View Full Version : My New Bear Bagging System
Now that I have replaced most of my bigger items with lighter weight items, I decided to look at some of my smaller items. My prior bear bagging system weighed 7.5 oz so I thought I could save a little weight there. I visited ZPacks.com and placed another order and now my entire system (which includes a rock sack) is a whopping 1.8 oz! I am very happy with it.
I made a video and can be seen here:
My Bear Bagging System (http://stick13.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/my-bear-bagging-system-more-cuben-fiber/)
Nice..that was cool to see.
crazystick
02-23-2011, 23:21
I'm sold! Way cool. Good easy weight savings without any real sacrifice of comfort. Rolltop would be nice though.
Special-K
02-23-2011, 23:23
Yea that was pretty good. Congrats on the crazy huge weight loss!
Raul Perez
02-23-2011, 23:31
Very cool. I have the mountainfitter.com bear bag system which weighs about an ounce more than yours.
sheepdog
02-23-2011, 23:37
Have you ever tried to pull a heavy food bag up with that thin line? It cuts your hands something awful. You need to wrap it with a stick. It works but it is kind of a pain. I would be interested to know how well the slick line slides over tree branches. I tried it with mason line and it didn't slide too well. Good video though.
Raul Perez
02-23-2011, 23:52
eeeh... I've used 1.75mm zingit line for a bear bag system and it wasnt that terrible. I upgraded to 2mm braided dyneema which is much better getting a grip.
Thanks everyone for the comments.
As far as the questions, from the ZPacks site regarding the line that I got:
This cord is made of solid braided Dyneema fiber. It has a slick coating which allows it to slide over branches easier, perfect for bear bagging.
The slick line is not as bright and doesn't grip as well as the regular Z-line, but it is stronger by weight.
When I was looking I was planning on getting some light-weight line. Wasn't sure what, but when I read that I figured since I was already placing the order why not try this cord out. Now that I have it, it does feel a little slippery, actually almost waxy. It seems like it will glide over a branch well. My question is how many times? I am curious to see if it will wear off after a few uses. I will be sure to report back on how it does.
As far as roll top vs cinch top. All of my food goes inside Ziplocs, so getting wet is not a concern. But, I must admit it is nice not to reach your hand into a wet bag... If I hadn't have hit the order button so fast I would have asked him to either put a roll top in it (but I didn't want more weight so that wasn't favorable for me), or to sew a single small loop in the bottom center of the bag. With the loop, after cinching the bag closed, I could run the cord through the loop on the bottom and then attach it to my guyline. By doing this, the bag would then be held upside down, and the weight of the bag would not allow the cinch to come undone and spill out the contents. I may make the adjustment myself...
Raul, I like the one from Mountainfitter, as well as the one from MLD. They are both very nice kits. However, I did not need the rock sack since I made my own, nor did I need the Opsak. Also, I really liked the idea of the rectangular shaped bag rather than the tube shaped bags. Anyhoo, it was cheaper for me to order these few pieces rather than a whole kit. I did order a couple other little small items as well and it was still less expensive than the kits.
MuffinMan11
02-24-2011, 00:51
I have a very similiar setup. The main difference is I use a mesh bag for the rock bag which doubles as my pot scrubber. Wad up and wash dishes and then shake clean.
Bobby, that is a good idea. When I was digging some scrap sil out to make my bag I came across some no-see-um mesh scraps and thought about using that for it too, but I figured it might get stuck on the tree limbs/branches easier.
Hikerhead
02-24-2011, 18:23
It would have been better if you would have videoed yourself hanging your food bag. There's a few around that still owe me Snicker Bars for me winning bets on throwing the food bag. But then again, I think I owe a few too. :)
HJikerhead, maybe I will do that on my next hike. Sure it will make for a good laugh... :)
springerfever
02-24-2011, 21:35
Stick, not sure what bear-bagging method you are using, but I swapped over to the PCT method and it works great.
Also, a fantastic tip from one of the PCT videos is not to throw the rock sack like a baseball, but like a lifeline, where you have the coiled rope in one hand and the other hand swings the rocksack in a circle vertically and then you release the roacksack on its upward arc.
Amazing how accurately you can throw with a little practice and much, much higher than an overhand pitch.
And here's a good video on cord storage without the tangles!
http://www.youtube.com/user/Pagansdad?feature=mhw4#p/u/15/J4XdfQ4gzxQ
Actually, usually I just toss the bear bag over a high limb and then draw out the other end of the cord and tie it off to another tree somewhere. I tried the PCT method once or twice and then that was it. I do need to practice using that method though.
And that is the way I throw my line too. Although I have always used odd size sticks so at times it was a bit of a challange. I have never used a rock sack, so I am curious to see if it works a little better than the sticks.
Thanks for the video. That is almost how I twirled my line up. I simply wrapped it around my hand and then wrapped the last foot or so around the center of the cord. The end result is the way it looks in my video.
if i hang, which i don't very often (on the AT - usually just hang in a branch a little ways from camp) i use the pct method. pretty easy to do after you practice it a bit...
oh and i just got that rectangular zpacks cuben food blast pack. it's freakign awesome
Another good video.......thanks