Suggestions for adding side compression to a day pack

Belt?

AK, I hear you and agree with you but I go about fixing it by filling the pack with light things: pads.

For years I accomplished this by adding a rolled ccf pad into my daypack before dropping a couple of layers, FAK, bottles, etc inside the burrito.

More recently I acquired a GG torso ccf pad that folds in thirds to maybe 2x10x20”. It’s the thicker one with the waffle foam. I put it in against my back. This solution is perfection for my MLD Hell pack.

I rarely pull the pads out of the packs but it’s nice to know I have them as a sit pad, insulation, or in a first aid scenario.

I hope that helps. :)

With minimal fuss, you could add a cord compression system. Grab a nail in a pair of pliers and heat the nail over an open flame. Touch it to the fabric where you want to introduce a small hole. Do this carefully and allow the nail to melt the fabric around the hole slightly. You want the hole to be about the same diameter as the cord you will use. Put one hole through the center of the lower shoulder strap attachment point. Then lift the bottle pocket material away from the pack body and put another hole through that. Now run your cord in this Z pattern, anchoring it on the bottom hole with a stopper knot and tie it around the daisy chain at the top. I would add a cord lock in the spot indicated with the green circle. This is where you will do your cinching.

Thanks Matthew – I have a rolling thinlight, maybe I’ll try that first.

Philip – thank you! this is what I was hoping for. If other solutions don’t work, I’ll give that a try. We also have a great little tarp shop that could maybe do it for me (and do less damage than I probably would). I would only need to use a hole at the bottom strap, top back side, and top front side. There’s a daisy chain on the front that goes half way up that I can utilize for the other attachment point.

If you have a local tarp sewing shop, they could also install some small grommets in the 2 locations I indicated, or they could come up with a fancier solution. I was just trying to avoid making holes in the pack body itself and I steered clear of solutions requiring actual sewing.

Thanks Matthew – I have a rolling thinlight, maybe I’ll try that first.

Is yours 1/8″ thick? That hasn’t worked for me in this application because it doesn’t have much volume or structure. I have found that I need 1/4″ or thicker CCF in this application. YMMV, of course :)

Cinch straps can put a lot of force on the connection points. It might be difficult to add mounting points without boxed-stitched webbing, and even that assumes that the pack fabric is strong enough to handle the stress:

• Terran’s idea of a belt solves the stress problem by putting most of the stress on the belt, rather than on mounting points.
• “Belt” doesn’t necessarily mean the kind that you use to hold up pants.
• ZPacks sells buckles, tri-glides, and sections of their 1/2″ webbing. They’re strong, light, and grip  well. (But any webbing and buckles will suffice).
• Velcro Cinch Straps and 1″ buckles are super quick to use. The buckle isn’t 100% necessary, but it makes the strap quick-release.
• Optionally, you could sew on (by hand or machine) a couple of small pieces of webbing to use as “belt loops” if you want to keep the strap attached when you disconnect. Not required, though.