There are ten zillion packs out there. Frankly, much of this stuff is completely overwhelming to me. There are ten zillion packs, twenty zillion sleeping bags, a hundred thousand tents, etc.

And people's opinions on message boards are very strong usually.

If you are talking overnighters or two nighters then a 3500 sq in pack should do in cold weather. My pack is about that size and it works OK for that in the dead of winter.

I bought a new backpack to replace an old external frame jobbie a few years ago. Basically the most important thing to get is one that fits your frame well. They often come in different sizes.

When it comes to gear, I usually let the sales and clearance discounts guide me. I do a lot of shopping at www.sierratradingpost.com and www.campmor.com , both companies have great web specials. I've even been to Campmor's retail store and it's great! I hit B&M outlets also.

I figure the market for this stuff is so competitive and so limited that anyone making poor gear would be out of business fast. Pretty much everything has plusses, there's very little bad gear out there. As such, I ended up with a backpack from "The North Face" a few years back. It's not perfect, but it's done a week in Alaska and many, many local one, two, and three nighters in all weather from 100 degree heat to waking up in 8 degree cold with not a single complaint. I got it cheap at sierra. Recently I stopped at TNF's retail outlet in New York State and picked up a sleeping bag and tent. Got a great deal on both! I'm going out with them for the first time this weekend; a two nighter. By accident my campsite is going to look like a TNF ad.

I got my Primus stove on closeout at REIoutlet, snowflake pattern Nalgenes at STP, boots at STP, etc.

Anyway, sorry I can't really give you good specific advice. The way I see it, pretty much every company making this kind of stuff does it well, it's really tought to go wrong, so may as well look for the bargains.

That's just me. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />