[pct-l] Backpack recommendations

[Nathan Miller]

In June of '08, I hit the trail with my roughly 25-yr-old REI external frame pack, weighing somewhere in the 4.5-lb. area, I think.  After being chewed up and spit out, I re-tooled and hit the trail again that September, this time with my 12-hr-old internal frame REI Traverse TourStar, weighing about 3.5 lbs. and with more substantial padding.  While it's not quite an ultra-light pack, it sure beat the snot out of my external frame and I used it again last June.  This is the pack I expect to use on all my trips for the forseeable future.  Sometimes the latest and greatest is not necessarily the best and sometimes older equipment (like my aluminum bowl) still passes muster in the lightweight department.

-Nate the Trail Zombie

When you know where the trail goes,
It doesn't matter if you're fast or slow!