Stepping Along
One of the best resources for a backpacker in terms of gear selection is Backpacker magazine and its annual Gear Guide issue. It has a lot of information on every major piece of gear and even on some of the minor pieces.Another good source of information the web site BackpackGearTest.org. Although not as comprehensive as the Gear Guide issue, the reviews are more thorough and by people that don't just hike for a living, i.e., 'real' people. I have consulted both of these sources a lot to make gear selection decisions in the past.