View Full Version : What to do with garbage
Just wondering what to do with food containers, wrappers, packaging, etc. that will need to be packed out to a proper dumpster somewhere in town. I'm planning on hanging a bear bag of course, cooking away from the tent, etc. Basically keeping anything with any odor at all away from the shelter or tent. So where do you store the garbage when in camp?
I kept my garbage in a plastic bag in my food bag. Hung it with the food. I had a separate bag that I had in my pack to put garbage I saw while hiking in- and that went into the food bag at night.
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Sarcasm the elf
12-27-2016, 12:21
I put mine in a zip loc inside my food bag. Usually the ziploc is just an empty bag from a meal I've already eaten.
Spirit Walker
12-27-2016, 12:21
I also keep the garbage in the food bag and toss it when I get to town or a garbage can.
I have a freeze bag zip lock. Think about minimizing trash BEFORE you head out. Get rid of the extra packaging. Then, the zip lock (freezer bags seem tougher), is used for the trash. It is sealed and goes up into the food bag (which is a Cuben bag with either zip locks or a odor proof bag inside that). So, In my PCT hung food bag, is a odor bag of food, a zip lock of trash.
Awesome, thanks all for the info. It should have been obvious, but I wanted to make sure. Also, I'm looking at the Ursack S29.3. Anybody have any experience with these? They get good reviews from what I've seen.
ScareBear
12-27-2016, 12:45
http://www.target.com/p/jl-childress-gate-check-bag-for-single-double-strollers/-/A-12403813?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Baby+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9022290&gclid=CLXI6vfolNECFYK4wAod_zsPEQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
ScareBear
12-27-2016, 12:45
OOOPS....wrong thread...mods/admin pls delete above...
ScareBear
12-27-2016, 12:48
Look! A garbage bag!
Just when you thought you've seen it all......
http://www.seatosummit.com/product/?item=Trash+Dry+Sack&o1=0&o2=0&o3=168
However, it makes a really good bear bag, just sayin...
Look! A garbage bag!
Just when you thought you've seen it all......
http://www.seatosummit.com/product/?item=Trash+Dry+Sack&o1=0&o2=0&o3=168
(http://www.seatosummit.com/product/?item=Trash+Dry+Sack&o1=0&o2=0&o3=168)
However, it makes a really good bear bag, just sayin...
Man, they think of everything! I guess if there's a need, someone will develop a product for it.
garlic08
12-27-2016, 12:58
...Think about minimizing trash BEFORE you head out....
Ditto this! The longer the resupply, the more important this becomes. Once I fit all the trash from a 175-mile resupply into an empty peanut butter jar. (I had a handful of reusable ziplocks.)
Use the trash cans before you get on the escalator's at all hills . ;0)
Thom
We have Sprouts, a natural food store, their food bags for nuts, grains and granola. They are thicker than ones in the veggie section, but still lighter than zip locks. I reuse them after consuming the food they carried for trash.
If FBC, I would carry zip locks keeping the spoiling food from becoming too odoriferous.
Sarcasm the elf
12-27-2016, 14:27
Man, they think of everything! I guess if there's a need, someone will develop a product for it.
I had the same thought when I first saw "backpacker" toilet paper for sale at several times the price of normal TP
soumodeler
12-27-2016, 14:37
If I have a Mountain House meal, I use the bag from it as a trash bag, and if not, a regular gallon ziploc.
Man, they think of everything! I guess if there's a need, someone will develop a product for it.
I think it's more like if there's a sucker, someone will develop a way to get his money
jimmyjam
12-27-2016, 14:38
Look! A garbage bag!
Just when you thought you've seen it all......
http://www.seatosummit.com/product/?item=Trash+Dry+Sack&o1=0&o2=0&o3=168
However, it makes a really good bear bag, just sayin...
That thing is 10 liters. Thats humongous.
HooKooDooKu
12-27-2016, 15:08
Look! A garbage bag!
Just when you thought you've seen it all......
http://www.seatosummit.com/product/?item=Trash+Dry+Sack&o1=0&o2=0&o3=168
However, it makes a really good bear bag, just sayin...
Seen this "trash" bag for years and couldn't understand the purpose of it. I've always just simply used a small-light-weight dry sack that stays with my food, and there are plenty of dry sacks that are smaller and lighter.
Mouser999
12-27-2016, 15:42
I pack all my trash in large red zip locks we have in our data center. These are heavy bags that server blades come in. With the red bag there can be no mistaking what is trash. The bag gets emptied as soon as I get near an appropriate place to dump.
Gambit McCrae
12-27-2016, 16:22
I kept my garbage in a plastic bag in my food bag. Hung it with the food. I had a separate bag the I had in my pack to put garbage I saw while hiking in- and that went into the food bag at night. I'm
I do the same here
...So, In my PCT hung food bag, is a odor bag of food, a zip lock of trash.
What the....
An odor proof bag for everything? Food to be consumed plus trash and garbage? Or an odor proof bag for food to be consumed. Confused.
Wayne
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chknfngrs
12-28-2016, 08:46
I think what he is describing is the bag that is hung. It includes his bag of food in addition to a bag of trash.
Garbage is part of the food bag. Your total garbage for three or four days in the woods need not exceed an ounce or two, under normal circumstances.
I have a freeze bag zip lock. Think about minimizing trash BEFORE you head out. Get rid of the extra packaging. Then, the zip lock (freezer bags seem tougher), is used for the trash. It is sealed and goes up into the food bag (which is a Cuben bag with either zip locks or a odor proof bag inside that). So, In my PCT hung food bag, is a odor bag of food, a zip lock of trash.
This^
Garbage is part of the food bag. Your total garbage for three or four days in the woods need not exceed an ounce or two, under normal circumstances.
Then you get this ^
One added step is to wash your main food bag occasionally
Awesome, thanks all for the info. It should have been obvious, but I wanted to make sure. Also, I'm looking at the Ursack S29.3. Anybody have any experience with these? They get good reviews from what I've seen.
My ursack performs well. It's a small compromise of weight for food security. Especially mice. Easy to hang.
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One added step is to wash your main food bag occasionally
In a similar vein, rinse out all food packages, containers, etc. before consigning them to "trash".
I think getting trash to < 1 oz. basically means no tin cans or glass containers. Pretty much everything in foil or ziplocs or "original" packaging, eg. ramen, cookies.
My point is this:
Food in odor proof bag.
Garbage in Ziploc bag.
Then the odor proof bag is a waste of money because the garbage bag will smell like food.
To my way of thinking, there is no way for a backpacker to eliminate food odors that a bear can't detect.
Wayne
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Turk6177
12-29-2016, 08:16
I tend to separate my food by days into separate gallon zip lock bags. I use the gallon bag for my trash and keep it in my food bag when I hang it. AWOL's guide will tell you when you are going to run by a trash can at various road/trail crossings. When I know I am going to hit one of those, I put my trash bag on the top of the inside of my pack so I can have easy access to it to throw it away when I reach the can. I keep my food in the middle of my pack, so it would be a bit of a pain emptying out all of the upper contents just to throw away a trash bag.
Hey guys, thanks for all of the great tips. Hoping to do this thru hike this year and not look like an idiot. That will be difficult, but at least I know what to do with my trash now!
colorado_rob
12-29-2016, 10:09
Yeah, really simple, separate zip-lock for trash, stored in food bag. Tough to get <1-2 ounces though... after 4-5 days my trash has to be 3 ounces at least, even with perfectly clean wrappers and such.
What I LOVED about the AT, were those pleasantly surprising trash cans here and there at road crossings and such. Tip: whenever you see a bathroom at a road crossing (/trailhead), always peak in, many times there will be a trash can inside the door. Sometimes trail angels will grab your trash from you, in exchange for a snickers (they give to you!) or whatnot.
MuddyWaters
12-29-2016, 10:20
garbage adds up quick , particularly if you likes you some Mountain House or such.
A weeks garbage will have a gallon ziplock looking mighty full.
Keep it in a garbage ziplock, Empty out when you come go trash can.
My food bag is lined with reynolds turkey bag to cut down on odors inside pack. including garbage odors.
During day my garbage bag is in outside pocket so I can put garbage in it easy, and dump it if I cross paths with a garbage receptacle.
My point is this:
Food in odor proof bag.
Garbage in Ziploc bag.
Then the odor proof bag is a waste of money because the garbage bag will smell like food.
To my way of thinking, there is no way for a backpacker to eliminate food odors that a bear can't detect.
Wayne
Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkI see what you are saying (I think). I used to just have two zip locks. One with smaller food, one for trash. Larger food, just in the food bag. So there is the large cuben food/trash "container sack". Within that, two sack. Currently, I have an odor/turkey bag for food. Ziploc for trash. It all gets hung PCT style. But it is rather shocking how the varmints can sniff stuff out!
Tundracamper
12-29-2016, 12:06
If I have a Mountain House meal, I use the bag from it as a trash bag, and if not, a regular gallon ziploc.
I cannot eat a MH meal without getting all sorts of food above the seal. As a result, I carry a 1 or 2 gallon ziploc bag for garbage. I have another ziploc for small fresh food. Both of these and my unopened meals get thrown in a lightweight kitchen garbage bag and hung at night.
put in a ziplock or other bag inside your food bag
rocketsocks
12-29-2016, 16:26
I just use a 1 gal zip lock.
I FBC. First days meal bag becomes garbage bag. I can get a week's worth of quart FBs, tea bags and bar wrappers in a quart FB. Stays in the food bag until it can get tossed.
Awesome, thanks all for the info. It should have been obvious, but I wanted to make sure. Also, I'm looking at the Ursack S29.3. Anybody have any experience with these? They get good reviews from what I've seen.
I LOVE my Ursack. No more trying to throw rocks over branches, tangled ropes, branches falling on your head, trying to get your wet bag down in the rain when the ropes are wet and twisted. Find tree with a stout limb or crotch about 5 feet off the ground. Tie sack to tree. Done.
The easiest way to dispose of trash is to make sure you are the first one awake at the shelter and put your trash in someone else's pack...preferably near the bottom so they won't find it and figure out who did it until you can put some miles between you and them.
rocketsocks
12-31-2016, 04:42
The easiest way to dispose of trash is to make sure you are the first one awake at the shelter and put your trash in someone else's pack...preferably near the bottom so they won't find it and figure out who did it until you can put some miles between you and them.my man! :D