Lots of good advice with doing the short trips first, especially into an area you haven't personally scouted or hunted before. Lots can be different with animal movement, hunting pressure, weather, water, and other factors once you show up there in person. It can waste time and effort to carry 5 days of gear into an area just to carry it all back out the same day if the area isn't what you want.
As far as the camper or not, we do a combination approach. We take a truck, UTV in a 14ft stock trailer, and Seek 8 man tipi with wood stove. We generally day hunt from the base camp and can pack it up and move it pretty easy with the tipi set-up. Especially for short moves we can not tear down cots and such and be on the road pretty quick. If we find an area we want to hunt a good distance from base camp we can move the base camp, use the UTV to set up a small base camp, or backpack in. Especially in a new unit we like to keep our options open and be prepared to be mobile. Using the UTV to set up a small camp lets the truck and trailer stay near a good road also so we aren't worried about getting them out of a bad spot if the weather turns, just have to get the UTV out. As primarily rifle hunters we often hunt later season.
Having emergency and extra gear in the vehicle is always a good idea. This is not a replacement for emergency gear you carry, but is to supplement it without the weight penalty on your back. It is close enough to be accessed even if it does cost a day to hike out to retrieve it. I keep things like a larger repair & medical kit, spare boots, bag, and clothes, spare knife and headlamp, fire kits, etc in a tote in the vehicle. When day hunting using the UTV to access country (not to road hunt off, but to access trails without beating a big diesel truck over them) we always have a large dry bag in the bed with spike camp gear in it. It's mostly gear we have upgraded from, but that is still plenty usable. If we choose to hike into an area and spend the night we have the gear there to put in our packs to do it. We have other gear too so if we break down, have a creek flood, tree fall, or other issue with getting home we have shelter, fire, dry clothes, knife/saw/axe, light sleeping bags, and a couple days of food and water there. It buys us time to deal with issues and make good decisions instead of trying to force a situation. I like to be self reliant and that takes a bit of planning when you are in a state far from home and friends.
As far as packs I think you are on the right track. I've yet to hear anything negative I can recall about Stone Glacier. I bought an Exo 3500 last year and really like it. Those and other companies now make packs that expand to haul big loads of camp or meat, but that collapse to make a great daypack also. A pack like that fits many hunting styles and situations.
For boots I have 2 main pairs I use. For later or wetter hunts I like the Kennetrek Mountain Extreme boot and for earlier or dry hunts I like the Salomon 4D GTX boot. The Salomon breaks in fast and is extremely comfortable and light. It also is quieter for me to slip through country in because the light sole lets me feel the ground pretty well. It does not have great ankle support but it's ok for most stuff. The Kennetrek boots are very stiff, very waterproof (I use the Kennetrek wax on them regularly too), but still comfortable. If I will be walking sidehills all day, know I will be carrying a heavy load, or just want the ankle support and warmth I'll choose them. The much cheaper Salomon boot can help me make my Kennetreks last longer on trips where they aren't needed, they are expensive. The Lathrop and Sons insoles are worth every penny to put into a pair of boots like the Kennetreks also.
