Bear Bagging

[Focus]

Can someone please advise as to how often you bear bagged your food and where it is necessary to hang your food on the AT? Also, what type of rope/bear bag combination did you use? If not staying in the shelter, did you sleep with your food in the tarp/tent or hang? Any advice is appreciated.

[Footslogger]

From my experience hikers are all over the map on this one. I personally hang a bag just about every night on the AT. Is is absolutely necessary ?? dunno ...but all it takes is one food raid by an animal and you become a believer. It's not that big of a hassle to throw a line over a branch and get the food off the ground.

Honestly, bears are not my big concern by the way ...it is the smaller critters like mice and chip monks that can really reak the havok on a food bag.

If I'm in a shelter I typically hang my bag on one of the mouse lines suspended from a rafter.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[Colter]

The only place I bagged my food was where it was required or where cables and such were provided. I would always hang up my food in shelters to keep it away from mice. Otherwise, I'd sleep with my food in my tent.

Nevertheless, when in areas where there are known bear problems or lots of bears around, it's a good idea to hang your food.

[TOW]

I'm With Colter On This One................wanderer

[Peaks]

Well, I'm almost with Colter.

Where did I bear bag?

A. Everyplace where there was a bear line or bear box,

B. Anyplace where the shelter register noted bear activity in the area.

Where did I hang my food bag?

A. Every night at a shelter to keep mice out of my pack. I also opened up all pockets and zippers to keep the mice from chewing through packs and bags.

B. Every night in a tent to keep others crittes (racoons) out of my food bag.

[bailcor]

Think it should be called critter bagging. I stealth camp with a hammock. Make it a point not to eat where I sleep. Last time out, hung everything in a near tree. That includes my cooking gear. Left my poles leaned against a tree. Next morning found a coon had chewed one of my handles. Put everything up!!!!

[Red Hat]

I hung my food bag every night, whether or not there were cables. Tennessee has no cables and plenty of bears.... Sometimes it worried me when folks just hung their bags in the shelter, seems like an invitation to me... I should say that sometimes it was nice to have someone help me throw the line when the trees were really tall...

[Nearly Normal]

I haven't had a problem but then again I bear bag it. I don't want that problem.

I hear from a good source that bears are getting smarter about the cables in Georgia. They've been known to lean on the lines causing the food bags to shake. A poorly connected bag will fall.

I've never seen a shelter that didn't have food debris, spilled dog food or unburned trash in the fire ring. Most hikers are good about LNT camping and will even pack out the stuff they find. Little notes or carvings on shelter walls are a problem too.
May all of the ones doing this have "groundhog day" dreams of mice running over your face.
pete

[Heater]

Don't keep your food in your tent unless you like rude awakenings by very unwelcome guests. That is just dangerous, if you ask me.

[Alligator]

Not in the shelter-hang by rope, 3 or 4 mil I forget, I think it's 40'. I use a carabiner on the end so I can remove quickly. Unless there are cables.

In the shelter, I hang it from the mouse trapezes.

In the winter, when tenting, in the tent.

I'm pretty sure there are bears in every state the AT crosses through.

[Texas Dreamer]

It's like training children, folks--all it takes is one successful hit to turn a regular critter into a problem critter.

BTW--had my food bag chewed by mouse at Mollie Shelter (I think that's where) while it was on the bear cables.

---myself, Janet, and B Jack laid up in Erwin feeling pretty crappy. Hope to get back out there soon.

[Panzer1]

I used 25 feet of 4 milimeter cord to hang my bag.

Panzer

[Lumberjack]

might want to check out the ursack. more then enough for the at....

[Footslogger]

might want to check out the ursack. more then enough for the at....

=============================
Looked at it before my thru in 2003 and thought it was a tad on the heavy side and a bit of overkill for the AT. But I did see some hikers carrying it during my hike.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[superman]

I've tented almost 100% of the time on all the trails I've hiked on. I try to not have my food bag, medical bag(tooth paste), dog food or anything else that would attract critters in my tent. I call it hanging my bear bag but it's as much a mouse bag as anything. Most of the time on the PCT or CDT there wasn't anything to hang a bear bag on. I have a bullet proof bear can which I'm not very fond of carrying but it works. I'm looking forward to hiking the COHOS trail this fall and I will hang my bear bag.
The best way to handle a bad situation is to avoid it.

[mbroadhe]

When I was out last year for a week. I hung my bag the first night, the second night, I didn't. Well, that night, we had a visitor. A nice sized black bear was hungry for some Ramen Noodles and got two packs out of my buddies bag that was right below him while he was sleeping. I got closer to that bear than you would have if you went to the zoo when he came back for more. We ended up finally scaring him off without any serious incident. So, I hang my food and any other smelly goodness ALL the time now.

[Lumberjack]

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Looked at it before my thru in 2003 and thought it was a tad on the heavy side and a bit of overkill for the AT. But I did see some hikers carrying it during my hike.

'Slogger
AT 2003

UH right its a lot heavier then air but a lot lighter then a bear can. If people keep feeding the eastcoast bears then we all might as well start buying bear cans as it wont be long before they become needed.

[Crazy Janey]

Does anyone know wher eto get an Ursack bag?

[Heater]

Does anyone know wher eto get an Ursack bag?

From their website at: http://www.ursack.com

"Ursack is currently unable to purchase Spectra fabric (or its equivalent).
The military has requisitioned it all.
Until we are able to get fabric, we can't make Ursacks.
Our suppliers are unable to even predict when that will be.
None of our dealers have Ursacks either."

[MacGyver2005]

Hanging your smellables is something you should really think hard about. First, as was stated, it only takes once for a critter to become a problem critter, thus making life miserable for every hiker behind you. Second, if a critter raids your foodbag you can quickly find yourself going hungry. Third, bears may not be a huge issue in a lot of the area the trail covers, but I don't think you want to wake up face to face with one!

I met a guy Thru-Hiking that had, what I consider, an excellent solution for his bear bag line. Sailing line, what he called leech line, weighs almost nothing but is still rated to 250lbs! That is the same rating as the 3/16 cord I was carrying, but the leech line is literally no thicker than dental floss. He carried two lengths of line, and had tied a very small pulley on the end of one. He would toss one line over the limb, then run the second line through the pulley. This made it easier to hoist, and prevented any excess wear and tear on the line by pulling it over the limb while weighted. Instead of a pulley (if you are ultra weight conservative) just tie a bite on the end of one line and use that instead of a pulley. Seems like a tough arguement not to bear bag when you can have a less than an ounce solution.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA -->ME 2005