View Full Version : Confused about hanging food.
I plan on doing a 5 day hike next week (North Country Trail.) The trail starts in Allegheny, NY (southern NY) and would take me into PA.
I don't know whether I should hang my food or not here. NY is a bear state (especially Northern NY) but would I be good just leaving my bag in my tent with me?
I figured if food is in my pack for 5 days everything I have will smell like food eventually anyways. Should I get some smell proof bags or cases or what? I have 5 days worth of food to worry about.
If anyone can help me out I would really appreciate it.
Thanks.
garlic08
05-17-2010, 02:13
Some people seem to have a hard time hanging a food bag correctly. It's usually a two-minute max chore for me, so I do it, always. I've never had a close call with a bear with my food, but mice, ravens, and ferrets have all done some damage.
The way I see it, it's as much about protecting the bear as protecting you. Many bears are euthanized by wildlife authorities after getting habituated to humans. There have been a very few instances where a bear will so some damage looking for food.
It also depends on where you camp. If you stay somewhere near where a bear has found food before, your site might be fair game.
Sailor (The other one)
05-17-2010, 04:44
It's your choice. There are those on this site who have hiked hundreds of days, always slept with their food and never had a problem. Others have had their food taken right out of their tents.
There are those who hike the AT and have never seen a bear. Then there is Dennis Blanchard who in Three Hundred Zeros: Lessons of the Heart on the Appalachian Trail, reported 38 bear encounters.
Can you foretell the future, forsee which one you'd be?
For me, it ain't worth the risk. I use Opsack odor proof bags inside my bear bag and always hang my food.
modiyooch
05-17-2010, 09:49
I am cautious with food smells. I repackage everything in zip lock bags and I don't eat or store food in my tent. I hang my food away from my tent for two reasons. 1. To keep crawling and scampering critters away from it, and 2. to divert bear activity just in case.
Pedaling Fool
05-17-2010, 10:01
I’m also confused about hanging food; I'm one of those "stupid" guys that sleep with my food in my tent. I do have a weapon (small foldable saw -- Sven) just in case so I can whack him across the nose, gouge his eyes out, or generally act like a crazy human; but that's besides the point.
I have observed many hikers wrongly hang their food bags, many are just really wrong; some can be used as punching bags:D.
However, it's not always the hikers’ fault, since I've noticed that it can be very difficult at times to find a good tree to hang from. Many trees have branches way up there and the ones that are 15- 20 feet high are usually small -- small enough for the bear to break, so even the PCT method is useless.
The only method that I know would work in these areas is the counterbalance method, but I've never seen a hiker do it that way. But I don't think that would work either, because that's basically what a professionally installed bear cable system is and some bears defeat that system.
BobTheBuilder
05-17-2010, 10:23
I love it because it seems impossible to resolve. It makes absolute sense to hang your food away froim where you are sleeping to avoid attracting predators and scavengers, but there is no denying the fact that many people who have hiked thousands of miles never hang their food and never have a problem.
Me, I always hang my food.
Ladytrekker
05-17-2010, 13:08
My cousin and his two daughters were camping at Unicoi last year and one of the girls had smelly lipsticks in her purse a bear ripped open their tent grabbed the purse and ran off down the trail. Really freaked them all out. Not sure I am going to sleep with my food do believe I will hang it and take the chance on it being there in the morning.
If you're concerned about proper hanging technique, consider an excellent option: bear-resistant canisters such as BearVault or Garcia. I spend enough time hiking where canisters are required, that I just use one all the time.
+1 no strong odors.
I use Opsak for food and Opsak for garbage.
I prepare my food away from my camp. I do not get in the smoke of a cooking fire.
I bear bag, or use the lockers provided in places. If no trees, the Ursack is what I would purchase unless park regulations demand a bear canister, then, I would rent a bear canister.
If you cannot hang the Ursack, their videos show the contents are well protected if tied to a tree on the ground.
I had a friend last year with me who had a tube of neosporin out for a blister and a mouse ate the whole tube which was by his head and he did not hear a thing.
thanks for the input guys. i'm now planning on getting a smell proof bag for my food and hanging it in a bear bag. better being safe then sorry...
If you are the observant type, keep an eye out for bear droppings as you hike. If the area has a lot of bear poop, you need to be more concerned about hanging your food bag plus anything else that might smell like food to a bear.
If you do not see any bear poop for many miles, that does not guarantee that there are zero bears but it does suggest that bears are scarce.
More than bears, you should probably be concerned about other pesky creatures getting into your food and gear...raccoons, squirrels, mice, rats, skunks, etc. If you are hiking with a dog, keep him or her safe from coyotes in the area.
Mountain Wildman
05-17-2010, 17:46
If you're concerned about proper hanging technique, consider an excellent option: bear-resistant canisters such as BearVault or Garcia. I spend enough time hiking where canisters are required, that I just use one all the time.
REI has the large bear vault on sale now. $59.99 I think.
Anniversary sale
Blissful
05-17-2010, 18:24
I had a friend last year with me who had a tube of neosporin out for a blister and a mouse ate the whole tube which was by his head and he did not hear a thing.
You're kidding, First I've heard that mice like neosporin, I've never hung my first aid kit nor had anything get at it. :eek:
Blissful
05-17-2010, 18:26
Check the search also for threads of hanging the food the PCT method (I have problems just with the standard method - have yet to learn this one)
Snowleopard
05-17-2010, 18:34
LOKSAK OPSak Odor-Proof Barrier Bags:
http://www.rei.com/product/758707
Also, hunting shops sometimes have odor proof bags so store hunter's clothes and gear so they don't pick up odors that their game associates with humans.
I know it's not where you going, but not too far away: parts of the Adirondacks require bear canisters and one bear has figured out how to open the bearvault. So if you get a canister and plan on going to the Eastern High Peaks of the ADK, don't get a bear vault.
FritztheCat
05-17-2010, 21:31
I hang my food and cooking utensils. However, on a section hike last weekend, I woke up and went to grab my first aid kit and to my horror, found that I had hung the kit instead of the bag of snickers I had. They were in the same colored bags (lesson learned). So, hanging food bags is a really good idea - especially if you have ALL your food in them!
I live in a largely bear-free zone. So this topic is a little academic for me. However, I note a couple of things.
The sleep with your food people generally camp away from campsites and shelters, and also away from congested zones which bears and people know quite well. So if a bear or other critter is going to steal your food, first he has to find you, and then he has to overcome any qualms he may have about approaching humans. The places where bears have become habituated to humans and are not afraid of us are probably good places to avoid, or hang or bear-box your food. Think AT shelters and Yellowstone.
The other thing is camping on the barrens. There are no trees to speak of, there are also no other people either. The bears are big and not too afraid of anything, browns and polars. Friend of mine who canoes up there just keeps his camp ready to break at a moment's notice, and bugs out when a bear shows undue interest. It gets interesting when the bear gives chase, since the big guys can run and swim faster than most people can paddle. Bear barrels are probably a good idea. But you can't hike with a multi-week barrel of food. That was my choice in the north, on water.
I'm interested in the ursack idea, for bears and for smaller critters that like human food when they can get it. If the sacks aren't too heavy, it seems like a good solution.
Appalachian Tater
05-17-2010, 23:08
I plan on doing a 5 day hike next week (North Country Trail.) The trail starts in Allegheny, NY (southern NY) and would take me into PA.
I don't know whether I should hang my food or not here. NY is a bear state (especially Northern NY) but would I be good just leaving my bag in my tent with me?
I figured if food is in my pack for 5 days everything I have will smell like food eventually anyways. Should I get some smell proof bags or cases or what? I have 5 days worth of food to worry about.
If anyone can help me out I would really appreciate it.
Thanks.
Yes there are a lot of bears in that area. You can risk keeping your food in your tent if you want. Yes, you and everything you have smell like food to a bear. The point of hanging your food is to keep the bear from actually getting it so it doesn't become a pest. It's going to smell you and your feed regardless of what you do if it comes within range.
The important thing to know about a bear: is it a "bad bear" habituated to finding food in backpacks or in tents, or worse, a "rogue bear" and on the other hand, is it a "natural bear" with no interest in stinky humans with no food odors?
I live 1 mile from Glacier National Park, MT and I have had no problem with grizzly bears, because I look for behavior that tells me either "bad bear" or "natural bear" and, first of all, I respect the bear's home. It is their home and I am, at most, a visitor there. And so, I respect the bear's rights to be bears.
I see fresh poop on a trail, I decide to change my plans, making the "hike" into an out-and-back hike.
The "natural bears" really do prefer to eat moths under rocks. And that is why, if you see turned over rocks, pulled right up out of the dirt, and it is a recent, a bear is feeding there.
This food, as well as the sugar in berries, is essential for their ability to put on fat for winter hibernation. The "natural bears" are polite enough to chase "tourists" out of their berry patch, using "bluff changes".
However, don't count on it.
They "own" the berries. I get my berries in a jar. Really. I buy them over on the highway near Martin City, MT for the best berries in a jar.
I pick choke cherries, for pancake syrup, because bears are not so keen for choke cherries.
There is a lot to know about bears. Don't pick the huckleberries in bear country, unless you know where every bear has staked out what berry patches for their survival: that kind of "local knowledge".
If you see fresh bear sign or suspect a bear is in the thicket, because your hair is standing on end on the back of your neck. Stop. Leave. Don't run. Do not run. Prey run.
Do not allow your "party" to have a straggler: stay together. Stragglers are "prey".
Like that.
Me? If I come across a "bad bear" or I have intruded in a bear's "territory"... I change my plans, and leave by the direction I got there, first, making an assessment the bear is not behind me. For that reason, I have to have my senses aware, while hiking.
I do not listen to music with the iPod in bear country. I do not have "preoccupied thoughts" with problems of the city.
My full attention is on where I am and what I am doing.
I only wrote this stuff, because you do seem very inexperienced about hiking in "bear country".
beakerman
05-18-2010, 11:58
Even down here in bear free texas I hang my food. We got some mean raccoons down here that can tear the side off a barn if they want...I think when they said averything is bigger in texes they meant the reccoons are bigger in texas...
I use PCT without the beaner. (beaners!? BEANERS! We don' need no stinking beaners!)I simply put an overhand loop in the rope and go from there.
JustaTouron
05-18-2010, 12:23
It is better to hang your food properly, but it is still better to hang even if not properly.
There is three aspects to hanging food.
1) You don't want to food condition a bear. If a bear becomes use to the idea that humans have food that bear becomes a danger to all hikers.
2) You don't want to lose your food. You might be a day or two away from your next resupply point and if the bear takes your food you go hungry.
3) You don't want to have a close encounter of the bear kind. They are bigger and stonger than you and odds are you not the bear are gonna come away from the incident injured or killed.
While inproperly hanging a bear bag won't do anything about#1 and #2, it does prevent #3. I would rather keep my food, but if I am gonna lose my food to a bear I would rather it be done 100 feet from my tent while I sleep soundly, than have the bear take the food bag from my tent.
i can count the times i've hung my food on less than one hand. never had a bear take my food. had them come into camp and sniff around, but no advances on my tent.
i almost always take tuna or salmon with me. i put my foil pouches in the ziplock i brought them in and store it with the rest of my food, in my pack.
also, i hope those of you that are adamant about hanging your food, remember to hang your toothpaste. bears love that stuff. so do raccoons. you leave that in your pack, you might as well leave the food.
Sailor (The other one)
05-18-2010, 14:00
also, i hope those of you that are adamant about hanging your food, remember to hang your toothpaste. bears love that stuff. so do raccoons. you leave that in your pack, you might as well leave the food.
Toothpaste, dirty laundry, garbage, smelly soap, dirty pots, eating utensils, all of it, every time.
And, from now on, Neosporin. :banana
Toolshed
05-18-2010, 18:30
I plan on doing a 5 day hike next week (North Country Trail.) The trail starts in Allegheny, NY (southern NY) and would take me into PA.
I don't know whether I should hang my food or not here. NY is a bear state (especially Northern NY) but would I be good just leaving my bag in my tent with me?
I figured if food is in my pack for 5 days everything I have will smell like food eventually anyways. Should I get some smell proof bags or cases or what? I have 5 days worth of food to worry about.
If anyone can help me out I would really appreciate it.
Thanks.
Dan, I lived in the BFLO area for many years and spent a lot of time on the NCT, FLT and the Conservation Trail (The offshoot N to the BT) as well as other trails in the Northern PA area. As far as bears go, they are around, but I have never had problems with them in these sections.
You are always a safer to hang your food, as it is not only bears, but minks, porkies, raccoons, pine martens, squirrels and other critters that you need to be prepared for. However, if you are camping in an area that shows little to no use, rather than a heavily used camping area, there is less of a risk for those not hanging.
HOWEVER, given your relatively new status to hiking and gear, I would caution you to err on the side of safety and start bear-bagging until you have spent enough time on the various trails where you feel comfortable doing otherwise. Think about it, not bear-bagging doesn't really do you any good if you are lying awake with one eye open all night long jumping or flashing your headlamp at every sound (and sounds seem to be magnified at night).
Good luck and I hope you enjoy the trail - Which section will you be on ??
Skidsteer
05-18-2010, 20:02
I note a couple of things.
The sleep with your food people generally camp away from campsites and shelters, and also away from congested zones which bears and people know quite well. So if a bear or other critter is going to steal your food, first he has to find you, and then he has to overcome any qualms he may have about approaching humans. The places where bears have become habituated to humans and are not afraid of us are probably good places to avoid, or hang or bear-box your food. Think AT shelters and Yellowstone.
Bingo.
But even if a non-hanger does tent near a shelter, guess what? The bears are looking up for the food because that's where people are putting it and the bears don't even have to confront the weird bald animals that so kindly leave food in trees.
stranger
05-18-2010, 21:24
I for one do not believe any product is odor proof, maybe odor proof for humans, plus...hanging food is so easy, so simple, why not do it?
Learn the "PCT method" of hanging food, there are good instructions online, get yourself a roll down waterproof stuff sack, get a larger one if you wanna hang your stove and cookpots, windscreen, etc...It's simple.
I don't believe bears will hassle a hiker cause they are wearing a shirt that was next to their non-odor proof bag...I think that's a little much really.
I know a guy who hiked the PCT twice, and used his food as a pillow every single night, no problems, so guess it just comes down to luck at some level, and what you're prepared to risk.
For me, hanging food is simple, so I do it in any area that might have bears, plus I find it fun as well.
Graywolf
05-19-2010, 01:45
Even down here in bear free texas I hang my food. We got some mean raccoons down here that can tear the side off a barn if they want...I think when they said averything is bigger in texes they meant the reccoons are bigger in texas...
I use PCT without the beaner. (beaners!? BEANERS! We don' need no stinking beaners!)I simply put an overhand loop in the rope and go from there.
Bearfree texas, who told you that?? In the Sabine and Angilina National forest the black bears are making a come back, and Big Bend National Park is now enforcing bear hanging and other bear safty practices.. they really are making a come back, and just over the border in Oklahoma, yeah, their there...On the other hand, I dont think they are anything to fear.. they are more afraid of you then you are of them..Right now..
Graywolf
It seems I have to retract my claim that I don't live in bear country. This spring there have been at least two sightings inside London city limits. In one case the bear was shot by police, which occasioned much protest. Well, some protest. The latest sighting was this evening, and only a few blocks from my house. As SGT Rock would say, I'm skeered, people. Very skeered. Maybe I should begin bear bagging at home.
We have yet to have bears raiding our bird feeders, but it may come to that. Until this Spring, the nearest bears had been about 200km away, up in Grey and Bruce Counties. What next? Bear bells on the Thames Valley Trail?
beakerman
05-20-2010, 10:56
Bearfree texas, who told you that?? In the Sabine and Angilina National forest the black bears are making a come back, and Big Bend National Park is now enforcing bear hanging and other bear safty practices.. they really are making a come back, and just over the border in Oklahoma, yeah, their there...On the other hand, I dont think they are anything to fear.. they are more afraid of you then you are of them..Right now..
Graywolf
Hey..don't ruin my litle fantasy. I hate bears I don't care what colour they are either.
Anyway the handful of bear in all of Texas probably don't add up to the number of bear in one county in VAso yeah bear free Texas.
Berserker
05-20-2010, 11:11
I love it because it seems impossible to resolve. It makes absolute sense to hang your food away froim where you are sleeping to avoid attracting predators and scavengers, but there is no denying the fact that many people who have hiked thousands of miles never hang their food and never have a problem.
Me, I always hang my food.
Man, I love this post by Bob the Builder because I agree 100%. Normally I hang my food (PCT method), but sometimes I get lazy (i.e. it's dumping rain, there's not a good tree around, etc.) and leave it in my tent. Never had an issue with it in my tent. I also used to keep it in my tent all the time with no incidents before I learned about hanging it. I think hanging is the way to go if it's done properly.
Dan, I lived in the BFLO area for many years and spent a lot of time on the NCT, FLT and the Conservation Trail (The offshoot N to the BT) as well as other trails in the Northern PA area. As far as bears go, they are around, but I have never had problems with them in these sections.
You are always a safer to hang your food, as it is not only bears, but minks, porkies, raccoons, pine martens, squirrels and other critters that you need to be prepared for. However, if you are camping in an area that shows little to no use, rather than a heavily used camping area, there is less of a risk for those not hanging.
HOWEVER, given your relatively new status to hiking and gear, I would caution you to err on the side of safety and start bear-bagging until you have spent enough time on the various trails where you feel comfortable doing otherwise. Think about it, not bear-bagging doesn't really do you any good if you are lying awake with one eye open all night long jumping or flashing your headlamp at every sound (and sounds seem to be magnified at night).
Good luck and I hope you enjoy the trail - Which section will you be on ??
I changed my plans and am gonna be starting near Bradford, PA (northern PA) and working my way down for a few days and then back up to my start point.
Toolshed
05-23-2010, 01:43
I recall miles and miles of ferns in that area - Please let me know how thr trail is when you are out there.
Thanks
I recall miles and miles of ferns in that area - Please let me know how thr trail is when you are out there.
Thanks
should look awesome then. i'll take plenty of pictures and let you know next week.
greatwillies
06-10-2010, 01:38
I think anywhere you can put your food, as you want. Actually its depends on the food and the environment that it can be spoiled or not. You can hang your food or keep it in your tent. Its on you my friend.
Hanging food is a huge problem that is at the root of bear problems.:-?
It kills bears and endangers people.:eek:
Please don't take my word for it though.:o
Check the rangers out west who have had to figured it out and made it illegal. ;)
The day is coming to the east too as there are just too many folks baiting bears with thier food advertising in the breeze.:mad:
I think that hanging food the right way is not the problem. It is the people that don't do a good job and then say thats good enough. Easy snatchin's for the bears...
I hang food and sleep inside a tent with my daughter, because she is small.
I also hike with 6 foot wooden stick when I hike with her, because she is small.
When I hike alone, I sleep outside, with my food as a pillow, but the food is very bland and I keep the smells down. We haven't had any bear fatalities, so I focus more on keeping the smells down and keeping the food on me where a bear is less likely to want it. I don't think there is much of a risk, and I figure in a way I am doing my part as an early warning system for problem bears. If a bear did grab it, it would get the food and likely leave me alone, but we do not have bears that are that bold, at least not outside of our parks, and if we do, I would like to know about them. I think hanging food is more likely to tempt them, but that is up here. In places where bears are less afraid, as in Fundy National Park, or someplace less well known to me, I would hang my food, or leave it in the car if car camping.
When with my daughter, the food is hung, and we are in a tent 100 feet away. The tent isn't to keep the bears out, so much as to keep my daughter in, and not have her seen and dragged off without me being aware of it. I don't mind being near the campfire though. I don't think they like the smell of campfires, and we keep the food smells down around the campfire also, washing our dishes away from it, and keeping the fire clean of food.
I should also say that if I am at a common campsite, even one outside of the park that is not used that often, I might hang my food rather than sleep with it, but it is questionable which is more likely to condition bears to humans and/or the campsite. I think the most important thing is to keep the smells to a minimum. I think campfires help also, to keep the bears less interested. Even after they are out they must still smell like fire, and that is something bears and other animals should not be too fond of, because of forest fires and because of humans. Fires help keep bears weary. Of course once bears are conditioned to people, all bets are off, and you pretty much have to hang your food rather than invite more trouble.
Pedaling Fool
06-10-2010, 13:38
A great place to camp...unless of course you want to hang your food:D
travelgnome88
08-12-2010, 18:12
when ever a bear does get into your food/tent, rub their nose in it and say "bad bear" wile smacking them with a rolled up newspaper. this has always worked for me in the past and will prevent future incidents with that bear in the future :)
I had a friend last year with me who had a tube of neosporin out for a blister and a mouse ate the whole tube which was by his head and he did not hear a thing.
At least the mouse should be free from infections for a while;)
when ever a bear does get into your food/tent, rub their nose in it and say "bad bear" wile smacking them with a rolled up newspaper. this has always worked for me in the past and will prevent future incidents with that bear in the future :)
Reminds me of a pic of a sign someone sent me recently.
This is actually on a sign at a campground in British Columbia-
"There has been a marked increase of human-bear encounters in the past several months. The BC Fish and Wildlife Commission has issued this advisory. All persons, inlcuding campers, hikers, hunters, farmers and other persons who work or play in the outdoors should know what to do should they encounter a bear. Wearing noisy little bells on their clothing helps to alert the bear in case they are in the vicinity. Also, carrying a can of pepper spray is useful in case the two parties suddenly come face-to-face. And finally, outdoorsmen should be on the lookout for fresh signs of bear activity and be able to tell the difference between black bear feces and grizzly bear feces. Black bear feces is smaller, contains lot of berries and squirrel fur, whereas grizzly bear feces contains lots of noisy little bells and smells like pepper spray".:p
mdbuckman
08-23-2010, 17:50
We love our OPsak and still hang when in the woods here in WNC
DC2.2GSR
09-23-2010, 16:10
Reminds me of a pic of a sign someone sent me recently.
This is actually on a sign at a campground in British Columbia-
"There has been a marked increase of human-bear encounters in the past several months. The BC Fish and Wildlife Commission has issued this advisory. All persons, inlcuding campers, hikers, hunters, farmers and other persons who work or play in the outdoors should know what to do should they encounter a bear. Wearing noisy little bells on their clothing helps to alert the bear in case they are in the vicinity. Also, carrying a can of pepper spray is useful in case the two parties suddenly come face-to-face. And finally, outdoorsmen should be on the lookout for fresh signs of bear activity and be able to tell the difference between black bear feces and grizzly bear feces. Black bear feces is smaller, contains lot of berries and squirrel fur, whereas grizzly bear feces contains lots of noisy little bells and smells like pepper spray".:p
thats hilarious! i wish the PA game commission had a similar sense of humor.
Two bits of input, sizemj posting above - I heard that mouse has not had an infection in his little body since...........
Seriously, I hang more from raccoons etc than bears, all smelly stuff goes into the bags, toothpaste, etc. 1st thing I look for is a tree to hang from, even when staying at a shelter. The more I see people clean their pots and brush teeth and scatter right by the shelter tells me why there are critter traps.
Hang food.
4eyedbuzzard
09-23-2010, 17:51
A bear's sense of smell is better than a bloodhound's. Nothing you do will keep them from smelling your food, or you.
TheYoungOne
09-27-2010, 16:47
I hang my food. I don't want to see this.
http://ts3.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=234505374962&id=9b6f9b4ed81b9a9cc2198df9cd76b380&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.funny-potato.com%2fimages%2fcamping-canada.jpg
Forever North
09-27-2010, 17:56
Reminds me of a pic of a sign someone sent me recently.
This is actually on a sign at a campground in British Columbia-
"There has been a marked increase of human-bear encounters in the past several months. The BC Fish and Wildlife Commission has issued this advisory. All persons, inlcuding campers, hikers, hunters, farmers and other persons who work or play in the outdoors should know what to do should they encounter a bear. Wearing noisy little bells on their clothing helps to alert the bear in case they are in the vicinity. Also, carrying a can of pepper spray is useful in case the two parties suddenly come face-to-face. And finally, outdoorsmen should be on the lookout for fresh signs of bear activity and be able to tell the difference between black bear feces and grizzly bear feces. Black bear feces is smaller, contains lot of berries and squirrel fur, whereas grizzly bear feces contains lots of noisy little bells and smells like pepper spray".:p
Good one::banana I love this
I think that hanging food the right way is not the problem. It is the people that don't do a good job and then say thats good enough. Easy snatchin's for the bears...
If you read the rangers report on the Sierra.... even hanging the right way only prolongs and doesn't prevent.:-?
I think if you are unsure about your skills and instincts on the AT- go ahead and hang- but do your best not to get a bear killed and endanger other hikers.:(
I hang my food. I don't want to see this.
http://ts3.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=234505374962&id=9b6f9b4ed81b9a9cc2198df9cd76b380&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.funny-potato.com%2fimages%2fcamping-canada.jpg
I doubt there was food in this tent.:)
Skidsteer
09-27-2010, 18:46
I hang my food. I don't want to see this.
http://ts3.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=234505374962&id=9b6f9b4ed81b9a9cc2198df9cd76b380&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.funny-potato.com%2fimages%2fcamping-canada.jpg
You never will see that on the AT.
Unless some dimwit starts transplanting Grizzlies.
We had a terrible time hanging in Minnesota. Very pathetic. Too many people to one bag. Here is our first funny bear line in the park. If I can figure out how to attach it. Then it was hard to find trees suitable. Alot of christmas trees. We have made a "bag your own food the next time" rule. We finally hung the best we could and then peed around the site. I found one tree and when I hoisted the bag the limb broke and fell on me!
IronGutsTommy
09-28-2010, 01:32
backpacker.com has videos showing how to hang a bear bag, although the girl in one video is such a bumbling idiot that youll wonder why she cant figure it out in 2 or 3 minutes.
also word to the wise.. hang anything that has a scent to it, including toothpaste, deodorant, medicines, anything. set up camp, cook, eat, wash up, hang bag, sleep.. rinse, repeat.another helpful tip.. consider bringing nylon fishing line, heavy test. shelter rats cant climb the line, they can climb rope or cord,, however. if youre foods bagged up, yeah they probably cant get in, but i still dont like the idea of them climbing and gnawing at my sack for half the night whether they fail or not. i pack both line and cord, but use the line for all my foodbags. the cord/rope is just a lightweight backup