Backpacks with side straps

Side strap

— tie straps located on the sides of the backpack — usually one on each side, however, in large tall models, there may be two on the side. The main function of such straps is to “compact” the backpack if it is not completely filled: by tightening the side ties, you can reduce the thickness of the backpack so that the contents are tightly fixed and not dangling inside. In addition, the side tie is convenient to use in combination with a bottle pocket (see "Pockets") for carrying long items, such as an umbrella or a mat: the lower part of such an item fits into a pocket, and the upper part can be fixed with a tie.