packing a backpack

I’m a shambles with packing a backpack for a budget travel or backpacking trip. I usually leave it to the last night (or second last night if I'm lucky).  But in saying that, I have become very good at cramming a lot of things into my backpack and can pack it quite quickly.

How do you choose a backpack? What do you pack? Everyone is different and the climate will largely determine what you end up packing.  When I think about packing clothes, I work from head to toe (or toe to head) in order to make sure that I haven't missed anything.

Here are some things to consider when choosing a backpack and thinking about packing for your backpacking trip:

• why use a backpack?
• size and features of your backpack
• choose a backpack part 1
• choose a backpack part 2
• other things to take – sleeping bag, books, Ipod, digital camera
• choosing quality sleeping bags
• carry on luggage restrictions