How do you pack your backpack? Are you one of those people who simply throw everything into the bag without any real thought as to what is going where? Or do you spend time making sure everything goes in its proper place, so you can easily access it whenever you need to?
In reality if you fall into the latter group you will have a better time with using your backpack. It does depend on the type of backpack you buy though, because some have more compartments than others. It is always a good idea to figure out how you are going to use your backpack, because once you are happy with what you are going to put where you can pack it more easily in future.
Most backpack designs have side pockets where you can easily stash a bottle of drink. This can be picked up easily while you are wearing the backpack, so you don’t need to take it off all the time. It might take some practice to be able to get the bottle out and put it back again, but you will get used to it. Alternatively if you are used to travelling with another person you can keep each other’s bottles in each other’s backpacks as well.
Strictly speaking you should put anything you are most likely to need close to the top of the backpack, or in a separate easy to access pocket. The last thing you want if you have acquired a blister or two is to spend ages searching for the plasters. And if you have ever tried to get something out that is sitting at the bottom of your bag, you will know that you invariably end up tipping everything out and then repacking it again.
So it makes sense to pack it properly from the beginning. If you are new to wearing a backpack you can only guess and use your common sense as to what needs to go where. After you have worn it out and had a trip or two while wearing it, you can revise your earlier thoughts and make sure you can come up with a better solution as a result.
There is no doubt that packing your backpack properly is the key to using it successfully. The better you are at it, the better it will serve you.