Greenhorn Needs Pack Advice

I'm 24, 5' 10" 150 lbs. Never been hiking before, but I'd really like to start. I'm located in the Chicagoland area so I'll mainly be looking for solo weekend getaways to Starved Rock and where ever else there is to go around here. I probably won't go if the weather is extremely hot or cold, seeing as that I am a beginner. But light rain won't stop me.

I'm looking for a day/overnight pack. My objective is to find one that can easily crossover into a school backpack because I'm a full-time student, and seeing that I'll be in a classroom more than I'll be in the wilderness, is why i have come here to ask for advice. School backpacks alone cost 80 dollars, so I figure if I'm going to make an investment, I might as well make it towards a dual purpose pack (if such ones exist). The problem is, I don't know which brands to stay away from, or which ones will last. I bought (and will return) The North Face Recon. It had the style and versatility I was looking for, but after putting two text books in it, there was a ton of pressure on my shoulders, and it was instantly uncomfortable.

My Price range is around $100 - $200 I might go over if I'm convinced the pack can do it all. And as far as colors go, I prefer to keep things simple, so darker colors like black, navy blue, gray, etc.

If there's any other information I can give or if there's anything it seems like im ignorant of, please let me know. TIA.

I made my own daypacks, blending the features that I liked from several packs and leaving out the features that I didn't like. The one piece of advice that you are likely to get is to wait until you get your gear together before you select your pack. The other piece of advice that I will give is to make sure that your pack is properly sized for your torso. I have a long torso for my height and most regular packs are too short for me. If you can find a store with some knowledgeable people, get some recommendations and try them on. Learn how to adjust the belt, shoulder straps and load lifters. I didn't have a pack with load lifters until recently and I was surprised at the difference that they made. I suspect that your overnight gear, even if it's minimal, will still be more than a daypack will handle.

First, you didn't mention what size pack you are looking for. You may think saying daypack/overnight pack defines it, but it does not. For an overnight what gear are you bringing? If you can't answer that, then it is hard to get the right pack to carry it.

Second, like much of dual-purpose I think you will find this does both tasks poorly. There tends to be a large density difference between backpacking gear and school books. School books are heavy and you usually do not carry them very far. As a result most people get a pretty small pack with limited suspension. Suspension might be nice, you think, but do you want to clip in and out every time you sit down with while walking around campus? Backpacking gear is less dense, so even though it may weigh the same you would need a larger pack. People tend to carry it for longer periods of time too. That means suspension is more important

I would reiterate what Wgiles and BZH said. The general advice is to wait to buy your pack until you have most of the rest of your gear so you know how much space you need. Depending on your other gear you might need a backpack ranging from 40L to 70L. 40L is already relatively large for a school bag, although not out of the question. In order to fit everything in a 40L bag for backpacking, however, you would need to be willing to use less traditional backpacking gear, such as tarps instead of a tent, most likely an expensive down sleeping bag/quilt to save space, minimal cook sets, dialed in clothing system, etc. Some of those things have a slightly steeper barrier to entry in terms of skills. If you decide to go that route, more power to you, but I wouldn't advise buying a pack meant for doing that until you are comfortable/have the gear that would fit in it.

You can always try craigslist for getting a cheaper backpacking bag (or a school bag for that matter) to use until you have more money as well.

If you think you'll only use it for a daybag, I think most any backpack will do, as you probably won't be carrying more than a couple of liters of water, food, and odds and ends. I think the difference really comes when you're carrying shelter, sleeping bag etc.