Thanks Tom...I have read through the pack lists on the home page. They seem to be quite helpful so far. I guess the decision that I'm struggling with most right now is what you hit on. How comfortable do I want to be? I'm leaning toward a heavier pack. The reason is that I'm more interested in the whole camping aspect in remote areas as opposed to covering a great deal of ground every day. In my mind, I think I'd enjoy covering 5-8 miles each day with more rest and relaxation when I reach my destination at the end of each day. Is there a forum/web site that places more focus on this style of backpacking?

I did use the meetup site to find an outdoors/backpacking group in Laramie that I'm' excited to become active with though Laramie is still a ways away from where I live. I'm still working on finding like-minded people in the Casper area.