I can be very picky about my backpacks, and I've tried a number of brands (Filson, Frost River,…read moreDuluth, and more). Right now, my go-to backpacks for exploring far off lands are the Sandqvist Forest Hike and a Sealand X DHL Stormers from South Africa. It's hard to explain, but both offer the right design combination of pockets, zippers, and compacity.
My Forest Hike replaces another Sandqvist backpack that I carried for years on Earthwatch Expeditions. And just when I was planning the next one to the Mackenize Basin within the NWT, it gave out. As I happened to be in Stockholm around that time (off a nearby cruise ship), I was very pleased to be walking down the street and seeing the their Flagship Store and Studio. That visit was invaluable in trying on and picking my next Sundqvist backpack.
I got to try it out in the Canadian wilderness for a solid 10 days and it performed like a champ. It has more capacity than my Sealand, which I use as more of a day pack. At the same time, more Sandqvist backpacks are tempting me, particularly anything in their Hike series. But alas, there is a difference between "need" and "want".