There's a reason why I'm looking into packs at least one year, probably two or more, before I go there I managed a 60 pound pack in Japan, so I think I'll do fine, but my partner will need more practice hikes. I have a water filtration system that's good enough that I could drink industrial runoff if I had to (three stage gravity fed -- flocculant -> ceramic -> carbon), gortex rain gear, a reliable multi-fuel stove, and so on down the list. I'll probably be looking into a lighter tent and bag for the trip, but that's something for the future. Right now, I'm just checking into packs, since I'm currently lacking one