Mice help!!!

[redzombie]

How do you keep mice out of your pack and food when hiking the AT. Please if you haven't hiked the AT or never hiked before, don't comment. Mice will crawl up the tree and rope if food is hung. They will chew threw your pack even if a little peanut butter smeared on the inside. They will tear up bandanna and **** in your shoes! I am looking for suggestions that don't weight too much and don't cost too much. Thanks.

I don't want to add to the problem and make it worse.....but maybe I should put some peanut butter on a stick OUTSIDE the shelter, so the mice leave me the alone! :-? But if I do that I am going to feel bad for the guy/girl hiking behind me.....

[Ricky&Jack]

You really had mice crawl down the rope when hanging from a tree?

I've hung my pack on the A.T. and had no problems with mice, ever.

I've also had my pack in my tent/hammock and never had any mice problems. So I'm not sure why you are having problems. From what I hear, most people here don't have any problems with mice on the A.T. unless they are sleeping in shelters.

If its that big a problem, get a bear canister.

[Tuxedo]

Most times I had mice problems I forgot some item in them yes. To hang out side I had a raccoon issue. shelters that have the hangs I used without issue however mice will dive bomb like Kamikaze pilots. I had zero mice issues north of Front Royal, VA btw the farther south the more active they are.

[redzombie]

i keep my food in a sea to summit waterproof stuff sack. I also use the stuff sack to hang. I don't want mice chewing threw it, and I also don't want the extra weight of a bear canister. Am I just trying to eat my cake and ice cream at the same time?

[Lone Wolf]

How do you keep mice out of your pack and food when hiking the AT. Please if you haven't hiked the AT or never hiked before, don't comment. Mice will crawl up the tree and rope if food is hung. They will chew threw your pack even if a little peanut butter smeared on the inside. They will tear up bandanna and **** in your shoes! I am looking for suggestions that don't weight too much and don't cost too much. Thanks.


do not stay in shelters and don't hang your food. that's my method

[Ricky&Jack]

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b607/Ricky_Sanftner/rope-knot_zpsfe4004e1.jpg (http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/Ricky_Sanftner/media/rope-knot_zpsfe4004e1.jpg.html)

You can use a frisbee or a lid from a big tin can etc.

Also, you probably don't want to say things like"if you haven't hiked the A.T. Don't comment." That's kinda rude, especially if you are asking for help. There are soo many other trails near the A.T. and not everyone has Hiked the A.T. even though they did the near trails. A mouse problem on the A.T. is the same as a mouse problem as it is in other places. Let alone the exact same as a trail near by. The Mice and trees on the A.T. are the same mouse and trees in other parts of the country.

[Wise Old Owl]

http://www.ursack.com/ursack-catalog.htm Ursack Minor

I suspect the weave on the tyvek that used in shipping too.

[HooKooDooKu]

Seems like no mater where you put your pack, mice will get to it. So the trick is to keep all food away from your pack and hang it in a food bag separately.

The other thing is open all your pack pockets so that the mice will be able to freely check around your pack and see there is no food there and leave it alone. Otherwise, they might chew thru the pack to get inside and see if they can find something.

[Wise Old Owl]

You really had mice crawl down the rope when hanging from a tree?



Yes they do that, thats the reason there are large metal plates on the ropes for ships at dock - to keep rodents off. Most attics show rodent activity in the insulation as they will move in September and out by March.I have treated large infestations of rodents locally in attics and I am not cheap. Down in Philadelphia we have treated 8 story buildings for mice.

Don't forget Porcupines are huge on climbing trees for carpenter ants.

[redzombie]

Don't comment[/U]." That's kinda rude, especially if you are asking for help. There are soo many other trails near the A.T. and not everyone has Hiked the A.T. even though they did the near trails. A mouse problem on the A.T. is the same as a mouse problem as it is in other places. Let alone the exact same as a trail near by. The Mice and trees on the A.T. are the same mouse and trees in other parts of the country.

I am not the most gracious of people, nor am I the most politically correct person. If someone is offended, sucks to be them. We all know and we all are aware of the constant trolling, members who don't have a clue commenting, and treads getting hijacked. My "don't comment if you never hiked" quote is a way to filter out those who aren't going to be much help.

I do like the Frisbee idea. Thanks. Wise Old Owl, thanks for the link. Another option to consider.

[redzombie]

Seems like no mater where you put your pack, mice will get to it. So the trick is to keep all food away from your pack and hang it in a food bag separately.

The other thing is open all your pack pockets so that the mice will be able to freely check around your pack and see there is no food there and leave it alone. Otherwise, they might chew thru the pack to get inside and see if they can find something.

Brilliant!!!!!! This seems so simple, but its something I would of never thought of. Brilliant!

[Ricky&Jack]

I do like the Frisbee idea.

Just make sure it can't be chewed easy.

Also, the bigger, the better..... using the top of a small soup can would stop mice, but not a rat or opossum etc.

[Sarcasm the elf]

do not stay in shelters and don't hang your food. that's my method

+1 The mice built those shelters back in the 1940's to serve as both their homes and as traps for unwitting hikers. My food and I have never had a problem when we were inside my tent togehter.

[redzombie]

I always hang my food. Its what I was taught, and in its simplest it just seems to be a better idea then leaving food on the ground. @ sarcasm the elf, and @ lone wolf, so when ya'll don't hang your food what do you do with it? Granted the East Cost is different then the West, because out west, Yellowstone, Alaska, Utah, Wyoming, putting food inside tent and/or not hanging food is a very bad idea.

[Lone Wolf]

@ sarcasm the elf, and @ lone wolf, so when ya'll don't hang your food what do you do with it? it stays in my tent with me

[redzombie]

For other hikers, viewers, readers. http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-40832.html

[Sarcasm the elf]

I always hang my food. Its what I was taught, and in its simplest it just seems to be a better idea then leaving food on the ground. @ sarcasm the elf, and @ lone wolf, so when ya'll don't hang your food what do you do with it? Granted the East Cost is different then the West, because out west, Yellowstone, Alaska, Utah, Wyoming, putting food inside tent and/or not hanging food is a very bad idea.

My food bag stays next to me at all times, when I sleep it's either next to me in the tent or being used as my pillow. As you mentioned, I am of course talking about hiking on the East coast and outside of any area that has acanister requirement. If I hiked out west in grizzley country I would be using either a PCT method bear bag or a canister.

[Slo-go'en]

The only trouble I have is when I forget to remove a candy or power bar wrapper from the mesh side pocket of my pack and leave the pack leaning against the shelter wall. I've never had mice problems with food hung from a tree, even with in spitting distance of a shelter - they expect the food to be in the shelter, not hanging from a tree. BTW, I've spent many 100's of nights in or around shelters.

[Wise Old Owl]

Seems like no mater where you put your pack, mice will get to it. So the trick is to keep all food away from your pack and hang it in a food bag separately.

The other thing is open all your pack pockets so that the mice will be able to freely check around your pack and see there is no food there and leave it alone. Otherwise, they might chew thru the pack to get inside and see if they can find something.

Well we can disagree there - mice have no control to their bladders and urinate everywhere... don't need a C.S.I Black light - just take my word for it - it's gross. I don't want that kind of germs in my pack. I hang it off the strap to the hammock.

[redzombie]

@wise old owl. I use a hammock as well. How do you keep mice out of your pack with your hammock strap? More details please. Do you use the tree huger straps or the ridge line? In my head, trying to think about this, it doesn't seem to get the pack high enough off the ground?, or am I not thinking about this correctly?27613

[Wise Old Owl]

The one pack is UL under twenty pounds so I s clip it to the strap after getting the hammock up. or a short piece of cord what ever is handy - just off the tree and in a way that when I get in it doesn't slide towards me. - The benefit is that its right there at eye level when you get out of the Hennessy. With a S clip you can move it under the tarp in the rain to keep it dry - hense I never need a pack cover. I use a Kitchen garbage bag on the inside, just in case the water bladder fails or gets a hole and the down bag is inside a waterproof sil nylon bag...

[RichardD]

On my hike I had my food bag under my hammock, on the ground in my backpack (unless there were cables, in which case I used them). On one occasion a mouse made a hole in my bag and that time I was hammocked rather close to the shelter, about 15 feet behind it. I never had a problem if I was 50 feet plus from the shelter. I don't advocate leaving your backpack on the ground, however apart from that one occasion had no mouse issues that I was aware of. More recently I hu.ng my food bag on my ridgeline

[Pedaling Fool]

The only trouble I have is when I forget to remove a candy or power bar wrapper from the mesh side pocket of my pack and leave the pack leaning against the shelter wall...I had the same thing happen to me back in '99. I left some gorp in one of those little pockets on the back of my pack, this pocket was the same material as the pack and that little mouse chewed thru my pack and got the prize, while the rest of my food was hanging off the rafters.

Seems to me that the tried and true method of keeping food away from mice is the system in the shelters, see here http://sectionhiker.com/mouse-mobiles/

These can also be used when tenting out by putting it on your foodbag line that you hang from a tree, however I've heard that things can still get at it, but it seems to keep the mice away, especially bears in Georgia.

Me personally, if I do stay in a shelter, which I don't like to do I just use one of the mice exclusion devices pictured in the above link. However, I always keep my food with me in my tent and I've never had a problem, but like has been said before, you don't want to pitch your tent too close to a shelter. I'm not saying this is 100% positive against keeping mice out, but works so far for me and if some mice finds it in him to eat thru my tent I just may find it in me to whack him over the head:)

[squeezebox]

I was thinking of a couple of mouse traps on small loops of string attached to the bear bag caribiner.
your opinion ??

[kayak karl]

Shelters are the dumpsters of the woods. your distance from one is in direct probability of even seeing a mouse.

[bamboo bob]

I have never had a problem with mice or anything else getting my food. If I'm in an area with a lot of actual bear sign not just a bunch of hiker talk I will hang my food using the PCT method otherwise it stays in my tent. In the occasional shelter stay I use the mouse catchers. I have never ever seen mice get any food either so I as far as I know its just a hiker story like bigfoot.

[Another Kevin]

I step in bear scat on about every other hike. I need to watch my step more. :o But I'm under no illusion that it isn't bear country. I know that at least once in the last couple of years, I stepped in it on the A-T. (More often, I hike the Catskills.)

I hang with PCT method, in a Sea to Summit drysack. Never had anything bother my food. Had a porcupine steal my skivvies from under my rainfly once, though! :eek:

[Wise Old Owl]

Shelters are the dumpsters of the woods. your distance from one is in direct probability of even seeing a mouse.
You never cease to amaze me - could not have wrote that better.

but keep in mind not to be counter-intuitive, and no deception here. Lets focus on the mouse, They need food shelter and moisture or water all inside a comfort zone in a rational 50 feet. You as a mammal doesn't go to Washington DC to have a dinner and come home the same night. The mouse has the same perspective at the same time. Socially the mouse needs a quick meal and a mate! insects (roaches) and grain - fields are the requirements. If you cannot protect the food you have, you delivered the McDonald of Shelters. Everything tastes better with oil and salt. So lets have a better discussion, and just for giggles understand that mice don't care about electronic devices such as ultrasonics and other noise makers.They are not EPA regulated and therefore are a big deception as hikers and people are deceived as primates that they work on the internet and guess what - Mice are nocturnal and teenagers are lovers of loud music. They do get used to it.
Ultrasonics are a failure.

[spoonfan]

I've hung my pack on the A.T. and had no problems with mice, ever.




But, you've only done one backpacking trip, right?


As for mice---they are everywhere in the GSMNP.

Campsites as well as shelters.

Best way to handle them--keep a clean campsite.

And in the Smokys, I wouldn't keep my food in my tent. Them little critters will chew through a tent to get to the food.

[tagg]

I always hang my food from the ridgeline on my hammock, and have never had a problem. A few weeks ago, however, while camped on night #1 of a two week trip (in a spot nowhere near a shelter that didn't appear to be heavily used), one of the little jerks chewed the bite valve off of my water bladder which was laying on my pack under my hammock. It looked like I stuck the end of it in a garbage disposal. Worst part was I heard a squeaking noise soon after settling in for the night and shined my light around, but didn't see anything. I figured out in the morning that what I heard was him chewing on the rubber valve. Unfortunately, I only discovered this after first shoving it in my mouth for a swallow of water when I woke up. I may as well have tongue-kissed the mouse, since his germs were now my germs.

The silver lining was that I discovered I like using gatorade bottles instead and didn't miss the bladder at all, so that's 5 ounces out of my pack on future hikes. So here's a shout out to the rodent that f'ed up my gear for lowering my base weight.

[Rolls Kanardly]

I would think that not every Frisbee would be the best idea. I looked at the ones I have at home and one has ridges on the top surface near the edge. I am thinking those little critter are pretty tenacious. If they caught a claw or two in the ridge they could hang on until the Frisbee went vertical and then could drop down on a pack. My other Frisbee had a smooth top all the way under the lip. Perhaps a Frisbee with a smooth top would be a better choice. The mice would slip off the smooth surface before the Frisbee went vertical. Rolls

[Lone Wolf]

if one has to bring a frisbee on a hike to combat mice maybe one has no bidness walkin' in the woods :rolleyes:

[Starchild]

Never had the problem including my thru hike of the AT. Looking at your post my good fortune is perhaps due to not having many carbohydrates in my pack (they don't work with me), and I try to bring very much animal protein, which is not a normal mouse food source.

[12trysomething]

For consideration. http://www.simpleoutdoorstore.com/outsakul_paypal.html

[Rolls Kanardly]

if one has to bring a frisbee on a hike to combat mice maybe one has no bidness walkin' in the woods :rolleyes:

Some know how to hang it, and some know how to throw it.
Rolls

[MuddyWaters]

sleep in a tent, with your stuff. The # of mice-capades will go way down.

[Deadeye]

When I'm not using a bear canister, I keep my food in a plastic pretzel jug. Mouse proof, bug proof, water proof and no crumbled pop-tarts. Weighs 4-6 ounces

[2015 Lady Thru-Hiker]

I like that idea Deadeye!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Alligator]

The discussion of bear closures in GSMNP was split to here (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?104957-Discussion-of-bear-closures-in-GSMNP-Split-from-Mice-Help).

[12trysomething]

Here is my latest attempt to solve the problem.

http://youtu.be/F20CJbwsH3Y

[HooKooDooKu]

sleep in a tent, with your stuff. The # of mice-capades will go way down.
As was mentioned in the broken off bear thread... you can't follow a blanket statement like this... you have to consider your surroundings.

One specific exception is in GSMNP:
1. First of all, there is the legal requirement that you hang your food on the bear cables.
2. One of the special differences in GSMNP compared to most of the rest of the AT is that you can not just camp anywhere. You basically have a large number of people camping in a relatively few spots. This concentration of people means that mice (and bears... but lets not go there again) know where all the camp sites are located. So when you keep food in your tent, you are encouraging problems between people and wild life.
3. Come on... the bear cables are there and simple to use. Utilizing them cuts down on the people that will camp in your exact spot in the future from having issues with wild life.

[Rolls Kanardly]

When I'm not using a bear canister, I keep my food in a plastic pretzel jug. Mouse proof, bug proof, water proof and no crumbled pop-tarts. Weighs 4-6 ounces
This could be a good idea. For those of you who carry a collapsible bucket the pretzel jug could be a dual use item. You would have to unload your food to use as a water container for cleaning and washing but a minor issue if it worked for you. Rolls

[Ground Control]

it stays in my tent with me

LW, what do you use to bag it and keep the smell down? (I'm right on the verge of abandoning the hang-it method; just need a tad more intel...)

[Pedaling Fool]

LW, what do you use to bag it and keep the smell down? (I'm right on the verge of abandoning the hang-it method; just need a tad more intel...)
I can only speak for myself, but I also keep my food (and cooking gear) in my tent with me at night (never unattended). I don't think the smells are all that strong, simply because a lot of the stuff is dehydrated, but then again my cooking pot is probably more odorous. However, that's NOT to say animals can't smell my dehydrated foods from outside the tent.


I don't have any special storage set up. Everything is in basic ziplock bags and my foodbag is a simply nylon bag. No problems...knock on wood:)

[DripDry]

My simple (and cheap) solution was to go to a junkyard and cut out an exploded airbag from a wrecked car (about $2). Seam-rip it to get as large a flat section as possible, then sew a stuffsack big enough to cover your normal food bag (look at http://thru-hiker.com/projects/silnylon_stuffsacks.php for directions). The result is a nearly free bag which is close to an URSACK. The fabric in airbags is SPECTRA which is virtually chew-proof. I also use OR Saks to hold my food which significantly improves the odor-proof capabilities. Just a note- I used a wood-burning tool to "cut" the SPECTRA fabric to size which heat-sealed the threads as well, which minimizes the unraveling. Just do it in an area with plenty of ventilation!

[Lone Wolf]

LW, what do you use to bag it and keep the smell down? (I'm right on the verge of abandoning the hang-it method; just need a tad more intel...)

my food stays in it's nylon stuff sack which stays in my pack which is in the tent

[Francis Sawyer]

There was a guy who hiked the AT with his cat. The cat had a ball at all the shelters killing the mice.

[Peakhunter]

If I find PB on a stick near a shelter and get mauled to death by a bear that night over my food i'm coming back to life as a whitezombie and killing your redzombie!!!:)

[krshome]

Get about 10 mouse traps, bait them around the shelter and wait. 10 minutes later you have 10 mice. Chop off their heads to make a voodoo necklace outa and hang it from your pack. If I where a mouse that would keep me away.

[Fredt4]

· If you close the pockets of your pack and eventually a rodent (mouse, chipmunk or squirrel) will make a hole, just don't do it.
· The closer you're to a shelter or established campsite the higher the probability a rodent will visit. Chipmunks and squirrels travel far and wide throughout the woods, so avoiding shelters isn't a guarantee that they won't find you.
· Hanging your pack or food only reduces the probability that they'll get to it.
Using a Ursack is almost foolproof, but you better tighten the cord very tight. I found that sleeping with the Ursack is effective. Nearly 20+ years (frankly I don't remember when I bought it, but it's been a while) of using the Ursack Minor and no rodent has ever gotten in to my food. I Ursack rodent bag is a bit lighter, just haven't justified buying one since I already have the older one. I've seen every other method (except bear canisters) fail.

[aero-hiker]

For other hikers, viewers, readers. http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-40832.html

Just FYI there was a post in that archive about mothballs. I would *HIGHLY* recommend not using mothballs near your food, as they are *EXTREMELY* toxic. Just my $0.02

[Cobble]

I don't want to add to the problem and make it worse.....but maybe I should put some peanut butter on a stick OUTSIDE the shelter, so the mice leave me the alone! :-? But if I do that I am going to feel bad for the guy/girl hiking behind me.....

As long as its poisoned peanut butter..no problem :eek:

[Sarcasm the elf]

As long as its poisoned peanut butter..no problem :eek:

That would just end up killing a hungry thru hiker who saw abandoned food for the taking. :D