Racks
Hi
We have just done exactly this to my husband's RockHopper Pro Disc (2010 model) as well. The bike does have rear rack eyelets - though it is not advertised as such (unlike mine which does not have them and needs a different type of rack).
We had to get the old man mountain racks becuase the bike does not have brake bosses - not a problem with the OMM racks (
http://www.oldmanmountain.com/Pages/RackPages/RearRacks.html). It needed the 25mm clamps which we then needed to drill and extra hole into becuase the diameter is actuall 22 or 23mm and the 22mm clamps are not available in the UK unless you order them direct from the old man mountain website.
We fitted the red rocks pannier rack . the only supplier in the UK that I could find was Carradice of Nelson (in lancashire) who have been exceptionally helpful and very quick. They add the clamps in free of charge as well, so we did not mind the adaptation using the drill.
http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=range&product_id=79.
We have also fitted the Sherpa rack to the front as well without any issues - again with clamps 40mm.
Actual panniers are entirely up to you and how often you think you are going to be doing this - there are some really crap ones out there, there are some that are waterproof, there are some that are not.
We invested (and really think of this as an investment) in the Ortlieb ones, the classic roll tops ones along with the roll top rack pack bag that can clip onto them Rock & Rescue (
http://www.rockandrescue.co.uk/outdoor-c2/cycling-c59/cycle-panniers-c138) were the cheapest place for them (25% cheaper than RRP and usually about £10 cheaper than most other places) and again very good service.
Tents - well there are 2 of us, so we went for a 4 season Vango Spirit 200+ (2.5Kg) not the smallest and not the cheapest, but from experience - we do a lot of long distance hiking - very small tents are not great for more than 1 person unless you are a couple and also don't want anywhere to shelter or keep your kit dry. Our backpacking tent is a very light and very small mountain equipment tent, the AR Ultralite 2 which weighs in at 1.5Kg - I have used it in late spring and early autumn, but it would not stand up to Scottish weather or snow, so is only really a 2 season tent at best, but for 1 person has loads of room - 2 people really need to be on very good terms with each other!
The Exped mats are fantastic - there is also converter that allows it to be a chair and also protects the mat as well - we have both the downmat 9 and the synthmat 7 pump.
Stoves - we have the trangia 27 & 25 (1-2 person and 2-3 person) along with the gas conversion kit - there is also a multifuel kit available soon as well - (petrol, gas, pressurised gas and soemthing else can't remember at the moment. Trangia's are a love or hate thing. I love the - have only been let down by them when the temperature was too low for too long and the gas would not heat water very well - the new multifuel converter would have dealt with that situation for me. At the very least get the gas conversion kit rather than living with meths - once it has spilled and you have contaminated your kettle/pan and cooked in it, you will understand why...
Sleeping Bags are a rather personal item and depend on where you are going and in what season - in fact we have 4 each now - some are down and go down to -40C others are synthetic and 2 season... Down is lightweight and I prefer it but has the major drawback that once it is wet it does not keep you warm, and wet can be from sweat and your breath at night - synethetic stay warm - not as warm though - when wet and are better where you can't get the down aired easily. Both types can come with a 'waterproof' outer or without again a personal choice.
Hope this helps you a little.
Emma