Food protection

[Drybones]

I'm wondering what most people do to protect food from critters...sleep with it or hang it? If you hang it, in what?

[Spokes]

My food bag is a 20L ultra sil dry bag from Sea-to-Summit. I always hang it on a baffle if I'm in a shelter to protect from mice. I have slept with my food inside the tent but try to bear bag it if it isn't too much of a hassle. About 50 ft. of 2mm cord is all you need. Paracord is overkill and way too heavy.

BTW, you know to always unzip all your pack pockets so the mice don't chew through your pack right?

[Blissful]

I use the Sea to summit dry bag also.

[rocketsocks]

I have been using a cheap dry sack bought a wally world,so far it's been staying dry.I found that for me,smaller Dia. cordage is hard to untie knots so I v'e opted for the larger dia.

[swjohnsey]

I sleep with my food.

[4shot]

Hung mine...have heard of mice chewing thru tents and I hate mice. Others sleep with theirs. Either way is good.

[swjohnsey]

Mice and other varmits hang out where people do. If you sleep in or near shelters you will have more problems.

[BigHodag]

Bear bagged it using an old nylon stuff sack and the PCT method.

Now use an UrSack and tie my food to a tree about chest high.

http://ursack.com

[Wise Old Owl]

Garbage Bag and Concrete string. (15 lbs) test

[daddytwosticks]

Garbage Bag and Concrete string. (15 lbs) test
Wow, concrete string! How do you get that over a tree limb being so heavy? :) :)

[4shot]

Wow, concrete string! How do you get that over a tree limb being so heavy? :) :)

How would you fold it to get it into your pack???? :>)

[Don H]

I think he means mason line. It's rated at least a 150 lb. It can be a little thin for bear bagging, I've had it cut into the branch and get hung up.

[Lone Wolf]

http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=13399571

[T-Rx]

+1 on the Ursack

[swjohnsey]

The bear won't get you food but neither will you. Once the bear has given up your food will be dust/crumbs.

[Dobie Swift]

I recently switched to a Granite Gear Air Zipsack. It's nice in that you don't have to unload the entire foodbag to get to the items on the bottom.

http://www.granitegearstore.com/Air-Zippsack-P76C50.aspx

[Sandy of PA]

I sleep with my food in a nice bear canister in the vestible of my tent!

[Lone Wolf]

I'm wondering what most people do to protect food from critters...sleep with it or hang it? If you hang it, in what?

sleep with it of course

[mmorgan]

Usually hang my bag, with a cord I've had for years. I don't recall strength or dia. I tried the sea to summit sil bag but had a mouse chew right through it one night. Going with the ursack minor next time out.

[Spokes]

I met a school teacher up in New England that carried his own mouse baffle to hang when he slept in shelters. Baffles tend to get scare in that neck of the woods. I use 2mm cord and a Black Diamond composite carabiner for bear bagging. Never had it cut into a branch or get tangled up.

[Drybones]

A friend told me he used a Princle lid to mouseproof his hang, not sure exactly how that works. Anybody have mouseproofing knowledge?

[Spokes]

Scroll down this link and you'll see one listed as a critter control baffle. The baffle is usually made out of an old tuna can but a lid will work. The theory is the mouse can't negotiate around the baffle to get to the food bag hung on the stick below.

http://elliesjourneys.blogspot.com/2008/06/bears-den-to-rod-hollow-shelter.html

[SCRUB HIKER]

Repost from another thread on this topic today:

I put my food in an Ursack Minor, which is rodent-proof (both according to the manufacturer and my experience), then put it in the vestibule of my tent. That way, the mice can try all they want to chew through the food bag, but at least they don't have to chew through my tent to get there. It's close enough that I can snack or do breakfast in bed. Every time that megafauna have made it into my camping area, I've been woken up and been able to get up and shine a light and yell and scare them off.

I use bear/cables/boxes/poles when they're available.

I generally don't publicize the fact that I'm bringing my food to my tent if there are other people around that I feel will get really freaked out by the idea of someone not bear-bagging. But the way I see it, me keeping my food on the ground does not increase or decrease the likelihood of a bear visiting--if a bear is going to stop by, it'll do so regardless of whether the food is on the ground or in a tree. But getting into an argument over that is pointless and will likely just make everyone mad at each other.