Packs -
My normal pack weight for an overnight trip in mild weather is about 30 pounds including 2 quarts of water and my S&W 329PD. About the smallest pack I can use is a 60L and that's a tight fit. I've had a couple smaller packs ... 40-55L ... great for big day pack use but I couldn't make them work for overnight.
When the weather starts to cool or I need more food for more days, I generally step up quite a bit.
My 60-ish L packs are a Granite Gear Nimbus Trace 60L and a Badlands Sacrifice. Each has advantages. When I go beyond them, I reach for an old 1980-vintage Kelty Tioga II external frame pack. My recollection is the Kelty's volume is about 4700 cubic inches but the volumes don't really track because I lash much stuff outside of the external frame pack that has to go inside of an internal frame pack.
Tom
