One thing they didn't mention - get a smaller backpack.

It sounds counterintuitive, right? Wouldn't I rather have all that extra space and not use it than need it and not have it?

Trick question. Your backpack never has empty space, trust me. It will consistently be filled to the brim with useless knickknacks you think you might use but only really threw in because you had extra space.

The day I relegated my frame pack to long-term camping only is the day my gear got several pounds lighter and became able to fit into a school backpack. You don't realize how little you *need* until you artificially limit the amount of "stuff" you can bring.