My wife and I have used Continental Gatorskins almost exclusively for the last 12 years. During those 12 years we have covered about 14,000 miles of loaded touring. We've used everything from 25 mm for some lightly loaded trips to 32 mm for a loaded tour across British Columbia, and a portion of Alberta last summer. We used the 28 mm Ultra Gatorskins for a ride across the U.S. We rode them in a variety of road conditions: gravel, "Iowa frost cracks", and some plain bad roads.

I switched to 32 mm Schwalbe Marathons for a 3 month tour a few years ago, because 32 mm Gatorskins were not available in the U.S. at that time. As soon as the 32 MM became available, I switched. The Schwalbe Marathons are really heavy. Where I might consider using the Scwhalbe tires again is if I thought I'd be on a lot of crushed stone bike trails. The more aggressive tread of the Marathon tires seem to have better traction in those conditions.

IMO- The 32 mm Gatorskin is a good compromise between weight, durability and comfort.