A dedicated frameless canoe pack is well worth the investment. When I was young, I used my framed backpack too, but it was too long to fit in a canoe crossways, and too narrow to efficiently use space along the sides of the canoe. The Duluth design (like the Superior One) is much wider than a typical backpack, so it fills most of the width of a typical canoe, and because there is no frame, you can usually squoosh it under a thwart if necessary to use the canoe's full length.

It sounds like you have a pretty good idea of the gear you like to trip with. So the main thing you want is a pack that's big enough that you can fill it up to your "maximum comfortable weight-carrying capacity", whatever that may be. Too small and you end up at portages with a light pack on your back, and a small, heavy bag of some sort in each hand: tiring, and with the increased risk of leaving something behind when reloading, especially if you're traveling with big groups.

If you're carrying a lot of kids stuff as well as your own gear, you may need two big Duluth packs. (Before you know it, your son will be old enough for his own full-size pack, and will be going off on trips without you, so you can give him the extra pack as a gift then )

I like to have at least two pouches directly accessible from the outside at all times: one for clean stuff (maps, books, first aid kit, compass, etc) and one for not-clean stuff (rope, tent brush, latrine trowel, etc). I keep the clean stuff in a day pack and the dirty stuff in side pouches on my canoe pack, but as long as you have quick access to the stuff you need quickly and aren't packing dirty trowels in with your clothes, food/cookware and sleeping bag, how you arrange things is up to you.

Hope this helps!

I currently have two packs that I use on long trips - a Granite Gear Nimbus Great Northern, which is an internal frame pack that is no longer in production, and what Ostrom now calls their Winisk II.  While the Granite Gear is certainly a good pack it pales by comparison to the Ostrom.  Ostrom packs are incredibly well built and are designed to fit and make heavy loads manageable.  They will last a lifetime of hard tripping.  However, as in most things, the best don't come cheap.  Here's the Ostrom site so you can see what the top end is and then make your choice of where you want to be on the price spectrum based on what is essential for you and what isn't.  One other thing about Ostrom packs is that, even though they are most definitely "modern" packs with adjustable, padded shoulder straps and hip belt and, in some cases, internal frames, they also include a tump line, which for me is a deal breaker.
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
Though expensive I can definitely say that with Ostrom you do, indeed, get what you pay for.

As long as you get a reputable pack -- like Granite Gear or Ostrom, you'll be fine!  I would recommend against Duluth Packs....unless you like the retro look and feel of canvass, leather, and weight. 

I'd recommend you get a pack with a hip belt.  I'd also recommend you look into getting a waterproof pack, like a SeaLine.  If I were starting over, I'd research these waterproof packs.  I currently have Granite Gear packs, and I line them with heavy duty black plastic liners.  It would be nice to not have to do that.  I don't know much about these waterproof packs, such as wearability and weight, but they intrigue me.

The other consideration I'd offer: however big a pack you get, you'll invariably fill it!  So you might consider the future of your knees, legs, and back...because you'll need your component parts to be in great shape as you age and continue to lug these monster loads across portages! 

Good luck!

prouboy

Kerry wrote on Dec 7^th, 2012 at 10:06pm:


They're expensive as hell but I absolutely have to "second" what Kerry says about the Ostrom line of packs.  Personally I use their Wabakimi (see: (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) ).  Of course, I didn't exactly jump to "top-of-the-line" gear overnight.   I sort of worked my way up, using lesser lines for a few years, selling them for whatever I could get for them, & then upgrading to something better made.  "Better made" can be a bit subjective, I suppose, and, at some point, the "value adds" may not make financial sense.  However, for me, given some worsening "back issues" I've been experiencing, Ostrom products have been worth every penny.  Thus, I particularly like the way Ostrom does the internal frame on its Wabakimi Pack.  For other folks, this feature & other Ostrom "extras" may simply not be worth the premium you pay.

It's taken me a few decades to trade "up" (again, "up" being a bit subjective) but I'm very happy with the features, construction, & durability compared to the various models I've been through.

As for Granite Gear - mentioned a few times in this thread - I've used it with satisfaction for years, though I can't say I've used the Superior 1.  The ONLY Granite Gear pack I really did NOT like was a now-discontinued model that featured an interior frame.  I found GG to be very durable (I STILL use a bag that must be 30+ years old) but, perhaps, lacking the "fit" I have come to appreciate with the Ostrom line.

Just my 2 cents.

Jimbo   

I agree with everything that's been said about the Ostrom packs. 

We made the decision to buy, rather than rent packs a few years ago.  I purchased a GG pack (I forget which one).  I'm sure it was a fine pack, but the material didn't seem as heavy duty/durable as what I was used to.  I returned it and called the outfitter that we had used in the past and asked them where they got their packs.  He directed me to Ostrom.  Our group of four now uses an Ostrom for food, a 2nd Ostrom for gear and we use two large sealine's for personal stuff.  We split the costs, knowing that we'll be doing more trips together.

Ostroms are definitely more expensive (eye-opening expensive), but you won't feel cheated once you use them.  I would also add that I had a great experience with Ostrom customer service.  The individual that I spoke with (I think it was the owner?) spent over a half an hour on the phone with me explaining the differences in their packs and how this would apply to my size and trip style.