I remember my first departure. I was nineteen years old and I was going to Montreal for six months with my boyfriend then. I flew away with a huge suitcase of twenty kilos of essentials. At the time, it seemed perfectly normal to me, I was far from being a backpacker. I had no desire to be an adventurer; I was just going to live a few months beyond the borders of Europe. So that's it, I took everything. When I got home, I was pulling thirty-two kilos on wheels. In short, the weight I weighed when I was twelve years old. I dismantled my arms, had to buy another bag, add it to the hold. I was yelling at the employees for a reason I don't understand today.
In 2015, I wanted to travel in a backpack. For the first time I was going alone, hitchhiking, without money and with a bag that I would carry most of the time. I remember that at that time, the equipment was what obsessed me the most. The most efficient is the least heavy, the one that would cover the most "just in case", and often the most expensive as a guarantee of quality. In the end, I just spent a lot of money unnecessarily.
Over the past two years, my backpack has evolved a lot and is more and more minimalist. I arrive at a total weight of 7 kilos in a 25-litre bag, for a long trip, with a computer and enough to sleep outside.
Before my first trip, I used to read a lot of travel blogs to complete my material. So it seems natural to me to give you the list of mine today. But before that, I'd like to give you a little message that it's not usual to hear on other sites: relax! It's going to be okay, if you're wrong, if you don't think directly about everything, there will be a way to readjust along the way. Most of you are not going to be directly alone in the middle of the Himalayas with the contents of your backpack as the only way to survive. It's okay... I swear! People live where you are going to travel and generally you will find much cheaper equipment there and just as well.
Please note that my backpack is currently used to travel to rather hot countries, at least 20 degrees during the day. It is optimal to move quickly and be worn by a girl of my micro-gauge for hours. And that's my bag. Even if some tips may be useful to you, it is adapted to my needs and desires only.