Yesterday my order from mec arrived, much to my relief. To make a long story short, I wasn't 100% sure about the daypack I was considering and then suddenly they were out of stock so I had to order it online (3-13 business days). To get the free shipping and to save the hassle of lugging it home on my bike, I had added my duffle bag to the order. So I was in a bit of a panic - 13 business days landed right before I leave!
I purchased all three bags needed for the trip from mec:
1 - large (110 litres) MEC duffle bag to carry everything for the whole trip and to leave stuff back at the hotel while on the trek
2 - Women's medium 22 litre Black Diamond Pulse Daypack - smaller than recommended but I could not find anything in the 30 litre size - for carrying during the day. It has space for a hydration system and many adjustable straps. My hesitation was in the complete lack of pockets -- there is only one with a zipper. But I found it very comfortable with lots of weight thrown in and that has to be the most important criteria. The women's model did fit my hips better (most annoying as the men's colours were much nicer!)
3 - MEC Dry bag - 55 litres - for the porter to carry. I read someone else's account and this is what he used. It is waterproof and will hopefully be more comfortable for the porter's head. It will contain my sleeping bag and everything else that I'm not carrying that day. The total weight has to be under 15kg.
I didn't buy a waterporoof knapsack cover as my poncho covers everything and the route I am taking see much less rain than the other side of the mountain.
After the trek, I'll let you know if this combination worked well or what I would do differently.
