Usually the "kits" are all low end stuff. You would do better piecing together your own set up. May cost a few dollars more, but it will be cheaper in the long run. You will eventual realize that the filter they give you is junk and you will have to buy a new one, then the heater, then the light and so on.
As for tank brands, Aqueon and Marineland are common and both good quality. Oceanic is top of the line. Just buy something from a trustworthy source.
Filters... 30 gallons and under, hang on power filters are fine. 30 gallons and larger, canister filters.
Hang on power filter brands, I have always liked Aqua Clear and this is why. If you buy a refillable media bag you will only have to buy carbon in bulk containers. Most other filters now require that you buy their refills and that can cost a lot in the long run.
They have huge sponges that act as bio filters. Just remember to always clean it in old tank water as tap water will kill the bacteria.
Canister filters... dollar for dollar... get Aquatop. You can find them on Amazon cheap. I have one and it works well. Plus they have UV sterilizers. 
Most canisters are pretty good, just avoid the Fluval 5 series (205, 305, 495), they have too much water bypass in their design.

Heater, go submersible. Those cheap hang on heaters never last.

The only "kits" that I would recommend would be Marineland kits like these. Marineland is pretty good quality and they use bio-wheel filters.
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We stopped at Petsmart last night and looked at a 29 Marineland, so that is good. The salesgirl had a much lower opinion of the the Aqueon. It (the Marineland) advertised day/night lighting. I'm not sure if Marineland makes more than one line of 29 tanks.

I'm confused about the water changes. How do you change out 10 gallons of water or so every week? I have some memory of a friend changing water in her 8' long tank. Had a hose running to the sink. How does this work with chlorine/chloramine treatment and temperature differences? I can not see her with 15 1 gallon jugs. My rough understanding is that the water changes are to reduce nitrates and the filter takes care of ammonia and nitrites.

I would think with goldfish the water changes would be less critical, but more often and larger than with tropical as goldfish are more tolerant of temperature and PH, but produce more waste.

I like Nossie's idea of 3 fancy goldfish, but it may be cichlids or something easy like tetras.

Fishy Jeff

As Nossie said, water changes are even more critical with goldfish, as is biological filtration.
Goldfish are the only fish that do not have a stomach, and therefore they eat more often. Smaller amounts, but more often. They also have a high metabolism and people tend to feed them too much... this all leads to... water changes!
Invest in a water change system. it will make your life easier.
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Yes Nossie, some people don't like bio wheels. Most of them don't know how to use them or don't understand them. lol
I saw it all the time working in the pet shops. "the wheel got all nasty so I cleaned it and my fish died", "the wheel turned nice and smooth when I first got it but it is jumpy now"... I have used them before and they are a brilliant design. They house so much bacteria in such a small place and do very well with oxygenating the water as well. My two complaints about them, they are noisy and they evaporate water quicker.

My chosen method of filtration is canister filters. Quite, efficient, out of sight...
I have two on my 150 in my living room and my laptop makes more noise than my tank does.

And by the way Nossie... it's him.

Thanks, I did not know that.

The no stomach part isn't just for goldfish:

Fish stomachs may be classified into four general configurations. These include (a) a straight stomach with an enlarged lumen, as in Esox, (b) a U-shaped stomach with enlarged lumen as in Salmo, Coregonus, Clupea, (c) a stomach shaped like a Y on its side, i.e., the stem of the Y forms a caudally-directed caecum, as in Alosa, Anguilla, the true cods, and ocean perch, and (d) the absence of a stomach as in cyprinids, gobidids, cyprinodonts gobies, blennies, scarids and many others, some families of which only one genus lacks a stomach.

fao.org/docrep/X5738E/x5738e02.htm

The particular advantage of any configuration seems to rest primarily with the stomach having a shape convenient for containing food in the shape in which it is ingested. Fish which eat mud or other small particles more or less continuously have need for only a small stomach, if any at all. The Y-shaped stomach, at the other extreme, seems particularly suited for holding large prey and can readily stretch posteriorly as needed with little disturbance to the attachments of mesenteries or other organs. Regardless of configuration, all stomachs probably function similarly by producing hydrochloric acid and the enzyme, pepsin.

Which fits in with what you were saying.

I find goldfish fascinating,  the goldfish social structure and the shoaling in particular. I don't think my girlfriend cares about that!

I'm "down" with the bio-wheel and the water changer though. I think we'll get the tank next weekend... Thanks.

Fishy Jeff

Slate may not a good idea, stuff will get under it and you won't be able to get it out easily. Gravel does catch stuff, but it is easy to vacuum. I usually get the cheap stuff at home depot and just clean it good. For most of my tanks I use sand, not too sure how well sand would work for goldfish though.
I have swimming pool filter sand in my cichlid tank. They like to dig in it. You have to make sure that the filter intakes aren't too close to it or they will suck some in and tear up the impellers.

Best bet for goldfish, pea gravel from Home Depot.

Goldie Beach
Warning: please don't eat the sand!