View Full Version : Bear bag line control
methodman
10-30-2018, 23:12
What is the best way to keep your bear bag line from turning into a big knot while using it and while storing it? Should the line be stored on something in particular?
MuddyWaters
10-31-2018, 02:04
Wrapping line or rope will introduce twists.
One way to not have tangles in line or rope, is to stuff it.
Stuff it in small pouch. Last -in, first-out.
Actually can throw larger rope this way in a rope-bag. Rope pays out of bag tangle free as its slung.
Not as easy, but tangle days will be over. I use a small cuben pouch for dyneema line.
cmoulder
10-31-2018, 06:35
What is the best way to keep your bear bag line from turning into a big knot while using it and while storing it? Should the line be stored on something in particular?
Figure 8 wrap
hikermiker
10-31-2018, 07:38
Figure 8 wrap
This really works
ADK Walker
10-31-2018, 07:46
This really works
Yup. I use it for all types of small diameter cord using my thumb and pinkie.
Crushed Grapes
10-31-2018, 10:09
I wrap mine around a small piece of cardboard with notches to hold the end knots. Simple and fits perfectly in a little rock sack.
Slo-go'en
10-31-2018, 10:50
I made this "H" spool from a piece of plastic and covered it with red duct tape so I could see it. The line is Dacron and is very strong.
43964
methodman
10-31-2018, 10:58
How many feet of line do you have in that picture?
Feral Bill
10-31-2018, 11:41
Figure 8 wrap I have used this forever on larger line and hoses, mostly on decks or the ground. I must try it on tarp lines. Great tip.
Turk6177
10-31-2018, 12:13
I just stuff mine into a ziplock bag. I use z-line that seems less likely to tangle than para cord.
methodman
10-31-2018, 12:49
Thanks for the help! I will try both and see which one works better for old folks.LOL
Slo-go'en
10-31-2018, 12:58
How many feet of line do you have in that picture?
At least 50. Never actually measured it.
Yep, I figure 8 all my tarp lines and bear bag line. Then a few wraps with the last foot of line. For the bear bag line, I figure-8 it, then wrap it, and stuff it inside the attached rock-sack.
Yep, I figure 8 all my tarp lines and bear bag line. Then a few wraps with the last foot of line...
It's a combination of factors that works for me for tangle free bear bag line: stiffer reflective line , shorter length, the way its wrapped, and the way it's stored
Similar to RHJ. I take it this far then use a small rubber band around the last few wraps. I like stiffer bear bag cord using ZP's 1.2mm Z-Line reflective using 30 -40 ft depending on the anticipated trees. It's easier to work with for this function. And, like RJH I will use the same line at times for guy outs on tarps. It's rarely thrown directly in the pack or any pocket. It gets stored at the top of an always clean cook pot with everything else for cooking. I use it for hauling up my pack when climbing up ledges, pour offs, to length a ridgeline line tie to a tree for tarps, etc. Nice to have something reflective for old guys too.
Feral Bill
10-31-2018, 22:42
They're surprised that physics works?
Figure 8 wrap
Yes; find something not too small and not too big and not too heavy to wind it on; I store in my food bag outside of the OP sack so it's there right where I need it.
Slo-go'en
11-01-2018, 16:39
I tried the two carabiner hang method and was unable to make it work. But I didn't know about the anti-slippage knots on the rope to keep the top biner from sliding down as you pulled the rope threw it. So, the food bag ended up only halfway up to the branch, which was usually way too low.
Yep, that's the tricky part, getting enough friction in the section that rests on the branch not to slip.
It's one the negatives of the system. As others have said another is getting the distance of the bag properly off the ground AND KEEPING IT THERE. Making bear bagging more complicated means the system is less likely to be utilized.
nsherry61
11-01-2018, 21:33
It's one the negatives of the system. As others have said another is getting the distance of the bag properly off the ground AND KEEPING IT THERE. . .
Done right, that hang makes it much easier to keep the bag further from the ground because the bag only drops 1/2 the distance of the line between the hang carabiner and where you tie the stopper stick unlike the PCT method that drops the bag the full distance from the carabiner to your stopper stick.
You can also do this hang with a rope loop instead of a carabiner at the food bag (like with the PCT).
Finally, if you tie the tag end of your line back onto the carabiner at the food bag before hoisting it, you can then use that line to pull the bag away from a tree if hanging straight down is too close to the trunk.
Oh, so many great variants to bamboosal the mind with.
Alligator
11-02-2018, 09:13
Yep, I figure 8 all my tarp lines and bear bag line. Then a few wraps with the last foot of line. For the bear bag line, I figure-8 it, then wrap it, and stuff it inside the attached rock-sack.Same here.
Unwinds just fine on the throw.
Time Zone
11-02-2018, 13:21
Done right, that hang makes it much easier to keep the bag further from the ground because the bag only drops 1/2 the distance of the line between the hang carabiner and where you tie the stopper stick unlike the PCT method that drops the bag the full distance from the carabiner to your stopper stick.
Hmmm. The PCT method with which I'm familiar only drops the bag to the height represented by the midpoint of the highest point of the bag (near the branch) and the height at which I clove-hitch the stopper stick.
Hmmm. The PCT method with which I'm familiar only drops the bag to the height represented by the midpoint of the highest point of the bag (near the branch) and the height at which I clove-hitch the stopper stick.
Same here.
MtDoraDave
11-02-2018, 20:09
I wrap it around a piece of thin walled PVC pipe.
The pipe can be used as a handle for pulling small diameter line with multiple food bags and it can be used as a pipe for some water sources. And I suppose it can be used as the world's most annoying bugle. :D
nsherry61
11-02-2018, 22:09
Hmmm. The PCT method with which I'm familiar only drops the bag to the height represented by the midpoint of the highest point of the bag (near the branch) and the height at which I clove-hitch the stopper stick.
Exactly. And the method Mags and I (and I think Dogwood) were referring to drops it 1/2 that far from the branch.
But, back to the OP. Yeah, what people are calling the figure-8 method is the way to go. Although, it looks like there is a bit of confusion on what it is. Here is a youtube video about it. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bztUirO0iE) It really is super effective.
Good luck.