Change Tent Color
Have an MSR tent that is bright orange. Evidence suggests that it is a bear magnet. Can the fabric be painted? Suggestions?
What evidence? Do share.Originally Posted by YerbaJon
You never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns
When they all did tricks for you.
Whether it attracts bears or not, orange is a hideous color for any gear imo. Dyeing it, if possible, is probably a better option than paint.
"If you don't know where you're going...any road will get you there."
"He who's not busy living is busy dying"
Great article from RainMaker: http://trailquest.net/bears.html#colors
Anyone have any experience dying 30-denier ripstop? Suggestions? Thank you in advance.
Hah! So that's why hunters wear orange! It's a lure!
I wouldn't worry about it. But obviously you are, so either....
- buy a new tent
- replace your fly with a dark tarp.
- get some black RIT dye and go for it.
You never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns
When they all did tricks for you.
No experience.
Found this on the web:
http://www.prochemical.com/direction...rsionNylon.htm
I don't want to stray too far afield from your question about changing colors on your fly, but would like to add something that may assuage your concern. The fly color would be a big concern in polar bear country, they appear to use eyesight to a large degree in locating meals. Can't quote a printed source, but during debriefing some folks who were doing applied science on the polar ice cap, they related several experiences concerning polar bears using a decreasing radius circle while stalking them over a 4 hour period, never taking its eyes off them. Eastern Bears rely more on ultra-keen sense of smell than eyesight. The odds are most likely higher that the eastern Black Bear will acquire his target (you) by smell rather than sight. Proximity to springs, that half acre raspberry patch, or places where table scraps abound will more likely be attractors. Given limited line of sight in most locales along the AT also would lessen the chances for the bear being alerted. Bears are very clever but I don't believe that they will draw any parallels between your yellow or orange tent fly and the local McDonalds Golden Arches. Worst case to be safe, practice safe bear country practices and set up your bear restaurant, er, I mean tent in the twilight.
Live, Don't Dye!
Don't hot bath dye it or you will ruin the waterproof/water resistant quality. Even if you paint something on it you will create a color even more horrible than orange.
More horrible than orange!
did you say more horrible than orange?Thats why I use hammocks, the tarps cover the whole thing
HAMMOCKS ARE SUPREME!!!!
I once had a nylon pack that was bright orange. I used RIT dye, olive green I think. Turned it a nice dark brown color.
olive green dye turned it brown. Hmm... I think thats false advertising
HAMMOCKS ARE SUPREME!!!!
I think RIT has some clause saying that the color is only that color when dying white articles.
any time you dye one color over another you will get a color that is a mix of the 2 colors... green plus orange = brown. To get a true color you must start with a white base fabric. I would check with the maker of the tent to see if they had any ideas on changing the color. Some fabrics do not take well to dye, and the dye just may damage the waterproofing. Also, any coating that was sprayed or brushed on would more then likely just lay on the surface of the fabric and start to flake/crack from stuffing or folding and could cause problems by having fine particals of whatever you use getting into everything (clothes, food, and the air you breath while sleeping).
Since my pack is orange & black, does this mean I'm a walking bear snack or just a Halloween treat?
Nice article. I appreciated your posting the link.
Walk Well,
Risk
Author of "A Wildly Successful 200-Mile Hike"
http://www.wayahpress.com
Personal hiking page: http://www.imrisk.com
Its called color pollution!!
Panzer
Tent colors
donno about Bears...but, loads of BULLS charge them, i hear....hehehehehe
see ya'll out there APR 28-May 20 HOT SPRINGS,NC to PEARISBURG,VA
If you plan to (or have to) stay in designated campsites, the color issue won't be a problem. As the bears already know you'll be there before you even arrive.
Yellow Jacket -- Words of Wisdom (tm) go here.
Actually, bears are colorblind so your tent color would not be an issue. This link takes you to one article discussing it, but I remember discussing it in a biology class... They do not have poor eyesight, that is a misconception. Their eyesite is comparable to humans.
Black Bears are not colorblind.
The article you link to is based on old information.
Gordon M. Burghardt, PhD, a professor in the departments of psychology, ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Tennessee has the following to say (full article: (http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec04/burghardt.html):
excerpts:
Burghardt also hopes to bring comparative psychology research to park rangers and others who work directly with wild animals--something he began doing in 1968. At that time, black bears in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park had become a nuisance, blocking traffic and begging for handouts from visitors. Rangers considered responding by wielding bats, but a study by Burghardt and his colleagues quickly showed why this tactic would not work.
"Previously people thought that bears were colorblind, like dogs," says Burghardt. "But we found that they have excellent visual acuity and color vision--which is useful for finding ripe berries in bushes."
As a result, a black bear can easily distinguish between a green-uniformed ranger and a tourist, the researchers found. The bears quickly learned to avoid rangers with bats and continued to harass picnicking visitors, Burghardt reported to the park service.
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