>>457329Spend the money on a great bag. You will completely destroy it along the way, but it needs to be good enough so it won't wreck you.
I carried 33lbs dry (no food or water). This is average. See packing list above.
I went with an Osprey 85 (a huge pack) cause I thought I was going to go 7-10 days without going into town, but I found it better to carry less food and make more stops to lower overall body abuse.
