I've been very happy with Velocity Cliffhanger 26" rims on my tourer, Velocity Aeroheads on my road bike. Both seem to be good, sturdy rims. Both wheelsets have required no attention since being built. The Chukker seems to be the widest of Velocity's 700C rims, which would be nice on a touring bike. Easier to mount a tire, especially a wider tire, and the tiny bit of extra air volume can only help cushion your bike and you on bad roads.

I built my wheels with Sapim 14-15 double butted spokes and Polyax nipples. The Polyax nipples are rounded where they seat in the rim, so they seat properly no matter what angle they contact the rim at. This is nice for deep section rims, where the spoke might intersect with the rim at a sharper angle than with a box section rim.

Look into VeloPlugs instead of rim tape. Saves weight, lasts longer than rim tape, and makes mounting tires a tiny bit easier.