'd have to abandon your mount. If you're really scrapped for strength, you might even choose to keep your arrows on your mount. The bows tend to be expensive/rare to abandon with the mount, but arrows? Most of the time when you get to shooting, you have some time for preparation, so you'll be able to rearrange things. Not very comfortable, but if you're making sacrifices, yar.

Things are harder on delves though, since if they're planning to drag a mount after them, they'll have to sneak slowly or otherwise have the mount tired out. Buuut, eh. Delves got other things going for them that makes things easier.

All that said, I kind of like how things are right now. You dont 'have' to be in top shape all the time you travel. It's wiser sometimes, and sometimes too much of a nuisance. Up to your character's personality to see how careful is he. It also allows different preparations depending on what you're planning to do, going out. Are you going out on a hunt or even a manhunt? Are you just going from city to city, trading?

You're right, except that noone should ever have any pity for delves, /ever/.

Things should be even harder on them, than how they have it right now. And they only have problems with encumbrance when they're routinely setting on larks to the other side of the world from where their tribe is. Which of course, they're tempted to do since they can run there and back easier than a mount.

[rishenko]

...and that is a bad thing?

One of the most enjoyable, heart-pounding experiences I've had was being lost in the desert with minimal equipment and a dead mount. Making it back to civilization felt like a real triumph and a story to pass around, instead of "oh, no big deal. I have three skins of water, a week's worth of food, a whole backpack full of everything I could possibly need under the sun, and sweet armor."

Experiences like that are intensely fun.  I've had a number of those, especially with my current character. 

Regarding the list of necessary gear, so on and so forth, I tend to view this as I would women and purses (ignore the fact that this is a very broad, very sweeping generalization, so don't bitch at me Bebop or I'll strangle you with my bare fucking hands... <3):

If a woman buys a small purse, she can cart around everything she needs, but not necessarily everything she wants.  So what does she do?  She buys a larger purse.  Suddenly she is...carting around everything she needs, but not necessarily everything she wants.  So what does she do?  She repeats the goddamned cycle until she is carrying the equivalent of a briefcase around with her and yet -continues- to bitch that it's not enough.

It's never enough.

Bringing this full circle to Armageddon, try playing a character for several ig years who has no apartment nor anywhere to store their things.  That character will learn to travel light, consider the importance of everything they own and only keep that which is extremely valuable to them or their survival.  However, give said character an apartment or other place to stay or store things and they will suddenly become flustered because they are running out room, can't carry it all with them, bitch constantly about it all getting stolen, and finally argue, vehemently, that everything they own is vital to their life and well being.

So, if the character is roughing it, icly they would or should recognize the need to travel light and only with the basic essentials.  They would plan ahead, take what they need with them and include waypoints for gathering more food or water, seeking shelter, rest, so on and so forth.  They would, or should, know the animals in their path along the trip and be prepared to either skirt them, run like hell, or lay down some massive ass kicking should the need arise