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View Full Version : Bear Bag Idea (Thoughts?)



MichaelRedBeard
03-27-2015, 16:25
I am going to used a 8L Sea to Summit Light Weight Dry Bag for my food storage as found on REI http://www.rei.com/product/883363/sea-to-summit-lightweight-dry-sack-8-liters (Do you think it is too large? I thought it was ideal and 4 liters would be too small, but I'd love everyone's opinion).

Does anyone have a suggestion on what I could buy from REI to use as my tossing sack? I though about another dry bag or stuff sack but the smalls ones they have are 4 liters which is much too big :(

Also is any old carabiner good or should I be getting a specific one?

Thanks.

MichaelRedBeard
03-27-2015, 16:29
*smallest ones they have are 4 liters which is much too big :(

TNhiker
03-27-2015, 16:31
i just tie a cord around a rock and toss it into the trees and then pull the bag up...........

SteelCut
03-27-2015, 16:39
If you are doing a thru hike, I don't think that 8L is going to hold 5 days worth of food which you may need to carry at times. Maybe I'm wrong. I am using the Zpacks Bear Bag and is 12L and seems like a better size. Plus it's waterproof cuben fiber. It seems to be a popular choice.

I used a "waterproof" bag from Sea to Summit before and the brand new bag ended up leaking after the 2nd night it was hung in a strong rain.

MichaelRedBeard
03-27-2015, 16:50
Thank you for the recommendation in terms of the Zpacks Bear bag...I will research it further.

SteelCut
03-27-2015, 16:52
I forgot the link:

http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/dry_bags.shtml

It is the Roll Top Blast Bag. They also have a bear bagging kit that includes a small rock throw sack and some dyneema cord that makes it easy to pull over branches.

MichaelRedBeard
03-27-2015, 17:08
Steel what are your thoughts...should I just buy the bag and create my own bear bag kit or do you think I should just go with the kit because it would be that big of a difference in price if I were to buy things separately? Also you find this cuben fiber material to be durable and waterproof enough?

SteelCut
03-27-2015, 17:13
Cuben fiber is 100% waterproof fabric and is easy to field repair if you do get a small hole in it. Mine has never leaked. I don't know about long term durability of those bags but they are popular and made with a heavier thickness of cuben fiber so I assume they will last a complete thru hike.

You can buy similar pull line from other vendors but I figured that I'd buy it all at once to make things easier for myself. I think that you do save a bit of money buying all together as a kit.

hikehunter
03-27-2015, 17:49
I use a 6 Liter for my main food bag and a .5 liter for my day/snack bag. I can keep the big bag in the pack as I hike and the smaller bag on the outside pocket of the pack. This way I do not need to dig in the pack on the trail. I put my breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with some snacks in it every night before bed.

I do carry some cordage for hanging the bags. Most all the shelter areas on the AT have Bear cables.

Another Kevin
03-27-2015, 18:33
I use a Cuben bear bag that jimmyjam made for me. Before I got that, I used a 10 litre Sea to Summit drysack. That was Too Much Space even for a six day food carry, but let me put in my cookpot, my trash bag, my first aid kit (not sure whether things like burn ointment might have an attractive odor to bears) and still not crush anything.

MichaelRedBeard
03-27-2015, 18:52
Just bought the cuben fiber bear bag kit that you suggested Steel. Thanks.

Rocket Jones
03-27-2015, 19:09
For a rock bag, I carry a square of plastic mesh from the bag onions or oranges come in. Wrap it around a rock and secure with a carabiner. Does double duty as a pot scrubber if needed.

bemental
03-27-2015, 19:13
i just tie a cord around a rock and toss it into the trees and then pull the bag up...........

Pro-tip, wrap the cord around a rock multiple times (20-30, and toss) and don't tie a bag or carabiner to the end of your bear line, otherwise it all may get tangled in the trees and lost forever.

-----

Currently using a 10L OR waterproof stuff sack on my thru for food, hasent filled up on me yet.

Boo8meR
03-27-2015, 22:10
Just bought the cuben fiber bear bag kit that you suggested Steel. Thanks.


For a little extra weight, you can get an OPSAK and put your food in that. I have the ZPacks kit and love it. I use 2 OPSAKs, one is for food, one is for trash. Both fit in the bag from ZPacks. As one fills, the other is emptying. Peace of mind, more than anything, but no issues, yet, on my thru.

Sarcasm the elf
03-27-2015, 22:57
I use a 13 liter bag personally and have found it works well. My current one is a sea to summit drybag.

One warning for you. If you hike in the south a lot of the shelters have bear cable systems, if you use them be very careful when you are pulling your bag up or down. The cable system at one shelter (Hawk Mountain I think) had steel cables that were frayed at the end and when I lowered my bag down in the morning the frayed end shredded part of my bag and put an end to it's days of being waterproof.

bemental
03-28-2015, 18:25
I use a 13 liter bag personally and have found it works well. My current one is a sea to summit drybag.

One warning for you. If you hike in the south a lot of the shelters have bear cable systems, if you use them be very careful when you are pulling your bag up or down. The cable system at one shelter (Hawk Mountain I think) had steel cables that were frayed at the end and when I lowered my bag down in the morning the frayed end shredded part of my bag and put an end to it's days of being waterproof.

Ditto on my hand.

Hangfire
03-28-2015, 21:46
I would say an 8 liter is the smallest you can get away with, I used a 10L then as I got going I had a backup 8L which sometimes got used the night after resupply as I was wedged with food.

A small mesh bag is great for filling with rocks to get your line up over a tall branch, I think mine was from a camp towel (hiker box). By the time you reach Damascus you should be a pro at getting that bag hung in a timely manner. I truly believe that people decide to sleep with their food only after realizing that it's just too much work to get a bag hung.

squeezebox
03-28-2015, 22:59
rock bag- how about an old sock, like women's peds, that also gives you a place to store your line.

RangerZ
03-28-2015, 23:23
For a rock bag, I carry a square of plastic mesh from the bag onions or oranges come in. Wrap it around a rock and secure with a carabiner. Does double duty as a pot scrubber if needed.

I cut a circle in an onion bag and laced some cord thru it to make a small sack. Learn how to keep it tangle free - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=528QLvvX2B4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=528QLvvX2B4) and other places - and tuck it in the sack to keep it. +1 on the pot scrubber idea