Surly is the hot name in touring bikes right now-- so the price is going up and up. Surly frames are 4310 cromoloy steel wielding together in the same group of Asian frame shops as Jamis, Fuji and Winsor, ect....
The LHT has longer chainstays than most and a very good powder coat. It's a quality bike that's worth owning. But it's no Bruce Gordon custom.
Fuji touring bikes seem really out of favor with buyers right now. That's too bad, becuase Fuji has the same steel frame as the Surly bikes and over 70 years of history building touring bikes. Fuji touring bikes have made every possible trip you could think of-- they are really the old school touring bikes. (BTW, Fuji hasn't made huge changes to their touring bikes in 25 years-- they have made some upgrades, but it is roughly the same frame and gearing)