LailaQuiche wrote:Thanks for all your replies! Been to a few shops and tried some on, still uhming and aahing over what capacity to get!
take your tent, sleeping bag, and sleep mat in with you to try to get them into a pack. You are really looking for two things, how easy it is to get them in (and how much additional space there is for stove, clothes, etc) and which backpack feels the best with them in it (as together they will probably weigh around 4kg or so).
I know I can get my tent, bag and pad in any of my backpacks, but it can be a push in some (with not much room for anything else), and some carry them better (weight wise) than others.
If you haven't got your tent yet, borrow one from the shop floor, pick one that you think is about the right size for you, but a reasonable cheap one should weigh around 2kg (ish).
In my view, having too much capacity is better than not having enough, as you can always leave things behind if you have too much weight. Its all about being disciplined, besides, if you go for a 50l bag and want to get more into it, you will always find a way, so best pick a pack that will carry what your need without have to fight to get your stuff in it every morning (or out every night).
Besides there is not much difference in the weight of a 50l v 60l bag (of the same make and model) - for example the exos 48l is 1.19kg and the 58l is 1.23 kg.