I really like a Camelbak for touring. With my three frame-mount bottles, I've never run out of water, even on the hottest days with no place to refill. When I know I'm going to be able to refill I only use the Camelbak and leave the bottles empty. The reason is that the Camelbak insulates the water so that it stays cold much longer than a frame-mounted bottle. In fact, if it's really hot, buy a bag of ice, fill the Camelbak, then fill with water. You'll have icy cold water for a few hours - what a luxury!

Don't carry too much. Most of us have sent home stuff we discovered we could easily live without (especially after luggin it up over a steep, long climb.) However, don't send home stuff you'll probably want. I once went a little crazy and sent home a couple of things that I really missed when they were gone. It bummed me out.

Don't feel like you have to ride a certain number of miles or you'll be a wimp. Embrace your wimpiness! From my point of view, 50 miles is a worthy number of miles per day, and 65 is awesome. I'll ride 35 or even 25 if there are reasons - a good campground without another for a long way, or I'm feeling tired, or even if I'm in the middle of a really good book and want to spend more of my vacation reading and less pedaling. It's my vacation! I often run into other tourers (especially cross-country riders) who are averaging 80 miles a day. Good for them. But I'll choose my own pace and not feel unworthy. Choose yours and don't worry about what someone else does. It's your tour and your vacation.