securing your gear – locks & padlocks

You probably know about pacsafe, a wire mesh with a padlock. I've used it a couple times, but basically my gear is either with me, or in a coin-locker at a train station. Train stations have become my 'base camp' for most hikes and coin lockers are a convenient way to secure the gear from the Tour portion of my trip while I go on the Hike portion of my trip.
http://www.shop-com.jp/op/prod-18263142-25481147?sourceid=298

1. Locking luggage for flights – Nope, only travel with one carry on pack.

2. Locking your backpack when left without supervision or sleeping – I use a very lightweight cable and lock — good for tethering the pack to a luggage rack, for example, to discourage opportunistic “grab and run” thieves.

3. Locking luggage in your hotels – Nope. I don’t travel with anything valuable or sentimental. Important docs (passports, etc.) are on my person. Most hotel “maids” don’t steal, and the few that do won’t just grab an entire pack, but will more likely take their time to go through the contents — thereby verifying that there really isn’t anything worth stealing from my pack.

I would highly recommend AGAINST using Pacsafe wire nettings. All you do is bring attention to yourself — kind of like being the first guy to install a car alarm back in the ’80s.

All good advice Benjamin, and the Pacsafe is quite heavy; and only as secure as the lock a person uses with it. The one they include could be picked with a paperclip.(maybe)