Thank you. I've got a good idea of the items I should be bringing on each hike. The question I'm asking is more about the packs. I'll look into the idea above about the stuff sack. Sounds like a good idea. Any other opinions or ideas about the best packs to bring for this sort of weekend? Do people carry convertible packs (for example, the top of my big pack comes off and turns into a "fanny pack")? Thank you.