Oklahoma....great state for touring.
Anyway, I'm in the smaller chainring camp, lower gearing. My bike, gear, and 2 L. water for summer touring comes in at about 75 lbs. That includes raingear and one set of warmer clothes, just in case. Couple days rations would add about 5 lbs.
A 46/34/24 chainring set up might be the difference between walking and riding. You'll rarely run out of high gear unless you like to charge down hills or get a strong tailwind.