Hanging up your pack at night
I am thinking about doing an over nighter on theAT. Is it really neccasary to hang your backpack up in a tree away from critters?
no. not necessary. it goes in my tent with me
In your tent or on a tree. I've done both.
"Fish Camp Woman.... Baby, I like the way you smell"
- Unknown Hinson
Don't have to, but the time I didn't, I had about 57 of those weird cricket hopper bugs in and all over my pack. Now I either hang it or put it in the trash bag I use for a pack liner. It may not fit all the way in the bag, but cinch it around the bottom and there will be a lot less creepy crawleys that get in.
Guys... look at the user name. Clearly bears have discovered how to use the Internet and this is a ploy for "ordering food for delivery".
But anyway, yeah, in tent works fine. If you're in a shelter, keep pockets zipped open, though, otherwise mice will chew through it.
Mice are a real problem in shelters. If you sleep in a shelter hang your pack, preferably on something that has protection from acrobatic mice. I sleep with my pack/food in my tent most of time.
What concerns me even more is they appear to be organized.Originally Posted by RWheeler
BeaR Union InterNational
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
Crap, they've unionized. Soon they'll picket bear canister manufacturers...
Well since I use a hammock, I guess hanging my pack is necessary.
Hang your food to draw the bears away from your hammock.
I hammock on the AT as well. I hang my food bag from the hammock itself (usually on the foot side outside of the hammock) and I simply place my pack below the hammock, pack cover on. Had a few scares of spiders on my pack in the AM (I am scared to death of spiders) but all-in-all it has worked well.
My food is packed in odor proof alo-saks inside the usual sil-nylon bag as a half-arsed attempt to deter bears or the more likely invaders of mice and squirrels, aka tree-rats. I've actually kept the food bag in my pack as well at times (not saying that is smart but I can be pretty lazy).
Never had an issue in 1000's of miles.
If there are no smellables in the pack (and I suggest that's how you keep it at night), I always keep my pack with me in my shelter. Smellables go into bear/critter bag/ursack/cannister/box depending on location and risk.
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I don't mean to offend, but personally i think you guys are nuts for sleeping with your food. Just because dangerous Bear encounters happen very rarely does not mean that they are not extremely dangerous. Hang your food.
"Not all who wander are lost"
If I wanted to attract bears, I'd get some rope and hang some food up high in the trees so the odor would spread farther, so why advocate it? Besides, if a bear has lost its fear of humans enough to come inside your tent and take it, why wouldn't it try to take it off your back while you are hiking? Nobody has ever been able to explain that to me. And define "food". I'm sure that includes fresh meat, so unless you are a hiking robot, you ARE food.
"You're a nearsighted, bitter old fool."
Hang food, sleep with pack. Last time out I slept with my pack and food in my tent. No bears, but I could hear what sounded like mice scratching on the walls of my tent.
I almost never hang my food. In fact anybody I've ever met that has had their food taken by a bear had it taken out of a tree. I've only ever met one person that had a bear come in the tent, and their food was in a tree. Besides on the AT anywhere that I've thought about hanging food they already have poles, cables, or boxes at or near shelters and campsites.
Oh yeah, I keep my pack pretty much anywhere as long as there's no food in it and all the zippers are unzipped. And it's out of the rain.
I actually spoke with my uncle the other day on the topic of Bears. He was in the Army and one of the things he did was basically ridge running with some other guys, they were there to provide assistance to hikers or whoever was out in that section they were in. They had to respond to a black bear attack on a 8 year old kid. He had a candy bar in his pocket and the bear ran straight out of the woods and ended up breaking the kids legs before they could get it away. So while its not the norm by any means. Its an example that it does happen.
The statistics speak for themselves. The bears are not a big issue..they do seem to have become used to people just due to the numbers. I just don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Because some people choose to feed them, they've realized that people food > than forest food. Those things have a nose like you can't believe..unless you have smell proof containers, they are going to smell it no matter what. If they decide to come for it, i'm just saying personally i'd rather have them barking up a tree than barking in my tent. I am a sound sleeper. lol
"Not all who wander are lost"
I am not so sure that story you were told is real. Was the kid sleeping? The way you recounted it sounded like the attack happened when they were walking or hanging out.
It's much more likley that the bear attacked the smallest of the group (no different than a cougar's choice of prey) or the bear was sick and deranged (starving). Black bears rarely attack like that (if it was a Griz then there wouldn't be ridge runners and the boy would be dead).
I suspect you were told a tall-tale by well-meaning guys having fun.
In any case, it's my opinion that most bear bag hangs are placebos for the hanger. A bear can get at most any hang I've ever seen (or done myself). Bears go for food where they know they can find it, shelters, frequently used campsites, garbage cans, former deli's or bakeries in Detroit, place like that. Bears don't want to fight for their food anymore than you or I want to enter mortal combat on the way to the frig. Unless there is only one popsicle left on a 100 degree day.
GET OVER HERE!!! <scorpion claw and grappling hook throw>
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