Bears and Toothpaste

[yankeehotelbackpack]

There's a good chance I'm overthinking this, but I've read that toothpaste can smell awfully good to bears. So what about brushing before going to bed? Do folks walk 100 yards from camp to brush teeth? Is it considered okay to spit the toothpaste/water on the ground? Thanks for any advice!

[fredmugs]

Do folks walk 100 yards from camp to brush teeth? Is it considered okay to spit the toothpaste/water on the ground? Thanks for any advice!

That's pretty much what I do but I bet the hiking pros will scorn me.

[Malto]

There's a good chance I'm overthinking this

Agree........

[garlic08]

It is rude to spit toothpaste (or anything else for that matter) right in and around camping areas. Serious "Leave no Trace" people will try to "spray" their spit to leave less of a trace.

One way around this is to leave your toothpaste at home. Check with your dentist, but some say it's OK to use baking soda or nothing at all.

But think about it--you and your pack and clothing are going to be a buffet of odors, some that bears have learned are good to eat. Especially if you cook and eat where you camp, as most do. I'm not a bear, but I would think toothpaste is probably low on that list. It's not like you're going to escape notice from the wildlife if you spit your toothpaste a distance away.

In predatory bear areas (very few on the AT--I'm thinking grizzly country), it's a good idea to cook, eat, and clean up a considerable distance from where you camp, as in a mile or more. Then hang your food and toiletries over 100 yards away.

[bear bag hanger]

I'm not an expert on bear behavior, but I think the toothpaste danger is a bit overrated. I always try to use mint flavored toothpaste, as this, to a bear, it a background smell and less likely to attract them - but again, I'm not an expert. I have always spit the toothpaste/water on the ground, maybe twenty-five feet from where I'm sleeping. Never worried about it much, just don't want others or myself to have to step on it in the middle of the night. If you try to go a hundred yards from your sleeping area and it's dark outside, you may have problems finding your campsite when going back. It's happened to me.

[Dogwood]

Don't know if this is totally acceptable or necessary in regards to bears but I brush teeth away from where I sleep or away from established campsites mainly as a courtesy to others who camp there after me. I camp with a light footprint and enjoy a simple campsite practicing LNT. If concerned about any kind of bears I hang my food and all scented items or store it all in a bear proof canister away from where I sleep. I would guess at least half the places I camp/sleep are not at established campsites. Unless you brush with peanut butter, blueberry, or barbecue sauce flavored toothpaste before knocking off to count sheep I wouldn't over think it further than that.

[Chaco Taco]

There's a good chance I'm overthinking this, but I've read that toothpaste can smell awfully good to bears. So what about brushing before going to bed? Do folks walk 100 yards from camp to brush teeth? Is it considered okay to spit the toothpaste/water on the ground? Thanks for any advice!

never had any issue with toothpaste being a magnet for bear. Dont even use toothpaste, just use a toothbrush. It aint gonna cause your teeth to rot out

[FarmerChef]

I've never had a problem either. What I do is wander off to a spot that no one will ever pitch their tent on and dig a spot in the duff with my heel while brushing, usually beside a downed tree. Then we all spit in that spot and cover it back up again. I don't know if that's more LNT than just spraying it but seems at least equal with not having it on the surface. Que sera, sera.

[Don H]

I camped at Birds Nest #3 shelter in Shenandoah NP in 2011 during my thru. That evening I brushed my teeth and spit out in the grass near my tent. The next morning there were two sets of 4 long scratch marks in the grass, just feet from my tent. One of the hikers in the shelter said a bear had wondered all around camp at about 3AM. I slept through it but vaguely remembered something moving around my tent.

[jeffmeh]

I have never had the opportunity to brush a bear's teeth, but I think I would use general anesthesia. That would be for the bear.

[kidchill]

Anything that smells remotely like food is probably gonna interest a bear. I would just chew sugarless gum at night and brush my teeth in the morning. I would also spit in the fire pit so the charcoal can pick up the chemicals. Then again, I hung my food bag from the end of my hammock, so I wasn't too worried about it...but if you are, yah, leave your smell good toiletries in your food bag and hang it. When you really think about the AT, most of the hanging devices are to keep out the rodents, not the bears. I mean, hanging 5 food bags from the ceiling of the shelter does nothing to keep out bears. It's basically a buffet if they're willing to come up to the shelter at night.

[yankeehotelbackpack]

Thanks for the feedback. We plan on hanging our food/toiletries using the PCT method and it occured to me that we'll do that while it's still light out, and the toothpaste will be hanging from a tree at the time I'd normally be using it. Think I'll do baking soda at night and Colgate in the a.m.

The area I'm headed is sure to be full of people (holiday weekend) and unless everyone uses these practices, it probably doesn't make a bit of difference! But always good to hear back from those who've got some miles in.

[OutdoorsMan]

I can't believe that nobody has posted this easy solution that is taught at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Simply swallow the toothpaste. To some it may seem gross but it really isn't. You don't need much toothpaste for a proper brushing. Wash it down with some water and you will have left no trace! I do this sometimes when I brush in my truck prior to an important meeting too as it's not cool to spit it out in a parking lot.

[MuddyWaters]

A bear is interested in anything that smells out of the ordinary, besides human funk.

You should spit away from your camping area. Most dont, especially at shelters. Bears already expect shelters to be full of various smells, including food residues, etc.

Its not going to get someone attacked on the AT. But if you fear bears, you might consider it.

[jeffmeh]

I can't believe that nobody has posted this easy solution that is taught at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Simply swallow the toothpaste. To some it may seem gross but it really isn't. You don't need much toothpaste for a proper brushing. Wash it down with some water and you will have left no trace! I do this sometimes when I brush in my truck prior to an important meeting too as it's not cool to spit it out in a parking lot.

If you are going to swallow the toothpaste, get some that is truly edible. Like anything else, the dosage makes the poison, and swallowing fluoride a couple of times a day over 6 months is a bad idea.

[Chaco Taco]

We have been using a tin and put tea tree therapy toothpaste in it. No fluoride in it Works great and ingesting it is fine, no worries about fluoride

[Snowleopard]

Anything that a bear associates with food will attract the bear. So if a bear has once or a few times gotten fed by checking out a toothpaste smell will keep checking it out. Some toothpaste or personal care products have an intense odor that they may be able to smell further away than food.

[Theosus]

Like anything else, the dosage makes the poison, and swallowing fluoride a couple of times a day over 6 months is a bad idea.

Tell that to the water companies...

I just use baking soda and don't really worry about where I'm spitting it. Is a base, it might change the alkalinity of the soil a little, but it's not really going to hurt anything. It has no odor to speak of either, and its multipurpose.

[jeffmeh]

Tell that to the water companies...

I just use baking soda and don't really worry about where I'm spitting it. Is a base, it might change the alkalinity of the soil a little, but it's not really going to hurt anything. It has no odor to speak of either, and its multipurpose.

You are correct about the fluoride. You would have to swallow a lot of toothpaste to ingest enough fluoride for it to reach dangerous levels. I stand by the statement that it's a bad idea to regularly swallow toothpaste that hasn't been manufactured to be edible. Health-wise, there are no benefits, at best it will not bother you, and it is likely to do a number on your digestive system.