I am on my first set of marathon supreme. They've covered 1500km without any problem, so it would be easy to assume that flat tires are history. Yet...
1. I am leaning towards ditching traditional patches and rely exclusively on
self-adhesive patches. I've read reviews suggesting that they are not as reliable as patches that are glued with a vulcanizing compound, but if you look at Amazon's reviews, both systems score equally well. I've also read that vulcanizing compound dries in the tube and that you must be careful to restock or otherwise you run the risk of discovering that you cannot patch roadside. Any insight to share?
2. Irrespective of patch "technology" I can't find guidance on the number of patches to carry on an extended trip. This number is a function of the flat hazard (i.e. how many flats per 1000km for example) which itself depends a lot on tires, road conditions, load and maintenance; on the restocking options (a trip across Europe is less of a problem than a trip across Tibet); and on risk aversion (i.e. how would I deal with the possibility of having to stuff grass in the tire). As of now, pulled out of thin air, I would carry one spare tube and 6 patches per bike + 1 tube of vulcanizing compound (that could be used with custom patches cut from an old inner tube. How many is too many?