I'd go with the Crosscheck. It's lighter, and has horizontal dropouts, so it's more versatile. It also has eyelets for rears racks and stuff. The LHT, while it's a nice bike, is a lot heavier, and is made for heavy touring. If you're just going with a rear rack, you only need the Crosscheck. Also, IMO, the Crosscheck has a prettier color selection. If you needed front and rear racks and fenders, and were going farther, I'd get the LHT, but the Crosscheck is good for your needs, and will probably be able to fill others needs in the future.