I think the best thing is to go try on several packs if you can. Everyone's different, so what one person loves doesn't fit right on the next person. I tried the REI Flash (65 I think), which got great reviews and won an award, and really didn't like it. I wanted to like it, but it hurt my back and was just a tad too flimsy, so it felt like it made my back carry too much of the weight, rather than the pack helping to carry the weight, if that makes any sense. It felt like I'd just slung a duffle bag on my back.

I just recently decided on trying the women's Deuter ACT, which is about 1 pound heavier than the true "ultralight" packs. It's just shy of 4 lbs, whereas the Flash was almost 1 lb lighter. I'll be trying it out in about a month for the first time, and I'm excited to try it out. I'm doing a short 3 day trip so I can test it out for a longer trip in the fall.

Healthy food suggestions - I dunno on that one. I'm SUPER lazy when it comes to camp food. I hate cooking at home, so there's no way I'm cooking on the trail, on my fun time. However, I do still try to eat as healthy as possible. I love Mary Jane's Farm dehydrated foods for dinner - they are delicious, and there are a few that don't have tons of calories and fat. I especially love the chilimac. But for breakfast and lunch, I end up taking clif bars, pumpkin seeds and soy nuts, dried fruit, Justin's almond butter packets, whole wheat crackers or tortillas, cheese, all that sort of thing.

But if you don't mind cooking on the trail, then the possibilities are endless for healthy options. I'm always seeing delicious looking recipes in Backpacking mag that are fairly healthy, using whole grains, nut butters, nuts, dried fruits, and dehydrated things (like milk, cocoa, etc).

I'd be interested in hearing in what other people eat (healthy) on the trail, too!

Oh, and food...if you have a dehydrator (or access to one) you can make some pretty awesome food. I seem to gravitate to the recipes in a book called "Lip Smackin' Vegetarian Backpackin'". I'm not a vegetarian but the stuff in this book is GOOD! You don't need a dehydrator for everything. Here is my favorite recipe from the book.

Kilauea Chili

At Home:
1.2 c Uncle Ben's instant brown rice
1 c (2.4 oz) Fantastic Foods Cha-Cha chili
1/4 c dried corn
1/4 c dried tomato
1 teaspoon chili powder (I use HOT Indian chili powder)
1/4 tsp lemon powder (I use dried lemon zest)
1/8 tsp of garlic powder

Place dry ingredients into a quart size ziplock freezer bag.

On the Trail:
For 1 serving, bring 1 3/4 c water to a boil. Carefully pour the hot water into the bag and let it stand for 8-10 minutes, kneading occasionally to ensure that all ingredients are evenly hydrated. Serve straight from the bag.

Delicious! You can usually get dried veggies from you r local health food store (Whole Foods has them too).

This is awesome - I didn't know you can just use ziploc freezer bags and pour boiling water in it. That's what I love about the store bought dehydrated meals - there's no clean up, no mess. I'm definitely going to try TrlRnr's chili and the dehydrated hummus and refrieds, too. Thanks for these ideas.

Oh, by the way, if you're a coffee drinker, Starbucks Via are awesome for backpacking.

these websites have great recipes with things you can buy at the grocery store:

wild backpacker and one pot wonders. www.minimus.biz is a great source for individual sized packages for all kinds of stuff.

Sorry about lack of links, I am at school and have them bookmarked on my computer at home, but you should be able to google them with no problem.

BTW have used ziplock cooking for about 2 years now. It has saved me TONS of money when you figure the cost of moutain house and other freeze dried meals. Not to mention the time and energy having to filter and treat the water to make them.

Gregory packs are awesome - I have the Med Z65 - love this packs, 30-35lbs feels like it's not on your back, great ventilation 2 thumbs up