There are two types of 'backpacking':



The first type, Bear grylls backpacking, is where you hike into the woods with nothing but a backpack and a big ass knife, to spend a few days doing nature stuff.



The second type is any long duration trip where there is generally not much of an itenerary, typically practiced in a developing country by unemployed people under 30 who have enough money to drink and sit at the beach all day, and occasionally buy a plane ticket to another country. Other than the aforementioned beach and drinking, a typical day in the life of a type 2 backpacker is talking to other backpackers about backpacking and skyping friends from home making fun of them for having a job. A type 2 backapcker also has to realize how open minded, cultured, and cool the backpacking experience has made him/her, and must blog about it throughout the entire time spent traveling (dont call it vacation,its traveling. Vacation is what employed people do, and its lame.)



my backpack. found under a pile of beer cans in the driveway, moldy dirty and full of leaves. cleaned up nicely

There are a couple reasons why type 2 backpacking is better than type 1, listen up Bear.

First, unlike type 1, participants in type 2 backpacking do not need to fit all belongings into a backpack, rather meerly own a backpack. So you don't need to pack light and leave anything at home, it's cool to travel around with a couple rolly suitcases, as long as you have a backpack on. Second, you still get the feeling of camping and roughin'-it bear grylls style by giving up the luxurys of living in a 1st world country like toilet paper, soap, hot showers, drinkable tap water, and regulated food sanitation, while not having to go a day without the absolute essentials like internet, drugs (dont worry mom and dad, I still dont smoke tobacco), and your entire wardrobe. And of course the obvious benefits like no risk of being eaten by a bear, or an embarrassing news article when you get rescued after getting lost in the woods ½ a mile from a major highway.