Comments on: Bear Bagging Gone Wrong

By: Dave Collins

Dave Collins — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 05:49:10 +0000

That's a really interesting idea David. Thanks so much for sharing! Good tips.

By: David Stutzman

David Stutzman — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 02:05:51 +0000

I hike in the Blue Ridge mostly and "developed" what I call "Skat critter"! Hiking in the Ozarks I found that raccoons were a pest and climbed trees to get at food...so I started putting mothballs out, that worked. I made a container from two old plastic medicine vials, one fits inside the other. I drilled holes in the smaller one, filled it with naphthalene mothballs (3), attach a string to the lid, taped the lid shut and put in inside the larger one with the lid tight to keep the smell contained. At night I take out the smaller and hang it from my Ursack food bag suspended from a tree. I have had bears snorting and one chomping it's jaws as they pace around the tree but so far not even a raven has tried to get into the bag. I do sleep a fair distance from where I store my food (and toothpaste)! I have been backpacking for 60+ years, hope this info helps! p.s. sleep upwind of your food storage.

By: Dave Collins

Dave Collins — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 01:07:44 +0000

Wonderful Comments Guys!!! Thanks so much for sharing your stories.

By: Mike Stromsoe

Mike Stromsoe — Fri, 16 Aug 2013 23:26:49 +0000

Hi Dave, I met you and Annie above the treeline on the range before you were going over Tin Cup Pass. I was carrying a HMG 2400 Windrider Southwest pack.

Yikes! I was very tempted to camp with Betsy and Kate that very night, but I decided to move on, just past Boss Lake.

I made an informal poll when I was thru hiking the CT this year. I asked as many other thru hikers as possible whether they were hanging or sleeping with their food. I would say about 50% to 75% of thru hikers said that they were sleeping with their food. I'll admit that even I, when I was tired and/or during crappy weather, slept with my food (in an Ursak) under my tarp 5 times during my thru hike.

For the record, I hate bear bagging with a passion and I only use a bear canister when I have too. Otherwise, I always take my trusty 7 oz. Ursack. It hasn't been molested by a bear yet, but I've seen 2 separated foxes have a go at it and all manner of smaller rodent type animals. I do leave it out when it rains, but everything inside is in some sort of bag and thankfully the spectra material does not gain much weight from water.

BTW, I watched your promo video, Dave. Good stuff!

P.S. Hi Betsy and Kate! It was fun running into you guys during your hike. Sorry about your food.

By: Yellowstone

Yellowstone — Sat, 10 Aug 2013 00:05:29 +0000

In Yellowstone NP, backpackers must camp at designated sites. Each site has a bear pole on which to hang food. Because YNP has had an excellent policy in dealing with bears, the bears in the Park do not look at people as a source of food. If a bear gets into human food, it is removed. Unlike Yosemite, which seems to allow bears to get into human food–I just returned from the PCT/JMT portion of the PCT, and bears in Yosemite look at humans as food sources–they are just not wild bears. One hiker had a sow with cub get into her bearicade. I’m not sure if it was smart bear or user error, but from now on, that bear will target every bearicade it sees, and has taught its cub to do it as well. I used a bear canister the entire JMT/PCT portion–it’s a pain to use, but better than having a bear get into my food. Either know how to hang food properly and know the history of the place you are hiking, or carry a bear canister–those would be my recommendations.

By: Jeff Moser

Jeff Moser — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 21:24:35 +0000

I use a bear vault when in bear country. At around 2 lbs they're heavier than a stuff sack, but they're so convenient, easy, and pretty much fool proof. They're sometimes required depending on where you hike. Bears are smart and can can climb trees, so you really have to know the proper way to hang your food. I'm not confident I'd always get it right. It's much easier for me to just put the stuff in a vault, and walk it away from camp. I've never had a problem.

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 20:17:10 +0000

Though I don't trek into bear country, though technically it is (Utah's Uinta's), I do use food storage techniques. When the trees do not permit bear bagging I will separate my food into different locations. The reason being is hopefully the hungry critters, big or small, will only investigate one and not both. This way if one is investigated, I have something to eat on the fore shortened trip.

By: Martin Rye

Martin Rye — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 16:42:42 +0000

I was shown once how to bear bag. After that I did it right every time. I am at a lose why people fail to keep food away from Bears. I witnessed so called experienced backpackers fail to bear bag well. All this does is put the bears at risk. Contact is avoidable as well as the right thing to do. I hope your instruction video pulls no punches in the risk to bears from poor trail craft. Keep food in vaults, or hung well out of reach. Simple as that.