Living is South GA dealing with ticks when in the woods is always a concern. A trick my father taught me works well. Get two dog tick collars and where them around your boots when I do this I have 0 problems with ticks. When I don't I normally end up with one or two on my clothing. I rarely have one get on my skin.
I find that my Camelbak MULE-NV is a really good bag for geocaching, day hikes, Mt. Biking and many other activities. I even use it when bailing hay to keep hydrated. Just my .02
http://www.camelbak.com/Sports-Recreation/Packs/2011-Mule-NV.aspx