Tourist tips. What to take on a trip, and what to leave at home?

There is a universal minimum set of things that will help you feel comfortable in different conditions

I remember how, more than ten years ago, packing a backpack for another hike was an important event. It was necessary to set aside several hours for this, write a list of all the necessary things, put them in a pile in the middle of the room, put them in a backpack. Realizing that it is too heavy, unpack the backpack again, critically review all things, throw away anything extra and pack again. Now this procedure passes quickly and painlessly.
For those who are collecting their first (or tenth) backpack, I suggest to stop at the main things that will be needed on a hiking trip. We will not consider each thing in detail (you can write a whole book about it), we will focus only on the main parameters.

The most important things
First of all, we need a tourist backpack, strong and reliable, with a solid back, a strong bottom, reliable back and waist straps. Tested by my own experience: a normal tourist backpack is the most important thing on a hike (especially on a hike, although I even take a backpack, not a suitcase on wheels, on a beach or excursion vacation, on a train or plane trip).
Necessary items include a tent, a travel mat and a sleeping bag.

The choice of shoes and clothes depends on the season and climate. The main requirement for shoes is convenience and reliability. These can be sturdy trekking boots or sandals, you can take light flip flops as a change of footwear.
From clothes, you should take two T-shirts, two pairs of pants and two sweaters (wear one set for yourself, the other as a change to walk in the camp during the stops, especially if you get wet during the transition). Pants for walking should be light and strong, loose enough not to restrict movement, not to be blown by strong wind and dry quickly.
If you have extra funds, you can buy a thermal shirt that wicks sweat away from the body well and dries quickly. However, you can do without it.
A light and warm fleece jacket is an excellent option in case of cold weather. Even after getting wet, it continues to warm and dries very quickly. Do not take heavy and bulky woolen sweaters, prefer thin and warm sweaters.
A jacket or windbreaker is needed to protect against wind and rain. I believe that it should be taken on hikes in the summer as well, even if it is not expected to be cold or heavy rains.
A mandatory element is a raincoat and/or a waterproof cape on a backpack. If the latter is not available (and even if there is), I recommend packing all the things in separate cellophane bags, and then everything together in a large cellophane bag (sold at the bazaar for pickling vegetables). This is a very convenient additional protection of things from getting wet. It is especially relevant in the Carpathians, where showers are quite frequent.

It is important
Mandatory set of individual tableware: mug, bowl, spoon and knife. If you want to save on weight and volume, take one deep container for eating and drinking (but then you will have to wash it more often), or better — a set of individual dishes made of high-quality plastic, which is assembled according to the principle of a matryoshka. A set of dishes for cooking and the food itself should be calculated for the whole group, depending on the number of people and the days of the trip.
Another important accessory is a flashlight to help you navigate in the dark, as well as matches or a lighter. Also pack the matches in cellophane, grab dry alcohol for lighting a fire in wet weather. An even better option is to have a compact gas burner and cylinder, then you can cook food quickly and comfortably in any weather.
In the first-aid kit, you should have a bandage, a disinfectant, a plaster, a minimum set of medicines (painkillers, antipyretics, activated charcoal, and others). One first-aid kit will be enough for the whole group, if you use specific medicines – take them separately.
If you take a camera or video camera with you, take care of spare batteries or batteries and protect the equipment from moisture. You should not take a tripod, especially a large one, it is an unjustified extra weight. Also pack documents, cards, money in waterproof bags.
When packing personal hygiene products, give preference to a small towel, one or two disposable sachets of shampoo, and take one toothpaste for everyone, and the smaller the tube, the better! But you can safely take a whole roll of toilet paper, it replaces napkins on a trip and comes in handy in many cases. From cosmetics, children’s and sun cream can be useful.

Advice
Perhaps something from the proposed list will be superfluous for you, and something, on the contrary, you will not get. In any case, before you put something in your backpack, think twice about how necessary it is, and whether it can be replaced with something similar, but lighter.
Do not drag heavy books, folding chairs, axes and other things that you can do without. It is important not only not to take extra things, but also to pack everything that is taken compactly. How to do it, read in the following publications. And remember that every next time packing a backpack will be easier.