I need to vent. Why is it that every time I go into an REI, Sport Chalet and every other sporting good store that caters to backpackers that there are 50 internal frame packs and one external frame? Why is it that the external frame has taken a backseat to internal frame? I am 46 years old and have been backpacking for 35 years ever since the age of 11 when I joined Boy Scouts. My choice of back pack has always been Jansport external frame and I used a D3 for 20 years. A few years ago I let a pimply faced sales rep at a North Face store convince me that an internal frame was the way to go. I dug into my pockets and gave him $250 for a Dilligence model. What a mistake. No real side pockets or easy accces to the inside, so I either have to access everything from the top down or take everything out and lay it on the ground. It won't stand up like an external frame so I have to hang it on a tree. My preferred trails are in the Sierra Nevada and all the trees have sap on them. As a result, so does my pack. Right in the area that goes against my back. I sweat like a pig and really miss the air ventillation of the external frame. They told me it had over 6000 cubic inches. That sounds great until you realize that 30% of that is taken up with the sleeping bag. The D3 allowed horizontal placement of tents etc and with the North Face everything must be vertically mounted. This is very difficult to balance the load as my pad weighs much less than my tent yet is just as bulky. Most backpackers don't climb above 14,000 feet or need all the "scrambling/off trail" benefits of internal frames. Why are there so many straps? I can't find the ones to adjust my shoulder straps & waist harness. My D3 may have squeaked but I'll take that any day over the shortcomings of internal frames. By the way, the genius who sold the world on internal frames must have been the same one who came up with the notion that low ankle boots are the way to go. I'm sick of looking at Backpacker magazince and seeing 90% of the boots advertised as low ankle. What ever happened to the notion that high ankle boots provide support and protection against twisting an ankle? If anyone cares, never use these boots in the Sierras. You'll either twist or break an ankle and will be paying the Forest Service $20,000 for airlifting your ass out. One last thing: Long live the SVEA 123. It's still the best backpacking stove ever devised. Even though REI, Sport Chalet & other sporting goods stores no longer carry this stove, thank God you can still find it on the internet. Why are all the new stoves so complicated? If any component is lost or fails, you're screwed. Where have all the SIGG Tourist pot sets gone? I can't find them anywhere. Thanks for letting me vent.