I like 8 speed, if I wasn't enamored of Rapid Rise, I'd probably be running that derailleur.

Note that Shimano factors in another 2 teeth worth of play/slop/whatever there, so you can usually get away with another two teeth in any of their set-ups, with the above, I'd be looking at going down to a 24T granny rather than the 28, to get more loaded mountain climbing ability.

My zwei pfennig.


Edit: I've had good luck with fairly low end Shimano MTB front derailleurs, very durable and usually set up for the range you are looking for, for a loaded tourer. I suppose the ones I've been using are near vintage now (~20 years old), the one on my commuter has at least 6,500 miles on it and is still going strong.