Homemade Backpacking Gear

by Jason Klass

Difficulty Rating:  1

Material Sourcing: 1

Many lightweight packs come stripped down with no amenities in order to save weight.  Often, the old standard D-rings are eliminated from the shoulder straps; however, there are times I miss them.  It's nice to at least have the option of clipping certain things to the shoulder strap for easy access.  I found this light solution.  Plastic zip ties make a great substitute, fit almost anywhere and weigh next to nothing.  You can buy a big pack of them for about one dollar and they come in various colors (I used white for the photo so it would be easy to see but they come in many colors, including black).  They can also be used as Hydration hose guides and you can cinch them to whatever size you want.  Here's one on a Golite Jam.  Weight:  Does not register on my scale. 

Here's one on a Mountainsmith Ghost that doesn't have any other obvious attachment points.  Again, it doubles as a guide for hydration tubes.