Hikerdon did as good a job of answering as anyone’s likely to, but a pack is such a critical, and personal, piece of equipment that I think you’ll find a lot of experienced hikers sort of reluctant to offer specific advice. I wasn’t reluctant to respond to a question as to whether or not you needed a pad with a sleeping bag, that’s pretty straightforward, but a bad choice in packs is not trivial. It can cause you pain and misery over many, many miles, it will hurt you, change your plans, and cause you to be a burden to your others in your party. It could potentially cause injury, and it could put you in real trouble if it fails and you’re really “out there”. Lugging real weight through the woods is always going to be hard work and sweat. That’s why the ultralight movement attracts so much attention. No pack can make the weight go away, or substitute for strength or conditioning, no matter what the salesman says… but some can make it worse, or a lot worse.<br><br>If a skydiver asked what parachute to buy, how many people would be anxious to answer? It’s your life, it may depend on this equipment, and nobody can take the responsibility of this decision for you. By asking such a wide-open question, you sort of give the impression that maybe you haven’t looked into the issue enough yourself to have opinions and preferences, and maybe you shouldn’t be on the verge of a purchase quite yet. If you're going to be using it for car camping for awhile, why not just get a duffel for the time being, and save the much more critical pack purchase for later?<br><br>I own both external and internal frame packs- they both have advantages and disadvantages, and everyone has their preferences. An external frame really comes into it’s own in country with generally good footing, not a lot of brush, in hot weather- especially hot and dry- because of the increased ventilation at your back, which is very welcome. If I were hiking the Sierras in summer or the mountains in Arizona I would be very tempted to use an external frame. In heavy brush, on boulder fields, and on airlines, they’re a pain.<br><br>When looking at packs, I generally look at Gregory and Lowe first, but that’s just from my own limited experience, and there are many excellent brands I haven’t tried. I have a Kelty that’s held up very well to a lot of abuse, but is not really a favorite, and I don’t use it often. I hear good things about Dana, but haven’t tried them. On the other hand, some manufacturers seem to regard outdoor equipment as “consumer items”, not “critical gear”. I don’t usually look at JanSport, and won’t consider Camp Trails or Coleman or a slew of other "consumer" brands. I wasn’t even aware that Eagle Creek made wilderness packs- I’ve only seen their travel gear.<br><br>Unlike Hikerdon, I’m not impressed with the quality control of REI house brand packs. I’ve seen them actually missing buckles that were supposed to be sewn on (and this on the floor demo), they seem to be generally thinner fabrics than the competition, and at least some of them seem to lack taped seams. No doubt some are fine.<br><br>One thing I think is important that most buyers don’t consider, most manufacturers don’t seem to, and most salesmen try to make you feel silly for considering, is color. I favor subdued gear in general. I’ve had my tent robbed once because it was visible from too far. I’ve had occasions to evade what seemed to be groups of local toughs on foot and (illegally) on dirt bikes, and I’ve had run-ins with rangers who were taking a very literal interpretation of restrictions against camping “within sight of the trail” where there were lots of switchbacks (so you couldn't get very far from the trail) and no leaves on the trees. On the other hand, with subdued gear I’ve had packs of chattering Girl Scouts pass within 40 feet in the woods and never know I was there. My experience is that if your gear is subdued, you can always use one bright item to make yourself visible if you need to.. but if your gear is bright, you can’t just suddenly decide you don’t want to stand out like a traffic sign anymore.<br><br> I personally find bright colors in the deep woods jarring and sort of obnoxious. It may be my imagination, but I think I can see things in more detail in the “green world” when there isn’t some artificial neon color in my field of view.. and there is some evidence that bright colors might attract curious bears.<br><br>On the other hand, if you’re going above timberline a lot, and you need to be as visible as possible to other members of your team, and possibly to avalanche or air rescue, then your priorities might be exactly the opposite. IMHO, while color certainly isn’t the most critical quality, it’s not trivial.<br>