Where I live, the goathead thorns are light enough to fly everywhere. They're in the roadway, on the sidewalks and paths...hard to escape them completely.

I find running Kelvar-reinforced tires - Specialized Armadillo, Conti Gatorskin or the like - helps prevent a lot of those thorns from becoming punctures.

I also regularly brush the treads with a fully gloved hand to make sure that if I do acquire any thorns in the tread, I get them out of there fairly quickly before they can do any serious damage.

I have no experience with thornless tubes. Is that reinforced / thicker tubing material, sealant inside the tube, or both?