chainstays should not be a problem. you say you will be staying in hotels, which reduces the amount of stuff you gotta carry. bikepacking setup should work for you. if you prefer panniers consider going only with front bags on a lowrider.
as for tires, consider where you ride. do you need 2" tires with aggressive tread? prolly not, so think about 1.5" (maybe 1.25"?) tires with some shoulder bumps for light trail rides, with a raised center bead for pavement. could cut off a couple pounds.
as long as you're upgrading, what kinda fork do you have? cheap and heavy suspension forks are cheap and heavy, not really suited for touring. consider (in the future?) switching to a rigid fork, keep a watch on ebay, pick one up for ten or twenty bucks.