I finally have most of my gear, and I just ordered a pack. You would think that the longer the trip, the bigger the pack you would need. However, I've been doing allot of reading on this, and I haven't read about anybody who wished they had a larger pack. Quite the contrary, in fact. The bigger your pack, the more stuff you will fill it with, and if you don't use something every day, you will eventually send it back because you get sick of lugging it around. There is an important principle that can reduce your load: If you have enough clothes for a week, you have enough clothes for a year, since you can wash them. I am accepting the fact that I will not be attending any black-tie affairs, which eliminates a bunch of unneeded clothes and shoes. Also, clothes are available everywhere, and are much cheaper in Asia anyways (Have you ever looked at your labels? That's where the Nike and Martha Stewart sweat shops are.) This is not going to be a camping trip, so I will not carry a tent. A sleeping bag is always useful, but I will carry a sleep sack for hostels instead. I can always rent gear if needed. This is what I will do in Nepal, of which a recent traveler said "Katmandu: come with nothing, buy it all here for cheap."

So, I decided to go with an Eagle Creek travel pack, since it will be easy to carry on planes since the straps fold away, and I will not have it on my back that often. However, it should be OK even if I am hiking with it for a couple of days. I hate the way all the Eagle Creek packs have so many gadgets and gizmos on them that scream "tourist," like zip-off day packs. Luckily, they just came out with a "back-to-the-basics" line of packs, the Global Traveler. I tried the 65L version, which was big. I tried the 40L version, which was great, but small. No stores have the 50L version in stock, but it seems like a good compromise, so I just ordered it. I think I got a good deal at $99. I'll let you know how it is in 6 to 10 days.

Coming soon: adventures trying to fit my stuff into a small pack, and eventually, my complete packing list.