What am I even looking for?!?

[ACiveE]

Touring bikes are way sexy, too. They tend to be a lot more stable (less squirrelly) than cyclocross. You can load the heck out of them and still sail along.

If you can get to a shop that sells Surly, compare a Surly Long Haul Trucker (touring) with a Surly Cross Check (cyclocross). Give each a good ride and take them over some gravel, grass, and dirt. Same brand, same frame materials; so the comparison might more clear than if you mixed brands and frame materials.

Besides, it's another excuse to ride more bikes!

Surly Long Haul Trucker: http://surlybikes.com/bikes/long_haul_trucker_complete/

Can you explain what you mean by squirrelly?