Bear /Food Bag or Inside Tent

[tawa]

Just curious about your thoughts on not hanging your food bag but keeping your pack either inside your tent or hanging from the shelter hooks.
Also, welcome your advice/suggestions on what kind of bag and rope needed if I must hang my food bag each night along the trail.
Thank you.

[Mountain Wildman]

Not very many people will recommend keeping your food bag with you in your tent, MLD sells a Bear bag set that weighs 3.4 ounces, http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com...products_id=79

I put my own together with a Large Cuben Fiber Dry Bag from MLD, http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com...roducts_id=148, and a Cuben Fiber Rock pouch, Mini Carabiner and 1.5MM Z-Line Spectra cord from ZPacks,
http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/stuff_sacks.shtml
http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/carabiner.shtml
http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/spectra_cord.shtml

The MLD Pro Bear Bag is $59.00/3.4ounces
My setup came to $50.00/2.4ounces

[Pedaling Fool]

Tons of threads on this issue if you search "bear bag".

I do keep my food in the tent with me, but I think I'm in the minority.

Here's one thread: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...light=bear+bag

[4shot]

I wouldn't keep my food in the tent...it's not as much about the bears as it is the mice which I absolutely cannot stand. Yes, the mice will eat a hole in your tent if you have food in it. Bears in your tent might be a bummer too!

[Pony]

Mice will definitely chew a hole in your tent. That being said, I have known several people to have their food taken by a bear out of a tree, but have never met anyone that has slept with their food and had it taken by a bear. I use a tarp and usually have my food bag as a pillow.

[Spokes]

I agree- FEAR THE MOUSE!

[leaftye]

Mice are the main reason I use an Ursack. It's heavier than a hanging bear bag, but more convenient, especially when there are no suitable trees.

[mweinstone]

a small amount of plastic bag sticking out of your food bag with the bag sinched tight around it will cause mice to make dozens of trips to and from your foodbag to recover insulation in the form of bites of plastic bag. they wil ignore your food even though they are within a milimeter of plastic from it. you see my deers, mice have instinctual knowlage that insulation warms many times and food stolen from your bag warms only once. its about heat energy. simularily a small wad or two or three of tissue paper tossed about you before you sleep will acomplish the same end. the mice will walk around your food, even if its layed out, to get at the insulative propertys of the wadded toilet paper. been doing this forever. it works and never dosnt work. mice have an abundance of food dropped on the ground at shelters and campsites. they need not climb for food. they do only when that hung food is more abundant than insulation.bears do require the hanging of food but never when a site has more than 4 hikers due to the bears fear of us. a dog in a site negates the need to hang from bear totaly. a foodbag is a pillow that provides additional rest needed sorely on a hike of leangth. and the ability to snack in the night is equally benificial to the succes of a long distance hiker.

[runfifty]

I used an "Ursack Minor" for my thru hike and it worked perfectly. The company says it won't stand up to a bear but will keep out mice, raccoons and other small critters. It's lighter than a normal Ursack and the company said their price was lower than normal since I would be beta testing it for them.

[SouthMark]

In your tent. No need to hang it.

[darkage]

I'm another one who sleeps with it in my tent ... I've only hung my food when in highly active bear areas ....

[mweinstone]

remember the ten four rule. and twenty eight is better . but know that their is only one hang that is bombproof and that is the hang you stand under and look up and know its imposible for any bear. if you say,..ehh, it'l do. then it wont. first hang it waterproof, then windproof then bearproof then squirrle and mouse proof. ten feet up. four feet out. 10/4?

[Lone Wolf]

Just curious about your thoughts on not hanging your food bag but keeping your pack either inside your tent

i always keep my food bag and pack inside my tent with me. never had a mouse or any other critter chew it's way in

[QiWiz]

You might get away with it a hundred times, but the night a hungry bear goes after the food in your tent will be BAD, really BAD. Take a chance and pay the consequences.

[Big Dawg]

Sleep w/ your food!

[4eyedbuzzard]

i always keep my food bag and pack inside my tent with me. never had a mouse or any other critter chew it's way in

You've probably worn cotton outdoors too.

[Lone Wolf]

You've probably worn cotton outdoors too.

i hike in cotton shirts

[4eyedbuzzard]

i hike in cotton shirts

Then obviously you're doomed. You're going to get wet, get hypothermic, fall asleep in your tent with your food, and get eaten by a bear - or a s'load of mice.

[SouthMark]

There are none so blind as those who refuse to see.

[Pedaling Fool]

Yes, the mice will eat a hole in your tent if you have food in it.

Mice will definitely chew a hole in your tent.

Never had a mouse chew thru my tent. The only time I saw a mouse on my tent (crawled over top of it) was when I tented near a shelter. But when you're away from the shelters they are no where near the populations.

I've had some animals brush up against my tent. On a bike trip I had an armidilo (sp?) start digging under my tent, kicked him and he left.

I did get my pack chewed thru in a shelter once, but never in my tent.

BTW, if a mouse ever chews thru my tent, I got duct tape. I need an excuse to buy another tent; I've had this one way too long.