This was the idea
The initial plan was to capture a photo of me, alone, seated on the ancient bridge in Mostar with my backpack. However, it turned out to be quite a challenge. Time seemed to stretch endlessly as every attempt included someone else in the frame, either unexpectedly entering or appearing behind me. I waited patiently, but each shot still featured an unwanted companion or caught me in a distracted moment. Once, while I was inspecting my backpack, an unexpected photo was snapped when I wasn't prepared.
After a considerable amount of time, I finally managed to realize my intended photo, but the stone bridge's cold surface made it uncomfortable, and my buttocks began to freeze. More than 30 minutes and numerous photos later, I achieved the shot I had envisioned.
My trusty companion throughout this endeavor was my hand luggage, the Osprey Nebula 34, which served me well. In contrast, my other backpack, the Osprey Ether 85, accompanied me until my trip to Sarajevo. It wasn't exactly minimalist, but Mostar marked the start of my transformation. There were many reasons, but during my journey from October 2019 to February 2020, I experienced significant changes, leading me to downsize my backpack. I sold that backpack and switched to an Osprey Porter 46. After the pandemic, I transitioned to an Eagle Creek Wayfinder 40 and then to an Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 40.
More recently, I acquired an Osprey Nebula 32 from the 2023 model year, returning to the Nebula series. This made me wonder why I had sold my previous Nebula and tried out so many packs when, in the end, it proved to be sufficient and reliable. I realized I could have saved a significant amount of money, but perhaps this is what we call evolution. Sometimes, good things must undergo development.