It all makes sense to me. Thank you for the replies, I appreciate it.

I agree that the rule is reasonable. I'm thinking that tents and sleeping pads are usually well secured to the packs and not subject to tangling and catching on everything. Do you know if that type of equipment is prohibited ?

We are headed to IR through Grand Portage in June. I noticed that the ferry rules state that you can not have anything tied to your packs. (ie: shoes, pots and pans) Does this include things that are normally attached to the outside of packs like sleeping pads, sleeping bags and tents. This is our ...