Modern packs, with all their zippered compartments and adjustment straps, are wonderful. But all those zipper slides and pulls, and all those strap ends, can sound like a symphony of small chimes and slaps coming throught the woods.

How do you quiet down your gear so you, the wildlife, and your neighbors are less disturbed / aware of your presence?

Good question.

I often wrap metal zipper tabs in tape to quiet them, or take them off and replace with fabric or a ziptie.

Zippers can be lubed, I rub an old white candle on them.

Velco I do not know how to quiet, I try to avoid it. I prefer snaps on tactical pouches because it alerts the suspect less than the tearing sound of velcro does.

Clips, I guess you just keep them done up, you could even tape or glue closed the ones you do not use?

Mike

No velcro. I usually tie off straps. Ask your drycleaner for zipper lube. Many of them will give you one free. It is basically a hard wax in the shape of a pencil. Pretty high melting point so you can get away with keeping it in your pack unless you are hiking in extreme heat. Haven't experimented with it as a fire starter, but looking at the wax bullet thread gives me an idea.

Seems to be common practice with tactical gear to remove the metal zipper pulls and replace with a loop of cord.

I like to load up my gear and then test it by jumping up and down. Nothing should shake, rattle, flop or shift.

There are still packs available without a proliferation of zippers and do-dads, particularly those marketed to the ultra light crowd. One of my favorites has exactly one zipper, on a small, rarely used compartment. The main compartment is closed by a friction clamp on a cord - quite silent in operation. Many accessory bags use the same kind of closure.

I often will replace metal pulls on zippers with cord. This also will lighten your pack by, say, 0.2 oz, as well. Operating a well lubricated zipper slowly will minimize noise. Velcro is incurable.

In real life, my klutzy movements, belching, etc., drown out the sounds of operating zippers and velcro.

I recently removed the traditional zipper pulls on several items and replaced them with either paracord or kevlar shoe lace material and heat shrink over the knots.

How to keep Zipper & Zipper Pulls , Straps quite.

Straps roll them tight and either tape the strap tight or cut a section of bicycle inner tube and put over the rolled strap.
Wax or rub a bar of soap along the length also lubricates it.
Zipper pull if you look at it has a opening on it you can gently pry it open and pull the Pull of or just cut it off and replace with 550 Parachute cord.

Huh ... most places I know of that are remote enough to backpack support a sufficient bear population such that backpackers are told to NOT walk in silence, but rather to make sufficient noise to let the bears know you're coming - so they (the bears) have an opportunity to walk away from you. People have been known to clip bells to their packs.

The idea is to control the choice to be noisy or quiet.