Skinny goes Touring. Bike and gear.

My limited experience of touring has told me that anything more than 70miles a day swiftly loses the sense of fun/freedom, etc.
my 2p.

This very much.

Depends a bit how you ride. If you just sit and pedal, panniers on the back are not much of an issue. If you like to honk up the hills, and given your 'light touring' prospectus, fronts might be better. The handling with front low-riders is much more like an unloaded bike, and they spread the load better so your back wheel doesn't take such a beating.

And this too, low-riders mean your frame don't have to take any weight but your and thus bicycle feel nice and normal, especially since the Genesis' fork were build to take them.

army surplus can be good, but ime they are quite bulky. on the other hand a fleece liner inside a 2 season synthetic bag separates the bundles for packing and is good for a frosty night (-5). snugpak are a good make

I found the combination work well, with a -5 sleeping bag, Uniqlo ultralight down jacket and woolies socks (with merino baselayers and boxer), it was enough to keep me warm.