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What Are The Straps On The Outside of a Backpack For?

What are the straps on the outside of a backpack for?

Many backpackers attach gear to the outside of their backpack because it’s too bulky, they need to carry extra supplies, they want to keep their gear easily accessible, or because it’s wet and they need to keep it separate from their dry clothing. While some techniques for attaching gear to the outside of a backpack are nearly universal, like sandwiching it under compression straps, many are more specialized and rely on features that depend on the specific backpack you own.

Learning how to attach gear to the outside of your pack, like many backpacking skills, is best learned by observing what other people do and adapting it to your needs. That said, it helps to think about the kinds of external attachment capabilities that are possible on different backpacks and figure out which ones you’ll need before or after you buy a new backpack.

To help you with this process, I’ve compiled the following collection of examples that illustrate the most common techniques for attaching gear to backpacks and the different external attachment systems.

Side compression straps can be used to attach snowshoes. Pack shown: Deuter Guide 45+
Two pairs of side compression straps can be used to carry snowshoes on a backpack.

Side Compression Straps

While side compression straps are not universally available on all overnight backpacks, most backpacking and climbing packs designed for weekend or expedition trips have them. They can be used to compress the volume of a backpack to bring the load closer to your core muscles, though most people use them to attach bulky gear like sleeping pads, snowshoes, or cylindrical tent bags to the outside of their packs.

When attaching gear under compression straps, it’s best to balance the load so that you carry an equivalent weight on the left and right sides. You’ll want a least two tiers of compression straps, although some larger packs may three.

Its easy to carry snowshoes or a sleeping pad.
It’s easy to carry snowshoes or a sleeping pad on a Granite Gear Blaze 60 backpack because it has compression straps on the sides and front.

Some backpacks come with reversible side compression straps that can be used to attach gear to the front of your pack. This requires that the ends of the compression straps have clips, instead of being sewn onto the pack, and that there’s a male clip and a female clip on opposite sides so they can mate together. Most of Granite Gear’s overnight backpacks including the Crown 2 60 and the Blaze 60 have this feature. Their smaller volume Crown 2 38L also has it and makes an exceptional backpack for winter day hiking and snowshoeing. The other nice thing about this kind of compression system is that you can use it without losing the ability to fill side pockets with water bottles.

Granite Gear packs have a unique side compression system where the lower side strap can run under a water bottle, inside the pocket. The pack shown here is a Virga 2.
Granite Gear packs have a side compression system where the lower side strap can run under a water bottle, inside the pocket. Granite Gear Virga 2 Backpack

One of the problems with compression strap systems is that they’re clumsy when using a side pocket to hold water bottles because the compression strap has to run outside of the pocket and around the bottle. Granite Gear backpacks also have a great pocket design that alleviates this issue. Instead of running the bottom compression strap outside the pocket, they cut small holes in the pocket that let you run the webbing strap underneath the bottle, so you can use the pockets and the compression at the same time. Many other backpack makers have adopted this pocket format including Osprey.

It's more difficult to attach gear under a single criss-cross style side compressions straps than multiple horizontal ones: Osprey Mutant 38 Backpack
It’s more awkward to attach gear under Z-style style side compression straps than  separate horizontal straps: Osprey Packs Mutant 38 Backpack

Some backpacks also have a Z-style compression strap, which gear manufacturers use to trim the weight of their packs. While it’s reasonably effective for shrinking the volume of your pack, these Z-style straps are awkward to use if you want to strap bulky gear, like snowshoes, to the outside of your backpack. Horizontal compression straps are much easier to use.

Shoulder Straps Loops

Many people like to festoon their shoulder straps with extra pockets for storing a camera, a GPS, Satellite Messenger, water or snack bottles, or even a map case. But many backpacks lack good attachment points on the shoulder harness to do so.

Daisy chains sewn on the front of the shoulder pads make it easy to attach exra pockets or navigation instruments
Daisy chains sewn on the front of the shoulder pads make it easy to attach extra pockets or navigation instruments

When choosing a backpack, look for packs that have horizontal keeper-style straps or small daisy chains that you can hang external pockets from. Hyperlite Mountain Gear Packs are particularly good for this purpose. It’s also helpful to have some kind of plastic or metal ring that you can clip heavier gear onto like a GPS on a retractable cord. If you have a pack that doesn’t have these features, Sea-to-Summit and Gear-Aid sell a wide variety of plastic hardware and buckles that you can often use to rig something that suits your needs.

Floating Lids

A floating lid is a top pocket attached to the pack using 4 webbing straps instead of being sewn to the back panel like a hinge. They’re often used in winter to compress bulky objects like sleeping pads, tent bodies, or rope between the top pocket and the top of your pack bag.

Floating lids are used to attach gear between a top pocket and the pack bag. Granite Gear Leopard AC Backpack.
Floating lids are used to attach gear between a top pocket and the pack bag.

When carrying very heavy gear, floating lids help you keep it closely aligned with your spine and your strongest core muscles rather than along the sides or back of your pack where it can throw you off-balance. They also provide much-needed vertical compression to keep your load compact and balanced. Most backpacks let you remove the floating lid pocket when it’s not needed and leave it at home. Some manufacturers also make roll-top backpacks packs that come with an optional floating top lid so you get the best of both worlds. The Granite Gear Crown 2 60 is a good example of this.

Top lid and side compression strap attachments. Osprey Packs Kestrel 58 Backpack
Floating Lid. Osprey Packs Kestrel 58 Backpack

Shovel Pockets

Shovel pockets (sometimes called shove-it pockets) are open pockets sewn onto the back of a pack that you can stuff gear, like snowshoes, crampons, or layers into for easy access. They’re quite similar to backpacks that have stretchy mesh pockets actually, but more rugged when it comes to storing gear that has sharp pointy teeth.

Rear Shovel Pockets are one way to attach snowshoes to a backpack.
Rear Shovel Pockets are one way to attach snowshoes to a backpack.
Shovel pockets are good for storing avalanche shovels, crampons, wet gear and extra layers. Kelty Spectra Cloud Backpack.
Shovel pockets are good for storing avalanche shovels, crampons, wet gear, and extra layers. Kelty Spectra Cloud Backpack.

Ice Climbing Tool Holders

Most climbing packs have extra tool holders for attaching climbing or walking ice axes to a backpack. These include shaft holders to hold ice axes in place and ice ax loops for securing the pointed end of an ax to the pack in a way that prevents it from spearing you in the thigh if you fall.

Climbing style backpacks, often used in winter, often have special ice axe or crampon pockets that allow you to attach sharply pointed gear on the outside of your backpack. Pack shown - Cold Cold World Chaos
Climbing style backpacks, often used in winter, often have special buckles or bungee cords that hold ice ax shafts in place when attached to the back of your pack. Cold Cold World Choas Backpack,

The shaft holders are made with webbing and buckles or elastic keeper cords. Some packs also have pick protectors that let you secure the tip of the pick, protecting it, you, and your gear!

Hip Belt Gear Loops

Backpacking hip belts have pockets, webbing straps, or gear loops on the exterior side. The latter two are often far more useful as gear attachment points because you can secure anything you want to them.

Gear loops on hip belts make it easy to rack climbing gear: Osprey Packs Mutant 38
Gear loops on hip belts make it easy to rack climbing gear: Osprey Packs Mutant 38

It’s not uncommon to find gear loops on climbing and winter packs because you can rack climbing gear like carabiners and quickdraws to them when you’re not wearing a sit harness. They’re also used to attach insulated water bottle holders to a pack for easy access.

Daisy Chains

Daisy chains are webbing loops sewn to the sides or back of a backpack that let you clip extra gear to your pack using carabiners or webbing straps.

Daisy chains make it easy to attach external gear using a carabiner. Osprey Packs Volt 75 Backpack.
Daisy chains make it easy to attach external gear using a carabiner. Osprey Packs Volt 75 Backpack.

Tie Out Loops

A lot of lightweight gear manufacturers sew small gear loops along on their packs so that backpackers can rig up custom attachment points. While these are functionally equivalent to daisy chains in some ways, they weigh less and it’s easier for manufacturers to add a lot more of them to a backpack: around the perimeter of the back, the sides of the pack, and even on top of the lid.

Some backpacks have tie out loops that let you rig up custom cord systems for attaching gear to the rear of your pack.Pack Shown: Mountain Laurel Designs Newt (I think!)
Some backpacks have tie-out loops that let you rig up custom cord systems for attaching gear to the rear of your pack. Mountain Laurel Designs Revelation Backpack.

You can hang almost anything from a backpack using a system like this from solar power chargers to a wet tarp. All you really need is some cord and a few small cord locks, which companies like Gossamer Gear include with their packs for this purpose.

Gossamer Gear Gorilla: External lash points make it possible to easily secure gear to the outside of the Gossamer Gear Gorilla Backpack
Gossamer Gear Gorilla: External lash points make it possible to easily secure gear to the outside of the Gossamer Gear Gorilla Backpack

When attaching clothing and softer items to a pack, it helps to use an elastic style cord to create a rigging system. Static non-elastic, cord is better for hanging heavier gear, like snowshoes on the outside of a pack, because it’s more durable and there’s less chance that it will break.

Rear Sleeping Pad Straps

Many larger backpacks have rear loops that hang below the bottom of the pack bag for securing sleeping pads, sleeping bags, or tent bodies.

Expedition size packs often come with rear bottom gear straps for attaching sleeping bags or other bulky items. Jansport Carson 90 Backpack
Expedition size packs often come with rear bottom gear straps for attaching sleeping bags or other bulky items. Jansport Carson External Frame Backpack

While gear hanging from them can be a nuisance since it can swing into your legs while you walk, they provide a convenient place to attach very lightweight items like pads or wet tents.

Rear loading straps make a convenient place to carry a wet tent. Paradox Packs 3900.
Rear loading straps make a convenient place to carry a wet tent. 

Conclusion

There are many ways to extend the volume of a backpack so that you can carry a lot more gear when required. Often these techniques depend on the specific features of your backpack, however, there is usually a way to MacGyver a custom rigging system provided you’ve seen enough examples of the external attachment systems that other people have rigged up.

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4 comments

  1. Bear cans, exra mattresses pr closed cell foam mattresses, etc. all need exterior pack straps.

    I use them mainly for attaching side pockets. SIDE POCKETS!? Yes because I want emergency or often used items quickly available like water treatment, first aid. potty gear, toilet kit, stove kit, fuel, etc.

  2. Hi Philip!
    I found this article so helpful. Thank you.
    I’m interested in attaching some removable webbing straps to a 2018 Gossamer Gear Silverback to carry snowshoes on the back of the pack. I found some 3/8 inch webbing for sale online and some 3/8 inch side release buckles. Now I just need the right piece of gear to enable me to attach the webbing to the gear loops on the pack so that I can remove the straps when I don’t want them. I don’t know the name or names of the types of gear that make that attachment possible. Would you let me know the name of this piece of gear?
    I’ve thought about using some cord and cordlocks to do this, but I just love working with webbing rather than cord.
    Thanks!

  3. After further research, I realized that Seek Outside sells 3/4 inch gatekeeper clips which look like they’d be perfect for attaching webbing straps to gear loops on backpacks. The removable compression system on the Seek Outside packs using gatekeepers looks completely awesome.

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