I've noticed that some people strap a wide variety of gear to the outside of their pack including some large items. I've always tried to minimise this sort of thing as it gets VERY annoying on scrubby sections, and you can also damage and even lose items this way when scraping through thick scrub (or even when putting your pack down on the ground and picking it up again?)
So what do you attach to the outside of your pack, and why do you not put it inside your pack? (not including things that you carry that are not strapped to or otherwise attached to your pack).
I carry:
- a cup on the front of one shoulder strap on my pack so that I can grab it and get fresh water easily any time it's available
- a watch on the front of the other shoulder strap as I don't usually wear a watch and am interested in how much time I have before dark sometimes
- a large sharp knife - no idea why really
- small spade - for digging a toilet hole when it's urgent
- water bottle - in case there's no fresh water around (often empty if I'm certain there'll be plenty of water around - hence the cup)
Of these items, the knife is the only thing that really gets caught on the shrubbery. I'll need to re-assess how I stow it. Everything else is either on the front (effectively on my chest) or sufficiently tucked into the narrow sleeves on the sides of the pack so as not to get caught on anything (and they are all securely attached).
Nothing else. I also carry a camera sometimes, but that's either around my neck/shoulders or in my pack, so doesn't count for this exercise.