first cycling/touring trip, sweden on a hardtail mtb!

You may not need front panniers If you travel very light and split the tent and cooking gear. it depends a lot on where you are going; out in the wilds you may well need to carry food for several days and you need the extra capacity.

If you do decide to go for front panniers then the cheapest option would be to look at the Axiom panniers at chainreactioncycles.com. they are low-rider panniers but these should be fine on roads. There are more expensive options from Old Man Mountain and Tubus.

Cheap tyres are a false economy - get tyres with kevlar protection. Schwalbe Marathons? Continental Top Touring?

Hi there, I've also just started touring / bikamping and I'm using the Gelert Solo. Excellent little tent for the money - if you're sure you want one order now as I found it very difficult to get hold of one. I've been on numerous wildcamping trips with it and it has held up in poor windy conditions very well. Although tiny with no headroom inside, when you're in your sleeping bag it doesn't matter. Also, I found I was able to stow a small bag in with me, and a big 65l rucsac between the inner and outer flysheet to keep it dry. Packed, the tent is smaller than my Vango Ultralite sleeping bag. I also use an MTB (Cannondale hardtail) - I'd mount a Blackburn EX-1 or EX-2 rack on the back and get some waterproof panniers. Wouldn't know what size to recommend - depends how you pack. For a 1week trip I've got everything (hopefully) into some Deuter rear panniers (32l per pair), various small seat/frame bags and a 32l backpack. Tent and other stuff strapped to top of rack in a kayak bag.
I take a mountain bike as it is all I have plus I'm not interested in 'on-road' touring. If much of your trip will be on-road - look at some dual tread pattern tyres (by Continental and others). They're slick in the centre but have beads on the outside so you can still have grip off-road.

Lastly, best advice I can pass on is try it all out before you go, and weigh everything (use kitchen scales if nothing else!). You'll be surprised how much it adds up to before you start ruthlessly getting rid of luxury items. Backpacks/panniers are often one of the heaviest of your items.
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How about a 2 person tent, one carries that, the other the sleeping bags, there should be some weight saving (and maby mney saving at camp sites). Of course you will have to be a little more intimate...may not be a problem. I recommend the Coleman Avior X2 or X3, superb design and cheap (£70 to £90). I also use a Vango Ultralight sleeping bag.

I have toured on an mtb, I fitted 26x1.5 Schwalbe Marathons rather than full slicks, a good compromise I think.

I have managed cycle touring and camping with rear panniers and the tent or sleeping bags on top of the rack. I wasn't short of any gear or clothing, the load was quite heavy though. I think the bike handling may have improved with front panniers, though it is likely to add 2 to 2.5 kgs just for the rack and bags alone. With weight only on the back the bike feels twitchy initially, but I get used to it after half a day.

I use a DHB Marsden waterproof bar bag (from Wiggle) with integrated waterproof map pocket. Great for valuables and stuff you want close to hand. Takes around 2kg happily.

I use a Selle An-Atomica saddle - the comfiest thing I have ever sat on (on a bike).

I use a Fenix L2D CE Q5 as a front light with a Twofish Lockblock bike mount, it weighs about 100g and is very small but is almost the most powerful 2 AA torch available, and with the accessory diffuser it works great as a tent light, and with a headband makes a great head torch. It takes 2 AA batteries - I take about 10 rechargeables, but can easily buy alkalines on tour should I run out. I don't plan to tour at night but quite often ride from cam site to restaurant or pub after dark, and some afternoons it will get pretty gloomy and on flashing mode it makes you very very visible.

For food I take basic instant noodles (NOT pot noodles) for emergencies when we mess up finding somewhere to eat (they are light, maybe 50g for a "meal" and take up little space, and cook quickly, saving gas), plus some boil in the bag Paneer curry and rice (I'm a vegetarian so limited choice), heavier but yummy, also pre-cooked so just need heating for 5 minutes. Also Ready Brek, put into zip-lock bags, pre mixed with dried milk and sugar - just add hot water. Normally I don't like this sort of thing but it is great to have a hot oaty breakfast before a ride on tour.

I use a Jetboil - very fast and compact (about 90 seconds to boil up the water), and the gas lasts ages as it cooks so efficiently, previously I used a Trangia copy bought from Lidl for £5 - this was fine, just slower and more bulky.