[pct-l] Internal frame pack with bear canister

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

The pack should be the last thing you buy. After you lighten up your  
load, then buy the pack. It makes no sense to lighten your load with  
a lighter pack without having lighter contents. Starting with  
lightening the pack first will only hurt and make it harder. Lighten  
the other things first and then you will know what pack you need to  
carry it.
On Apr 10, 2011, at 10:06 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
> I have been using an REI Wonderland Trekker (external frame) for  
> the last 10+
> years and am looking for a new pack this season.? The bulk of my  
> trips are
> weekenders but once a year I do a weeklong PCT section hike  
> (Yosemite to Shasta
> is our 10-year cumulative goal).? My full pack weight last year was  
> about 45 lb
> but hope to start down the light-load path.? I carry a BV500 bear  
> canister which
> hung nicely to the bottom of my external so I want to find a  
> comfortable,
> lightweight, can-handle-40-lb and a bear canister internal frame pack.
>
> Backpacker has heaped praise on the REI Flash 65 as the greatest  
> all-around pack
> but the guy at my local REI said that he much prefers the Osprey  
> Aether 70.? It
> weighs almost 2 lb more but he said the comfort of it would more than
> compensate.
>
> So, REI Flash 65 or Osprey 70 for my non-ultralight but hoping to  
> get lighter
> needs?? Can either or both handle the BV500?? Or another  
> recommendation??
> Thanks.
>
> -LoneRiver