@Robert
A Project Template will not only package whatever layers you have in your table of contents, but it will also package the data source as well (instead of just a layer that links to the source data).
For instance, I have a custom basemap that I created with the Business Analyst USA national data, that I use as my basemap. If I have that basemap included in my Project when I export the Project Template, it attempts to bundle my entire basemap dataset into the project template! Changing the different settings in the Project Template pane does not make any difference. It will always bundle whatever data you had loaded into the Project Template, instead of linking it (like it should)... This shouldnt be happening (is it a bug?). Ideally, the project template should only bundle the layer that links to the source data - not bundle the entire source dataset as part of the template!
Whereas in ArcMap, I can create a .mxd (as my template file) with the custom basemap already loaded, and can reuse that file over and over - the basemap data stays LINKED (obviously). Now, in Pro, you cant do this with Project Templates (which is really too bad and reduces the functionality we had in ArcMap). As a work around, I dont include my basemap in my Project Template, and instead have to manually load and configure my custom basemap every time I start a new project... Cumbersome to say the least.
Also there is a bug with the Project Template that causes your Project Folder connections to have wrong paths after saving out a Project Template and re-loading it into a new Project. You have to manually fix these every time you start a New Project using that Project Template.
