There is one advantage the Brooks has that I don't think people think about much. People buy them with the expectation that it will need to break it in for 500 miles or so before it is truly comfortable. So they give it more time to become comfortable.

In my experience we tend to break in to saddles about as much as saddles break in to us, so if folks had that same expectation of a 300-500 mile getting acquainted period for all saddles they would have success with a wider range of saddles. I am not fussy about saddle choice, but have found that I really can't tell how well a saddle will work out without giving it a decent chance. I hated the saddle that came with my Windsor Touring at first. I left it on anyway and after a few hundred miles started to like it. I then used it for 73 days on the Trans America and was pretty happy with it.

Truth be told I would happily use any of the saddles that came with my bikes for a coast to coast length ride. Part of the reason for that is that I pay attention to the items in Machka's previous post and also that I ride with my bars fairly low. I find that a strong core, a relaxed upper body (no shoulder hunching, finger draped loosely over the bars...), lowish bars, and some time in the saddle go a long way towards giving good comfort on a long tour.

Sitting bolt upright would be torture for me and I wonder if decent comfort would even be attainable for me if I did that. It is a recipe for back pain and saddle discomfort IMO. A more aggressive posture may seem less comfortable at first but I found that easing into it starting with bars as low as I could be comfortable and gradually lowering them was a good move for me. That and working on core strength got me to where my back problems that at one time I thought might stop me from riding, camping, backpacking, or doing other outdoor activities, became mostly a non issue. Not that some targeted stretches and staying well hydrated are not factors in maintaining back health as well.