I have an Arcterex Khamsin (it is very old) that is a large mountaineering day pack that I use for weekend trips when I do not have to carry a bear cannister. You can order the pack specially with different sized components- I got the woman's medium with the small waist belt. You should also ask if the other packs you are considering can be bought with mix and match sized components. This may make a difference. Of course, this means you cannot buy them on sale. Like you, Gregory packs just hurt my back. I tried to get my gear in a Gregory Jade, and never could get the bear can to fit with everything else. I personally like to get all my gear inside the pack, so my packs are on the large side. I currently use a Golight Quest (woman's specific expedition pack) for my longer trips. I have arbitrarily decided that I want my packs to be no more then 3 pounds in weight. I also have a 1 pound GG Virga, but am not fond of frameless packs. I only use it with very light weights.