Wet grit is what gets my pads the fastest. Hills not so bad alone if it's dry and the road is clean.

I'm finding v-brake inserts harder to buy on the road these days. Few bikes have rim brakes anymore and many shops only carry low end non-insert type pads intended for the cheapest bikes.

On my 2024 tour I had to buy some of these cheap pads and ended up carrying the holders in my tool bag. Two of the cheap pads are still on my bike now.