I had only occasional flats before I moved to Albuquerque. I bicycled an all-mountain route from Los Angeles to Canada (then across the plains to New York) in 1989 and didn't have a flat until Wagontire Oregon (southeast corner) and that because I wore out the tread of the rear tire and the tube escaped the tire. I credit that experience to Mr Tuffy tireliners.

In Albuquerque the goatheads worked their way through tireliners, including my Mr Tuffys. I now use 2 tireliners in each tube: old Slimes and new StopFlats2s. I went through a gallon of sealant before deciding that it caused more trouble than it helped: when it doesn't seal a puncture it fouls the adhesive of the patch. Kevlar-belted puncture-resistant tires didn't stop goatheads.

I don't claim that my experience will be everyone's.

Ozone damages rubber. A tire left out in a high-ozone area will eventually crack. Tire-agers in high-ozone areas will have a different experience than those in low-ozone areas.