Hello everyone,

I'm fairly new to backpacking, and was wondering the best way to attach a sleeping pad to the exterior of a pack. I only have a 40L pack, and I've seen people tie sleeping pads to the bottom of their packs to save space. I was wondering what the best way to do this is? I was thinking of using bungee cords, but I don't want something that isn't tied to my pack and I could lose. I didn't know if there was a "standard" way to do this or anything, and googling it didn't help.

Also, the pad I just bought is a new Therm-A-Rest Prolite Plus, and the user guide with it was very adamant about making sure it doesn't come into contact with rocks or anything that could puncture it. Is tying it to the bottom of my pack a bad idea then, or is this just something I really shouldn't worry about?

Thanks in advance for any help.