>>88374I don't see a waste belt. I hope you're not planning on walking more than a mile with any kind of weight.
>>88387Stability, comfort, water proofing, there's lots of a little reasons. Obviously price doesn't matter as much as what you need for where you're going. A 100 dollar pack could easily be better suited for what you require over a random 1000 dollar pack.
Avoid military packs unless you know what you're doing. A large 50 dollar pack may sound nice until you have to dump 200 dollars worth of modifications just to make it suitable. Even with the mods they're designed to be short ranged packs, you'll hurt yourself trying to carry 40 pounds over 10 miles.
Every pack has it's limitations. Take the time and study everything you can and go to multiple stores to try on different packs. It will pay off in the end.