Bear kegs, where to place them?
So do you keep them next to you? 100 yards away? Hang in a tree? Tossed in a bush? I think I have done all those but still have no idea what is best.
I put them in the woods nearby, maybe 100 feet away. Best place is a flat area or depression with plenty of logs, rocks, blowdowns, etc. so the canister won't be able to roll downhill if a bear disturbs it. Mine have never been touched. Don't leave it in a stuff sack or pack, or attach anything to it such that a bear might be able to grab it and run off with it. A bear won't get in, but they can drag it so far that you have a hard time finding it.
Return it the owner to receive your deposit back. OR...
Canisters should be left by themselves in a low-lying areas where they won’t roll away if knocked around by an animal. A Bear canister’s primary defense (if I can call it that) is that are designed to be a size and shape that bears can’t get a grip on, because of this they shouldn’t have any ropes, bags or other items tied to them and they shouldn’t be hung or wedged in a tree or under a rock; Doing any of these things can give a bear the additional grip or leverage needed for them to puncture through the plastic and tear the canister open.Originally Posted by GaryM
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
15' from me.
With small pile of baseball sized rocks to throw
A bear can is not bear proof. It is bear resistant.
It is still up to you protect your food and discourage bear
somebody on the trail this year was talking about how most people don't store/hang there food properly and how everyone should have a bear canister... I'm actually getting one so I'm all for them but I got to the campsite right before dark and she was all set up with her bear canister right outside her tent door, where it stayed all night. I couldn't believe it, talking about how good they are and how poorly people store their food on trail and then leaves the canister right outside the tent completely defeating the purpose.
NoDoz
nobo 2018 March 10th - October 19th
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I'm just one too many mornings and 1,000 miles behind
maybe not entirely.
At first blush, it seems foolish, but upon reflection, let's see - the canister is to prevent the bear from getting the food. That it is right outside the tent - the bear still can't get the food. So the purpose isn't being defeated. Now, if the purpose was to keep the bear away from the tent, yes, that's close to the opposite of what you want to do.
But what if the can was kept 50m away from the tent. Well, then the bear might work on it all night, undeterred. It might find some leverage against the lid, or a means to smash it against some rocks.
I don't know the answer but it seems to me that a case can be made to keep the canister close by enough so that you know if it's being messed with (and then go to drive off the bear), yet not so close that the bear would be a step away from messing with you as well.
A question for those who use bear canisters (I never have). Do you also store your garbage/trail food waste in it? All other stuff that have odors that might attract wildlife (toothpaste, toothbrush, cookware, etc.)? And not meant to be gross, but in another thread there was much talk about packing out used toilet paper as an LNT principle. Most bear experts agree that human feces attract bears. So would used TP (obviously bagged) go in there as well?
Last edited by 4eyedbuzzard; 01-20-2019 at 14:53.
Garbage, no used TP(haven't carried any in 15 yrs, if you don't carry it in it doesn't need to be carried out), toiletries, toof brush, toof paste, small wheel floss, sunscreen, separately bagged DIY almond oil based bug juice w/ essential oils,...At resupply or when mailing boxes it's more efficient in regard to garbage disposal, reducing packaging waste, drawing odors, reducing waste wt, bulk of packaging, etc to get that stuff out of the way before on trail. It snowballs further into UL and LNT practices. Simpler less bulkier toiletries further reduced from travel size = less waste, less bulk = more volume in the bear can for food and smellies = less impact on wild critters = fewer negative wild animal encounters. Most times after a 7 day consumables carry all my garbage fits easily in a sandwich or snack sized Ziploc. It equals less to burn too so less campfire impact. It's about us humans behaving well not constantly bitching about how other species need to always adjust to our, sometimes reckless, behavior.
Cookware is kept well cleaned on trail. I sanitize all cookware with H2O2 or NaOCl every 2-3 wks. Ditty rag is washed on trail and at most laundry stops. Laundry detergent chosen is fragrance free. H2O is a great solvent. Cookware is kept separate in the empty pack. Pack is usually part of my sleep system if it's not bear bagged or stored in a bear storage bin.
Bear canisters/kegs are not only for protecting food from bears. If bears aren't a great issue or there are other bear protection food measures available I like the more stuff able much lighter wt 5 oz Ursack Minor for rodents and smaller animals.
During my three trips to the Sierra, I placed my bear canister about 20-25 feet from the front of my tent, with my stove and cook pot on top as a noise maker. I never had any bear encounters in some 40 nights on trail, but I feel very comfortable doing this in Black Bear country. I'd probably leave it further out if Grizzlies are around.
Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt, and the forest and field in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul.--Fred Bear
www.misadventuregear.com
II place a “smellables” in my canister, the same as the default advice give for bear bagging. I can’t speak to the TP question as it’s a practice I’ve never engaged in.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
We live in an area of Virginia where bears are plentiful and their population is on the rise. I had a bear take my nearly full 50 gallon compost bin and carry/push it over 200 yards from its original site (not downhill). The bear never accessed the contents. So I am more than a little surprised that bear canisters can be simply left on the ground with the expectation they will not be carried off. The more I read about handling food on the trail with regards to bears the less confident I become on the best approach to the problem.
Great answers. I really like the idea of placing it not too far away in a depression. Harder to roll away but not too far to keep an eye on it.
I put mine about 100-200 ft. Wouldn't want it to be so far away that I couldn't hear them working on it for hours.
Larger containers (such as coolers/bins) are easier for them to move further and pick up and throw around.
Can see a couple bear canisters mixed into this video
https://gearjunkie.com/bearproof-bea...t-gear-testing
and bear vault
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn7oayAaf4k
I FB cook so no odors from cookware (except small spoon which goes in the can). Any leftover bags/wrappers are usually burned. Toothpaste, brush go in the can. I bury everything, bathroom-wise, at least 200 yards from a campsite in a hole at least 8 inches deep.
As for can location at night, usually in some thick bushes or brush about 100 yards from the campsite. I have had a bear drag the can out from some thick bushes and move it about 15' or so in attempts to get into it.
I carry a bear can because it is required by regs, but if it wasn't required, I would just sleep with my food anyway. So, when make camp with a bear container, I usually sleep beside it and use it as a little night table. I need my comforts in the woods.
I'd be afraid of waking up and the canister is "gone". What about attaching 25 ft of cord tied to a tree?
A bear is not going to waste time batting your can around for hundreds of yards. As long as it's not in danger of dropping off the hill/Mt the can should not be moved far from where you placed it. Here's a shot of my can after it was moved about 15' out of some thick bushes just to the right.
45106968355_14735b8e90_m.jpg
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