I just did a search using the words “security,” “pack security,” and “Pac loc,” but nothing surfaced.
Has anyone used a device called “pack loc” or any security device for their Backpacks?
Does anyone have any advice on this topic? I hear several stories of people getting their packs ripped off or lost while out on the AT.
Skylander
Skylander
that’s not a bad idea… i bet some people would buy them. I wouldn’t. ususally the smell is enough
Tha Wookie
Skylander,
On the AT your pack is safe. The only time you might consider your pack unsafe is during a hitch (don’t leave it inside a car unattended) 2 people hitching back to Trail Days had their gear stolen when both of them went inside a gas station to get direction (they were later caught) As for on the trail, at shelters, hostels, and the like…safe…nobody wants to carry your stuff.
SweetAss
Just a note of a trick that works well for me I use a small personal alarm sold at radio shack it is made for ladies purses and when the pin is pulled it emits a 130 db alarm lets you know if someone is messsing with your kit. Scares the shit out of bears also…
TuT
or paclocks, whatever you wanna call em. Only time I ever used it was for the plane ride. It’s heavy, and i mean heavy. If someones gonna nick your pack, whether it’s wrapped in chains, chained to a large metal pole or put safely in a bank deposit box…thieves will thieve. If they want it, they’ll take it. And lets be serious, I looked at my pack with the pack lock, all the potential thief has to do is cut the pack with a knife and let the goodies spill out.
Ross
Ross
Here’s a humble suggestion I have used:
When you get off the trail to hitch/walk into a resupply town or maildrop location - take along some 40-50 pound test fishing line (more like braided filament), tie it around a rock, or other heavy object, and throw it over a secluded tree branch. Haul your pack (should be relatively light since you are out of food/supplies) up toward that branch, out of sight, and tie the line off.
Should be safe from 2 or 4 legged bandits - just remember where you left it! I’ve used this method to cache storage containers in trees and it works pretty well. You won’t be gone that long and most critters can’t climb along a fishing line. Try keeping it about 15 feet above the ground and about 5 feet below the branch.
Brutus
Just saw a big display of Pac Loc products at a local Hudson Trail Outfitters (suburban Maryland near Washington, DC). Don’t know a thing about the product, though.
Brutus