Use tape and levers! I've got legit rim tape on my rear wheel, and a layer of gaffer's tape up front, which seems to work just as well. Blowouts suck - don't feel like you have to indulge in one.
As for levers, the two best kinds ever are the Crank Bros speed lever and the Park heavy duty steel kind, though you can do things like kill a rim or rip the bead out of a tire with the latter. Handy in a fight, though...