Hi all, <br><br>I am going to be going on a 5 day hike in the mountains (Spring - no snow) in South Africa. I already have a nice Billabong 33L Day Pack for Day Hikes. <br><br>I am now looking to buy my own Back Pack for longer hikes (2-7 days). I need your input in terms of what experienced hikers here recommend by way of size and type of pack. Price is no object, so it's really coming down to buying the best available once. I do not want to end up with a Back Pack that is either too big or too small. <br><br>I thought, after my own research, to get a 75-80L (4,500-5,500 cui)Internal Frame Pack. Probably Osprey, Northern Face, MountainLight, Gregory, Karrimor, etc. It should have a detachable day pack. <br><br>I really appreciate your thoughts. <br><br>Thanks.<br><br>

You are definitely on the right track - a 4000 cu. in. +/- pack is extraordinarily versatile for longer trips and situations. There are many good brands out there, meaning that their products are well made and will stand up to unreasonable use and punishment. The trick is choosing among the many competing offerings. I can only suggest that you shop until you drop - go to stores, fondle the merchandise, and try the pack on WITH A LOAD, and walk around a bit. I believe that the product evaluations in Backpacker magazine are reasonably unbiased. If you read these, you will see that personal preference due to different body types is very important.<br><br>Right now the buzz in backpacks is "ultralight," which makes sense for many applications. If price is no problem, you might want to check out Kelty's "Cloud" series, ultralight packs fashioned from spectra cloth. I believe the"White Cloud" model is about $600, but it weighs well under two pounds (I am qouting from memory here, so these numbers may be little off).<br><br>There are lots and lots of packs available, just go for the beels and whistles that are important to you. I personally don't like an integral daypack, but use a Lowe "Summit Attack" that is a nice daypack and serves as a stuff sack on the approach.<br><br>

Hi Thor.<br><br>The Backpacker range has served my family well for quite a while now (i manage to squash 5 days worth of kit into a 50l "scout" mode)l. the only packs that i've come across (in S.A.) that have a detachable daypack seem to be the "Travel"-type packs. these usually open horazontily, and I find them irratating to work with.<br><br>Just out of interest, where are you planning on going?