mrwiggins:
I went on my first backpack trip with the Boy Scouts in 1958 and have gone on maybe half a dozen trips every year since then. I own a dozen or so backpacks and have discarded another half a dozen along the way.
When I'm backpacking I use gear designed by backpackers for backpackers. My current favorite is an Osprey Xenith 75, XL, gray.
http://www.rei.com/product/846439/osprey-xenith-75-packKC