Need to go unstuff a bag and stow some climbing gear, but a couple of comments about the subject from my perspective:<br><br>Ultra light is a separate topic and not one I have much personal experience with, so that's the caveat - N/A if you're thinking ultralight.<br><br>Packs: Pretty much everything written so far sounds good. However, I know that external frames are perfectly suitable - in special situations they may not be ideal, but they will do. And there are some things that the internal frame packs simply cannot do at all. I own and use both internal and external frame packs. I cannot even agree that one is more comfortable than another - a pack that fits and carries well with the gear you have in it feels good, period. And volume is an apples-orange comparison between most external and most internal packs because most externals carry the sleeping bag EXTERNALLY and most internals carry the sleeping bag INTERNALLY and that is usually the bulkiest thing we carry, so it is a significant difference. (Yes, I am aware of exceptions, but what I wrote is generally true). Make sure your pack of whatever design comfortably accomodates the gear you will use. When in doubt, you might consider going up a notch for now rather than down a notch because one may use a large pack for small loads, but it is miserable to impossible to use a small bag for large loads. (...but resist packing more gear than you need just because you have room for it...) I advise NOT purchasing a model unless you have first tried the specific model on in the store - and since there are many adjustments, often even for torso length, it's a good idea to have competant help trying them on.<br><br>Pads: Get a 3/8" thick CLOSED CELL pad, full length, for now. They are cheap and warm and there are things you can do to make them more comfortable without lugging anything extra. After you've used it for a season, you'll probably know what you want to replace it with - if anything - (and ask here if you don't know). There are lots of sublties to even foam pads, but that's the cheapest effective advice I can give you. If you plan on frequently sleeping on hard frozen ground, a 1/2" thick is a little better, but they are a lot bulkier. IMHO, a 1/4" pad is a waste of money for most folks. Oh - and ditto what Chris wrote - get a ground cloth and use it. Ask if you have questions... Oh, on the self inflating pads - we have two ancient Thermorest pads. They have been used constantly for almost 20 years. One had a pinhole leak a few years ago and it was trivial to find and repair the leak (with a kit intended for use in the boonies). They are slower to self-inflate than when they were new, but a far sight more comfortable than anything else of comparable bulk. Things like that need to be stored uncompressed, though, and a closed cell pad can be left wound up.<br><br>Knit cap: Ditto everything everyone said. Tight ones suck. We carry one year round and two when cold weather is expected - use a "fresh" cap when climbing in the bag. Keeps the bag cleaner, to boot - bags take a beating from oil and dirt from the head.<br><br>Last comment: Do not store your sleeping bag stuffed. It will permanently compress the fill to some degree and then you have a bag that is not as warm as it was - but still just as heavy. In my experience, only the highest quality down bags may recover from being left stuffed for an extended period. None of the synthetic fill bags will fully recover from extended compression. If you need suggestions on how to safely store a sleeping bag at home, just ask here.<br><br>Hope that helps! Like I wrote, you already got some great advice... just my 2 cents worth.<br><br>Tom<br><br>