The Puzzler’s Tree-safe Bear-bag Hang
This morning (7/23/15), I was reading the forums on WhiteBlaze.net and came across a thread about Florida’s state parks requiring 2” wide straps for protecting trees when hanging hamocks.
That got me thinking. The damage done to trees from a standard 1” hammock suspension strap pales in comparison the the damage done to tree branches when we hang bear bags using the PCT method.
Using the popular PCT bear-bag hanging method, the cord saws through the bark of a tree branch over and over again with two times the food-bag weight pulling down on it every time it is raised. NOT GOOD!
I propose the following bear-bag hanging method as an advantageous alternative to the PCT method. The method I describe below eliminates the weighted sawing of the tree bark when raising the bear-bag while reducing the effort required to lift the bag by a factor of two. Also, you can use smaller cord for hanging because it is not increasing damage to the tree nor cutting up your hands because the bag is raised with a 2:1 leverage advantage.
The Puzzler’s Tree-safe Bear-bag Hang
Supplies needed:
- 50’ or more of small cordage
- 2 carabiners - They can be small as they only need to support twice the weight of your bag.
- 2 feet of webbing material - 1 inch wide should be ample
- Tube of seam sealant or contact cement
- The bear-bag of your choosing
Assembling the haul system:
- Tie a loop in both ends of the strap - the loops only have to be big enough to put the carabiner through.
- Put a series of sealant or glue drops across both sides of the strap and let them dry to creating rubbery dots to provide friction between the strap and the tree branch
- Put one of the carabines through the loop on one end of the strap
- Tie one end of your haul line through the loop on the other end of the strap
Haul system on table.jpghaul system in hand.jpg- Close your bear-bag and attach the second carabiner to it like in the PCT method
- Throw your cord over the tree branch of your choice, just like the PCT method
strap above bag.jpg- Slip a loop of the cord through the carabiner on the bag and hook it into the carabiner attached to the strap
cord through bag biner.jpgcord through bag and strap.jpg- Leaving the bag on the ground, pull on the haul cord to raise the strap end of the haul system (with the cord looped through the carabiner) up to and across the tree branch.
strap on tree branch.jpg- Now, pull the loose end of the cord to raise the bear-bag up to the branch.
hoisting bag.jpg- Secure a stick to the haul cord exactly like the PCT method
- Lower the bear-bag back down until the stick contacts and holds against the carabiner on the bear-bag.
hoisted bag.jpg- Sleep peacefully
- When lowering the bear-bag, pull the cord until you can reach and remove the stick, then lower the bag. It’s done exactly like the PCT method.
In building this system this afternoon, I found that very small cord is fine from the standpoint of hand damage when hauling, but the mason’s twine was not strong enough to lift my 25 lb bag without eventually breaking.
I was also surprised at how easy this was to rig up and use. It's great having only half the weight pulling on you while you are trying to tie in the stick or remove it.