More shorts and saddle questions

I am planning to take a long bike tour this summer, Vancouver to Mexico. I find biking more than 30-40km becomes quite uncomfortable. I am trying to decide what shorts are the best for long rides yet are not too pricey. Are the gel pads the way to go?? As for saddles, i am thinking that my saddle may not be best suited for touring. My saddle is a Selle Royal Wing, it came with my 2004 cannondale R500. I've been told not to use gel covers (for long rides), and so I have not tried them. Is this the general consensus on gel covers?

Does anyone have any advice on what kind of padded shorts I should purchase for very long rides or a saddle i should change to?

Thanks for your help, I know there have been many short threads in the past, but I thought it would be best to describe my situation.

Happy adventuring!

I would say start tracking down the Brooks saddle that would fit you and suit your riding style, but in all honesty if you are doing a 3,000 mile ride this summer I don't know if you'll have time to find the right Brooks and break it in. www.wallbike.com

Read the saddle threads about measuring yourself for a saddle, determining if you need a cut-out or not, and determining if your hip joint orientation works best with a "pear" shaped saddle or a "T" shaped saddle.

Start with those basics, and begin shopping ASAP.

Get the best saddle for your needs, then start looking for the right bike shorts for you. (even the best bike shorts in the universe can't make up for a bad saddle)

(if it were me I'd be doing it on my Brooks B67 with springs, and wearing Terry Bella shorts/T shorts/Ibex wool shorts on alternating days to keep from getting chafing.)

I'm not one to run around bursting people's bubbles, but you've really got to get a move on finding a saddle/shorts combo that works for you so you can start doing much longer rides! Don't try to go cheap! Spend the money to get what works, cuz being in pain for 2 months as you ride down a continent wouldn't be worth saving a few bucks!