How do you secure a rucksack to prevent people stealing stuff from it or other...
There does not seem to be anywhere on my rucksack that I can attach locks to. There are string pulls on each of the zippers but only useful if I cable the left to the top to the right and again and even then you can open the zippers slightly.
Oh...and this is for a RTW trip so don\'t want to take one of those metal pacsafes.
It's more the when leaving in hostels, on back of buses, and crossing borders...
Reply to this I generally make sure there is nothing worth stealing in mine.
Put all valuables in a moneybelt and if they dont fit in there, then put them in a small bag you can carry everywhere with you.
Mel
Reply to this Yeah I agree with that - I never really left anything valuable in mine, and beyond that, I just didn't worry about it too much - you have to leave your stuff in hostel dorms sometimes where there are no lockers; and most of the time in India when I travelled on trains, my rucksack was underneath the bottom bunk and I was on the top bunk - I just had to let go of it and trust people. People can't always be trusted of course! but you can't be 24 hours on guard of your rucksack either, it's just not practical. My money belt had my passport and money and credit cards and I wore a bag round my neck with my camera and mp3 player. also after travelling for a while, I used to wish my rucksack would get taken so I wouldn't have to carry it around anymore! Just take sensible precautions but don't get too caught up about it - as long as you have your passport and credit card, nothing terrible is going to happen if other stuff goes missing. I don't want to give you a false sense of security, but mostly, things aren't that vulnerable! There's always the chance someone will try and take something but it's really not all the time! Depending on where you're going, a lot of the time, luggage on buses goes into a hold at the back of the bus and is perfectly fine. I never had my rucksack locked - I bought padlocks once in India but they didn't work properly anyway. None of my stuff was ever taken. though a mouse did get in there once... :D
Reply to this Well, good to take some precautions.
Problem is my rucksack side pockets + back only have one zip pull so I can't lock them together.
Any suggestions other than to put a safety pin at the top and secure it to that?
Then put a cable lock through it in hostels?
Reply to this If somebody really wants to steal things from your backpack they will just slash it with a knife and do so. You can padlock it and chain it to anything but it wont stop the thieves. As Debbie says you might as well just resign yourself to this in India and some other places. Also as she says, most of the time nobody is trying to rob you. It is really an unlucky thing to happen.
Reply to this It's more precations to take rather than trying to stop 100%.
And with a bag that has side and back pockets withonly 1 zipe, I need some ideas rather than leaving it open all the time
Reply to this If you're still very concerned about this, then why not just get a couple of crocodile clips and fasten them round your rucksack so they make the pockets less accessible? That way, if you're afraid of chancers, they won't bother if they see it will take a bit of effort to take something. And prioritise your stuff - so choose stuff you really don't care that much if you lose, and put those in the side and back pockets
Reply to this I have never been robbed (well appart from by a dodgy black market money changer in Hungary in 1989) while travelling and I think there is a reason for it. I just toss my bag anywhere and I never pay much attention to securing it with locks or anything like that. Also I dont have a fancy bag. I think, when I am so casual with my stuff it gives thieves the impression that there is nothing worth taking. I also used to leave the door of my rooms and huts wide open when I was travelling in Thailand. Nobody ever took anything. I think that kinda obvious carelessness gives a message to thieves.
Reply to this cut proof mesh covers are available for backpacks but I'm not sure how well they work. Its like a wire mesh that goes around the pack and you put a padlock on it. That way all the side pockets are secure as well.
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