Don's Question:
What about attaching items to the outside of your pack? Are bungee cords good?

— Don

Karen's Answer:
Don,

	Karen Berger Karen is a hiker's hiker. She has finished the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide Trails — making her one of the few who've completed hiking's"triple crown." Meet Karen Previous Answers Hiking Forums

Bungees are fine. They come in lots of different sizes and can be used for jobs ranging from strapping on a pair of snow-shoes to acting as a clothes line for your socks. And you can hook them practically anywhere. The only problem is that you have to kind of keep an eye on them in camp, because they can be easy to lose once you've unpacked everything.

You can also attach things to your pack using daisy chains (the loops of webbing sewed onto many packs in a row). Either use bungees or webbing with plastic buckles.

One word of caution: You don't want to hang so many things from your pack that you look (and sound!) like a traveling tinker! Heavy things can affect your sense of balance. And anything riding outside of your pack can get lost or may be damaged if you scrape it against something. It's best to keep as many things inside the pack as possible—especially on terrain where you might have to do a little scrambling.

Happy hiking!

Karen