Hi Tiptopperoo,
Here in the Netherlands it's enough for me to ride the bike 1x10 (setup front 34T, rear 11-36T). When I'm going to more mountainous environment like Germany or Belgium, I will install the 2x10 setup (front 38-24T, rear 11-36T).
The best front derailleur on this moment is still the XT FD E-Type (my first FD). It's not ideal for the FD cable and the frame, but it works perfect. The SRAM FD is ideal for the FD cable (and frame hose), but unusable with the charinring positions.