(un)Packing Fears ~ Bear Bottle (scent)

[Kittyslayer]

So if I am carrying SmartWater bottles and I use one bottle for drink supplements (Nuun, Skratch, Gatorade, etc.) do I have to worry about bears and other furry critters smelling the food scent and going after my water bottle at night?

I have been carrying one of these collapsible bladders that I could put in a bear bag but still trying to shed weight.

Stow_Bottle.jpg

[Daybreak]

I've never worried about it. But if you spill powder onto the wet outside of the container...

Black bears have extremely good smell and know what they want. They rarely get into tents but they do occasionally. I wouldn't worry about it as long as there is no food. Most things in your pack carry a smell. Your clothes and gear are likely to have more food smells such as from the snickers wrapper you stuck in your pocket or a pack pocket or the scented soap, shampoo, laundry detergent you used in town etc. For me I want to ensure two things. First that a bear doesn't get any food and second that I can go to sleep.

In areas of high bear activity I "hang" more stuff especially if a line, pole, or box is provided. Usually my cook kit cook goes in. Sometimes it doesn't. Maybe toothbrush, toothpaste... Depending where I am I might toss some worrisome items out of the tent.

Black bears are known to go into tents after food so smells increase injury risk by some amount. It is rare but happens more often usually without injury. In some cases people swear they had no food but?? Bears know exactly what food they want and where it is. I've seen a bear eating army surplus peanut butter torn out of a pack at Philmont (NM) while a scout group took a break. He knew exactly where in the pack the peanut butter was. There is a recent video in CT of a bear walking through a house, opening the kitchen freezer, removing a single frozen lasagna and exiting through an open window. A MA videos show a bear literally passing by a honey stand to get to a bird feeder.

Mice are also fairly particular but love to chew. They are less predictable. If I don't hang a bear bag, I will at least hang my food in a simple manner outside the tent. Read the shelter log or go online as some bear poles are compromised to critters dropping from trees or actually climbing the pole. Some bear boxes have mouse holes. Mice are at all popular campsites and shelters. They will chew through a tent or pack for food or food smells. Other critters chew on shoes and boots for the salt so I keep them in the tent or next to me not in a vestibule.

[Wheezy]

I use a dedicated drink mix bottle as I'm typically carrying the BeFree filter and bag. I'll try to hang/store it with my food but have forgotten and left it lying out by where I ate and had no issues. Mice have gotten more of my hiking groups food than bears have.