'backpacker' originates from the English word 'backpack', where 'back' refers to the rear part of the body and 'pack' refers to a bundle of items carried.

'backpack' changed from the Middle English word 'pak' and eventually became the modern English word 'backpack'.

Initially, it meant 'a pack carried on the back', but over time it evolved to refer to a person who carries such a pack while traveling.