'backpacking' originates from the combination of 'back' and 'pack', where 'back' refers to the rear part of the human body and 'pack' refers to a bundle of items carried.

'backpack' changed from the German word 'Rucksack' and eventually became the modern English word 'backpack'.

Initially, it meant 'to carry a pack on one's back', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'traveling or hiking with a backpack'.