While the Trek Émonda is as weight weenie as Trek gets, it can provide an apples-to-apples comparison between aluminum and carbon with basically the same geomet

While the Trek Émonda is as weight weenie as Trek gets, it can provide an apples-to-apples comparison between aluminum and carbon with basically the same geometry, wheels, bars, tires etc. My experience is that the carbon version feels significantly nicer. For bikepacking, I'm with you: A traditional steel frame (albeit one with discs), nice wide tires to eat up road chatter, and plenty of places to mount gear.