Yes, I carry a TPU tube. Not because I don’t trust my tubeless setup but as a good luck charm of sorts. I believe in the Sam Gamgee rule of preparedness: “You’ll want it, if you haven’t got it”. That is, nature will inevitably send you the mechanical you’re not prepared to fix. And a TPU tube is not that big or heavy.
Yes. You’d be crazy not to, IMO. Plugs are great (I carry those too) but they rely on your sealant being fresh to function. Even though I refresh my sealant every few months, I don’t trust it. I trust that my tube (which I check regularly for integrity) will get me home.
I carry a dynaplug, a pump, a tire boot, a Tubolito tube, and a small rag to help with the sealant if things go south.
When I bikepack with a group someone will carry a small bottle of sealant and a few people will carry some CO2 cartridges to help re-seat tubeless if needed. Usually on trips I’ll carry 2 Tubolitos - small and light insurance policy.
Just got back from 5 weeks riding around Italian and French Alps and a LOT of kms, riding 30mm Conti GP5000 with Silca Ultimate sealant (60mm per tyre). I carried a Dynaplug (4 plugs loaded plus 4 spares) and an A2 Ultra mini pump, and a spare 60ml bottle of Silca Ultimate. I had maybe 10 punctures (bad roads). 5 self sealed and 5 needed a plug. Only two of the ones needing a plug required the inflator to come out. It initially felt a bit risky not having a tube as I was a long way from big towns but now I am convinced of not needing to carry a tube provided I’m using Silca + Dynaplug.
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I carry tubes, but I have never had to use them, on road or off road. I also carry a plug kit, which has had occasional use.
I only continue to carry tubes because where I live you don’t have to go far to be quite remote, thus zero or very poor signal, and off-road it could be a long walk to a road, meaning it’s worth having the small additional insurance policy.
I hate being stranded. Today I had a gash in my tire that required putting a tube in. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to take two. TPU tubes are so small but can offer a way home.
I also broke my chain today. Had a quick link but was lucky I didn’t need a chain tool. I need to update my seat bag.