In the old days people figured backpacking meant you had to haul 50 pounds around. These days with all the ultra-light fanatics dominating the conversation, you’re looked upon as the silliest sort of fool if you carry more than 25 pounds. The thru-hiker I met on the Pacific Crest Trail last summer told me he was carrying 15, not including food/water. Dude was a minimalist.

This might seem counterintuitive, but I think the longer you’re going to be out, the less you want to carry. I talked to a guy who packed a watermelon up to his camp — it was five miles of hell, but he had a watermelon for the first day. How cool is that? You can endure major torture for a short hiike, which is why a lot of weekenders haul bottles of wine and gourmet foods along, but the longer you walk, the less you’re going to be wanting to carry. Also, keep the terrain in mind. Five miles of hills are like 10 mileas of flat ground.

My packs represent two extremes: my big one is a hulking-beast Dana Designs Terraplane, which I scored really cheap last year; and a light & comfy Gregory G pack. Originally I figured I’d use the big honkin’ Dana pack on long trips of several days or more, and use my Gregory for weekenders but lately I’m’ thinking the other way around: use the big one for luxurious overnighters and save the light one for the longer trips. Not that I’ve ever actually done a longer trip but it gives me something to think about.