+1 for the rope type. I've had good luck with em. My friend otoh, tried the mushroom type and both times they blew out at speed (one at 55mph)
One more nice to have item particularly if you're riding solo. Some kind of GPS tracking app on your phone, or the SPOT locater beacon. Lets loved ones or yourself see your route or send "OK" statuses. I've used GPS tracker by Greenalp (freeware) on my android in the past. We also have a SPOT (subscription).