how much backing do you need on a reel designed to hold a 2-4 wt line? Even if you're fishing a 5 wt on it, what do you expect to do with it as far as fish-fighting.... On a reel that small, if you let a fish get far enough away to worry about how much backing you have, I would bet my next paycheck you're going to lose that fish--UNLESS you happen to be in completely open water and following it in a boat. We all want to cover the "what if" bases, but if a fish gets that far away in most freshwater situations, it's grace and good luck if you ever land it. Most freshwater fish just don't run that long, except maybe steelhead and salmon in big rivers and Great Lakes, and i don't imagine you're going after those with a small reel..

BTW I used to live in Las Cruces, 99-03, I loved it there, burritos from Santa Fe Express were awesome and I really miss eating at La Posta.