Separate travel essentials from activity-specific gear.
Phone, charger, wallet, tickets, personal essentials and accommodation information belong in almost every trip. Walking footwear, waterproofs or activity equipment only belong when the itinerary creates a reason for them.
That separation stops a simple city or attraction weekend turning into an outdoor-equipment packing list by accident.
Choose bag size after you know the accommodation and length of stay.
A short weekend with indoor accommodation needs far less capacity than camping. If you can keep everything in one manageable travel bag, getting on trains, through stations and between venues becomes easier.
A larger travel backpack can make sense for repeated weekends, but there is no reason to replace luggage you already own if it is comfortable and fits the trip.
Keep a small day setup separate from the main luggage when it helps.
Once you reach the accommodation, you may only need a phone, water, charger and a light layer for the day's plan. Carrying the entire weekend bag around an attraction or city can make the social part unnecessarily tiring.
Use the exact event information for what happens each day. Past community-trip photographs show what Lifted Spirits has done, not a template every future weekend will follow.