If you are ever going out in mandated bear canister territory, you can choose from the Bare Boxer, the Bearikade (Wild Ideas), Bear Vault, Garcia, or the Bear Keg (yellow one, sold at rei). My personal favorite is the Bearikade with the best can weight to volume ratio - more room, weighs less than the competition - but for overnight - 3 day trips the Bare Boxer Contender is smallest, cheapest and most economical.

I have a Contender and a BV solo, and for longer trips (which occur less often) I rent a Bearikade through the mail. They send it to you, you get it a few days before the trip and pack it, go on the trip, get home, unpack, mail it back to them - they charge you only for the days you are on trail. Best of both worlds. When I go somewhere outside bear canister territory, I simply hang the food/trash in a bag, for the lightest of all solutions.

I have an REI Jet UL (older model) that's very similar to the REI 75 - would never get the backpack. I wouldn't like it, judging from the fit of the daypack. I watched someone suffer for three days on the trail with an older version of the REI Flash 65, stuffing clothing under the straps and around his hips trying to make it comfortable. If you are carrying more than 30 lbs in the pack, get something with a better suspension.

Which is a good question, actually - how much does your gear weigh? A lot of packs have a weight limit.