First, I think it's a great question to be asking. Here is how I've been playing "Tight is Right".

From early position I stick to my monsters. AA - JJ raising 3xBB and maybe limping with TT and 99. I'll also limp in A/Ko and raise A/Ks. I'm really learly playing from early position. I'll let my little pairs go early on unless the table seems really tight. Then I might limp them in to catch trips.

From Mid position I also limp in with 66-99 and I'll add A/Q to the mix.

From Late position I add 22-55 as limps and maybe A/J occasionally on the feel of the table. As it gets a little later in the tourney, or I have grown my chip stack 2 or 3 times I'll add in suited connectors like JT or QK down to 78.

Remember that you are looking for that really nice hand to double up on or even triple up on. And the more chips you have to double up, the better. You're not really in trouble till you start getting to the 5xBB chip stack. Also, how many times have you seen someone else push with AK unimproved only to loose to a pair? I'm much more willing to let go hands with bad position so I conserve my chips for a better double up opportunity later on. Patience is key here in the beginning.

While you're watching a lot of hands from the sidelines, take the opportunity to see who's in the pot the most, who raises the most, and who lays down for what sized bet post flop. It becomes very easy to figure out who the callers and the raisers are. You'll want to know this later when you decide to enter a pot.