New answers tagged backpacking
1
I like to use my backpack as a pillow, which is the safest place, next to all my senses and reach of my hands. :-)
1
Much of it is due to conifers -- especially spruce and fir shedding snow away from the trunk. I routinely see trees with 1/3 of the snow under their branches as in the open.
A spruce in winter appears nearly black. Sunlight enters, and bounces around a lot before escaping. Most is absorbed during a bounce.
So the crown of the tree is warmer than the ...
1
I'd consider two theft risks:
Whole bag being stolen.
Bag contents being stolen.
Solutions:
To avoid the bag being stolen, I'd anchor it somewhere, prefferably close to you. Easiest (and IMO safest) thing to do would be to wrap the bag straps around your body (arms, legs, etc) so that to take it they have to lift a part of your body.
It's trickier to ...
9
I assume based on the [backpacking] tag and the phrases "miles away from civilization" and "most contents of a pack are essential" that you are specifically talking about back country camping and not car camping. The reason I am clarifying is my opinions on security are very different for the two and many of the answers presented here are only practical for ...
5
Two ground anchors
The ones which look like large corkscrews, frequently used for securing dogs. If you screw two in next to each other and then attach a padlock between them, neither can be turned to extract them. Removing the ground anchors requires about a foot of soil to be removed. Lock the rucksack to them, and job done.
Of course that doesn't ...
5
I’m having trouble finding a link, but I’ve read several praises for a net bag made out of cable. Put the bag in it and lock it closed. When ready to hit the trail again, it collapses into a little ball and goes into the pack.
The hard part for OP’s situation is finding something to secure it to. The testimonials I read were from people staying in ...
4
There are many variables, with weight and budget. But given this sentence in your question
slept with my backpack wedged uncomfortably beside me due to limited room in a fully manned tent
I assume you are in either a one or two person tent, with the rated number of users.
Consider upgrading to a tent with extra space. 2 people in a 3 person tent, or ...
2
You can buy a folding/camping bed:
Then stash the backpack below the bed. Since the bed is low, and assuming the backpack is full and rather big, any attempt to take it out will result in the whole bed moving, waking you up to catch the thief before they have a chance to run away with your backpack.
9
A thin (2 or 3mm) steel wire, plastic coated, with a loop at each end works well. Anything between one and two metres will do, depending on tent situation. One end looped round the straps of the bag - or locked with a small padlock to the zip ends, and the other end wherever you prefer. That could be attached to the tent, a tentpole, your sleeping bag zipper,...
12
We hardly ever stay in a campground. We usually camp far from a trailhead, and far from the trail, in places where there are no official campsites. We have done this for decades, and nothing has ever been stolen by two-legged critters.
When we are leaving our remote camps to take a hike, we put the packs inside the tent and zip up the tent. We always ...
answered Dec 30 '19 at 2:26
ab2 MonicaNotForgotten
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15
Storing the backpack inside instead of next to you won't provide a whole lot more security, in some crowded places where theft is more common it might be justified.
Normally, if I am worried about people my common practice is to keep a low profile and try to camp out of sight. If on the other hand, I know that there aren't any humans for several miles then ...
answered Dec 29 '19 at 20:52
Charlie Brumbaugh
66.8k22 gold badges173 silver badges346 bronze badges
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