Also is the 3.2 gear inch difference in the 26 v. 22 small ring minor or significant? BTW...I'm not a fan of hills.
Under the right circumstances a small difference can be huge but whether it's meaningful to you...dunno. If you found yourself on a long hill that you could barely climb in a 26 ring but could just make it on a 22...it could be a big deal. Or you may be able to do the 26 at 40rpm straining your knee when the 22 allowed you to spin. If you ride lightly loaded on major highways that don't get over 6% then it's probably meaningless. If you ride heavily loaded and aren't in great shape and tackle steeper inclines then that difference can indeed be a big deal. For touring, most folks could care less about the high gear and the low end can hardly be too low. It's not uncommon for tourers to set up for an 18" gear. That's pretty darned low but many find it useful. If your 22 up front was mated to a 28 in the rear then yeah...really necessary. If you have a 36 in back then maybe it's overkill. You really can only know this by experience but for touring look to get a low gear from 18-22" or so and you'll at least be in a reasonable ballpark.