Backpack - The North Face or Gregory

I'm looking to buy my first real backpack to take on one week or longer trips. After a lot of looking I have kind of narrowed it down to either The North Face Primero 70
http://www.rei.com/product/763926
or the Gregory Baltoro 70
http://www.rei.com/product/757777
I am having a hard time finding a dealer near Cleveland that carries the Primero pack to try out and can't find many reviews of it online. I really don't want to buy it blind with out trying it out first. Has anyone here owned one and if so what do you think? Also in your opinion which is the better pack, or is there another one that you recommend more? I plan to be carrying about 30-40 pounds of gear including food. I also want something durable as I plan to use it for a while and at some point in the next few years take it on a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. As of right now I'm kind of leaning toward the north face just because I have owned 5 of there packs and a lot of there other gear and had great luck with it, but the fact that I can't find many reviews online is a little worrying. Any help would be appreciated thanks.