[pct-l] PACKS PACKS PACKS

[jinxinyou at letterboxes.org (Jamie Rae Whiteley)]

I haven't thru-hiked yet, but I've section-hiked a lot and I can tell
you that for me, I can't bring myself to an ultra-lite pack. Part of it
is my sentimental attachment to my Gregory Petit Dru Pro pack (minus a
couple of straps I serendiptously snipped off.) Part of it is my uncanny
ability to stuff large amounts of foodstuffs in my pack thereby
completely negating the weight I so carefully shed when I bought
ultra-lite cookware, sleeping bag and pad etc. (I am prone to eating as
much as I possibly can at each sitting (kind of like a bear storing up
for the winter...only no one told me winter isn't coming for a long
time...) Finally part of it is good ol' fashioned durability. I cut back
on my pack weight (significantly) which in turn takes a lot of the
"ooph" out of the usual wear and tear I put onto it. One other
thing...Monty has a great point...there are a lot o' questions you need
to ask yourself before you consider a pack...and above all else...gear
is as personal to people as their underwear...Everyone has their own
opinion about what is best and most'll fight you to the death over it.