This isn't just a theory for me, my Eberlestock and about $6K in gear was stolen, so I'm in the market for a completely new setup.

It needs to support me, in the woods of Utah (high mountains, little water) with a rifle that uses detachable mags for at least overnight and prefer two nights and three days.  Food, water, sleeping bag, hide gear, NODs and accessories, and....

What would your list be, starting with the backpack?  The eberlestock is out, I disliked that backpack and won't be buying another,

MR Overload and fill it with gear that works well for you.

IMO, build a nice lightwieght solo hunting/backpacking rig.
Ti goat, Kifaru, etc.

Then you can add extra weight for water and tactical gear.

If I was going to do this, I would also consider custom, which I have done in the past.  I have a custom pack made by Logan Coffee himself back in the day from 1998.

It was originally meant to be a Medic bag, but I've used it as a general purpose 3-day pack over the years.  It makes an excellent travel bag.

I have some designs that I drew up that are like an assault pack, but have a bottom sleeping bag compartment.

I would go custom, and I can probably help you with it.

Some interesting ideas.  I'll have to talk to you about the custom bag, I'd never considered that.  I had one years and years ago and hated it, but obviously not all bags are equal.

I'm really liking the MR bag listed above, very cool design with lots of options.

Mystery Ranch isn't playing around when it comes to their suspension system and hybrid frame arrangement.

Hill People Gear is another great company to look into, especially their Chest Kit Bags.  Anyone that likes the outdoors, but doesn't want their waist cluttered with vests and such, and also wears packs but doesn't want to lose certain items, should seriously get a HPG Kit Bag.

What size pack are you looking at?

From now on im probably going to stick with osprey for my ruck needs.

My osprey atmos 65liter pack is my go to pack for 2-10 day trips. Its grey and a dark bluish greyish color which is very subdued in the woods

For a smaller pack i have an eagle becker ruck thats ok.

My alice and filbe packs get used for canoe trips

My previous shooting pack was the Eberlestock Phantom which is about 2700ci without the scabbard.  That was fine for a range bag but you couldn't really camp out of it, it had no hydration compatibility (no really, ignore what they say on the spec sheet, there is one stupid hook they call a hydration hanger that doesn't work worth a crap) and didn't compress the loads.

So I think...

Larger than 2700cu-in
ability to include camping gear (sleeping bag at least)
frame would be awesome, the Eberlestock had a very poor frame, basically cardboard on the scabbard and nothing if you ditch the scabbard.
compressible
modular/molle compatible
I'd love for it to carry a rifle, but I'm not sure if that ability is worth the trade-off anymore.  The Eberlestock really soured me.
I'd like to be able to use it for backpacking and hunting, not really a dedicated 'tactical' bag (like a chubby 40yo slob really needs a tactical go-bag anyway, right?)

Honestly one of the biggest problems I have is that in the mountains of Utah it can swing 50-60 degrees in the mountains during the day/night cycle.  That means I need to haul a big 4-part military sleeping bag and a ton of water on the same trip.  Those big mil-surp bags are heavy and bulky, and if I can find a way to strap them to the outside I can get by with a smaller pack and have flexibility.  That's why I'm liking the external frame stuff I've seen from Kifaru and MR.

For what you're doing, you could just get a surplus CPF-90 ruck with sleeping bag compartment and still be able to strap a rifle or carbine to the side.

I use it for my camping trips for Boy Scouts, and have done so ever since I was issued one in Long Range Surveillance.  You can get them for under $100 if you shop around.

Interesting.  I'll come over and take a look at it soon.

http://m.rei.com/product/828429/osprey-atmos-65-pack

Seriously, try a civilian backpacking ruck. Ive had this one for a lot of miles. Through hiking the  longtrail, lots of 2 week backpacking trips. Hunting, canoing, etc.

I strap my mattress under the top flap and use it to hang my camel back. Id like  to keep water closer but its not that big of a deal.

I keep a 2 liter nalgene on the left side nesting in a cup and a tomahawk on the right. The belt is also thin enough to fit inbetween a holstered handgun and my side.

I'm planning on adding some extra pouches to the outside of my CPF90.

I really just want to make a pack from scratch, with all the years of experience I've had with rucks, logging away ideas as to how to improve them.

I know a guy that can work with you to make a custom pack if you go that route.

I second mystery ranch. I was given a hand me down for deployment and it was very well made and rode well. I payed it forward and gave it to a junior troop for deployment.

Mystery Ranch FTMFW!!!!

Maybe we should grab lunch then, I live in Sanpete county but come up there pretty frequently, I was there today and will be again Thursday.  PM inbound.

The thing that I like the best about the Overload is the three zip is a great cross between a top loader and a panel loading ruck. I also run a 3DAP so they load the same.

The NICE frame and the Overload are a very tight fit to each other, the ability to add a long gun or really anything else in between from steel targets for a hump out to make a austere range or even a PC if you have to haul everything for a long ways is very nice. I have not used the load cells for more space, but that is an option as well.

If I need more space I just pull the NICE frame out and place it into my LBT 10 pocket ruck and that gives me more options as well, with the same kick ass load management system.

If you want a CFP90 I have one in a box that I would be willing to sell....

here's how i camp out of my phantom

there's 400 rounds of 223 behind the tent in a flap intended for radio equipment, too
you can see where the 2x 2 liter water bladders stick out the top.  it's not optimal, because you have to drink evenly from both sides to keep your weight from shifting lol

granted, my sleeping bag is only a 30* bag, plus one liner, and is highly compressible.

If you go MR check out kifaruforums. There's always a bunch for sale in the classifieds

How I solved the temperature swing:

First, find a spot out of the wind.  The wind can exacerbate your heating problem dramatically, so find the lee of a hill or cliff whenever possible.  Of course you'll need to remain aware of water drainage potential where you're sleeping, especially in Utah where there's a lot of alkali in the soil.

Second, I use a bivy bag and put my sleep pad inside, it assists efficiency and helps keep you atop it while asleep.  

Next, I eat something and do some light exercise before getting in the bag.  The exercise will help kickstart your metabolic rate, especially if it's very cold outside.

My [wool] socks are almost always first to come off.  I use rubber bands to wrap them around a nalgene bottle partially-filled with hot water.  Dying coals are always good for heating water right before bed and I prefer not to waste the energy.  When I get up my socks are always dry and ready for re-use, as socks only get changed on special occasions when afield.  Besides that, it's easy to find the bottle when waking, it feels different.  And... who doesn't like an additional heat source in their bag when it's cold out?

I also get undressed under a poncho liner, it helps block wind to now-exposed skin  My pants come off first and I use my feet to shove them to the bottom of the bag.  But I don't take my feet out of the legs of the pants in case I have to get up in a hurry.  The poncho liner just gets wrapped or tucked into voids, usually next to zippers where air leaks through the bag.

My shirt gets folded and used as a pillow, for what it's worth.  And then I use a fleece hat pulled all the way down over my eyes.

If it gets really cold I pack up a zippered fleece blanket instead of the poncho liner.  The same process is repeated save for all of it happening inside the bag.

My secret weapon: a piss bottle.  I usually pack along a Gatorade bottle for just this purpose.  It doesn't feel or look like a nalgene bottle, which i use for drinking, and the tapered top is easy to use without spill inside a sleeping bag.  I use it, then tighten it down and pitch it out the top of the bag until the next morning.  It's important to not keep a gatorade bottle full is wiz inside a sleeping bag though.  They're not crush-proof and your body weight might split it... and it's full of piss.  If you're not alone, mark it so your partners aren't tempted to drink out of your piss bottle

I bought a bunch in a .gov auction and I gotta say: good call.  The side pockets can be removed if you want it to be more stream-lined and the ski pockets on the bottoms (on the sides) will fit most buttstocks.
The design is simple and volume is impressive for the weight, probably due to the fabric used.

Decent ruck, and rarely used as an option.  You can find quite a few used ones in great condition for pennies-on-the-dollar

If you go with a mystery ranch, don't get one with an internal frame. I have a couple and really don't like them. I can't speak to how the one with a NICE frame work.
The problem with the atmos 65 as mentioned earlier is using it with the MSS. The MSS is extremely bulky and will take up half the bag's volume and the pack doesn't really have provisions to add more space.

Frames break too easy

Not saying it doesn't happen, but I've never seen that.  The frame for the CPF-90 is two aluminum bars, so they just bend if anything, and it would take some abuse to make that happen.

In all the rotary wing insertions, extractions, loading with Team gear, and then my personal use of it on the civvy side, I never saw that.

They failed rating for Static line parachute operations after a guy died jumping one on the Airborne Test Board at Bragg back in the early 90s, since the pack is a lot longer than an ALICE and presented issues with door exits when rigged to the T-10 parachute harness.

Straps and yoke break, and arent really field fixable. Plus the pack is heavy for what it is. One word, berghaus....