Thanks for all the advice. As for the type of touring, I'd like a bike that will handle anything I throw at it. I want to do some short trips for starting but my dream is to go coast to coast one day. I'm a big guy, (almost 6ft and 208 lbs) but most importantly for bike sizing I have big feet. (size 13 shoe) I've read that it's important to get a touring bike if you have big feet so your load wont be in the way of your pedal stroke. So far the brands that have made the list are Trek, Surly, and cannondale. Another issue that I've been wondering about is availability of parts. I don't want to get a bike that is hard to get parts for. I know from experience that owning a common item pays off in the end. (example owning a ford verses a BMW, try getting a BMW fixed, ugh)