Thanks for responding, aimless. I think I will make the trek down to REI next week. I just came into some unexpected cash, and I think I'm going to spring for a nicer pack and nicer boots, both of which seem like the kind of thing I should definitely try before buying.

I have read about the common pitfall of buying too big a pack and filling it, but is around 60L usually a good size for an extended journey? I'll bring what gear I have so far in order to test the size, but I will probably get a little more and don't want to get a pack that's too small.