Ask your outfitter if he uses top packs like these:
"H" pack [Linked Image]

square pack [Linked Image]

If he has one you can use, you can stuff soft, bulky, lighter gear (clothes, sleeping bag, pad, etc.) in there. We use them a lot.

[Linked Image]

If you take the time it takes, it takes less time.
--Pat Parelli

American by birth; Alaskan by choice.
--ironbender