Though tubeless sounds interesting I don't think i will go that route for this tour... I recently accidentally bought on of those self sealing tubes, and it tore (during a ride), and I got this messy goop everywhere, all over the tire, my clothes, the rim, the floor.. if that is what it is like to run tubeless I think i will pass (me and messes seem to make themselves). I thought I rolled through some construction material till I realised why that particular tube was so expensive (duh).
I "really" want to get good at building my own wheels. After reading sheldon brown again I see I can substitute a bunch of tools for now... I mean if i screw up or feel I can;t do it I can always take it to the LBS. Out of curiosity how much does an LBS charge for building a wheel if you have you own parts?
Seems so much cheaper to build my own... can build a good set for under $100 depending on the spokes I pick.
Anyways after looking around I think I will go with something like deore hubs and these rims
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/165...R-29er-Rim.htm
Can't seem to find any good value rims with 36H