What size bear bag do I need?

[Eywa Dude]

I am down to the last few items I need to purchase for the trail, and I want to buy a dry sack as my bear bag with an odor liner to keep animals away. What size do you think I need? Keep in mind that I have a fairly healthy appetite. Thanks.

[swjohnsey]

A big bag for a big appetite! Seriously, though, I wouldn't get too fancy. I can get about four days food into 600 cubic inches, about 10 liters. Zpack makes some drybags with rolldown top that are pretty waterproof and would work good as a food bag. I wouldn't worry about an odor liner.

[BobTheBuilder]

I have the same answer. My food bag is waterproof, more or less, and I use it as a bear bag. No liner should be needed. It won't keep an animal from smelling the delicious food inside anyway, it is just extra weight.

[Spokes]

I use an orange 20L Ultra-Sil Sea-to-Summit dry sack and always use 2mm nylon cord to hang it. Paracord's for the car camping crowd.

I agree with the others about not needing a liner or worrying about odors.

[Eywa Dude]

Yeah, I'll be using Z-Pack's 2.2mm Spectra Z-Line and a small biner for hanging the bag.

[swjohnsey]

This sceams for Cuben. Zpacks' food bag ought to work. Every backpacker needs something out of Cuben. I got a five dollar wallet.

[Tinker]

Spectra line - slides over branches without digging into them. Lightweight and does not absorb nearly as much water as nylon cordage.

http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/spectra_cord.shtml

[hikerboy57]

I use an orange 20L Ultra-Sil Sea-to-Summit dry sack and always use 2mm nylon cord to hang it. Paracord's for the car camping crowd.

I agree with the others about not needing a liner or worrying about odors.

i use the same bag
no liner.

[rotorbrent]

What size Bear Bag?

depends on the size of the Bear!!

[ScottP]

I'd get one large enough to climb into in case a bear attacks you. YMMV.

[jlo]

Ditto on using food bag as bear bag. For the AT, as long as it's hung properly, you don't need to worry about getting anything special.

[MuddyWaters]

The odor proof Lok-sak comes in certain sizes. The problem is that this isnt necessarily the same dimension as your food/bear bag.

So you could go the route of Mountain Laurel Designs , they make a food bag , 20L cuben, that is sized to fit a lok-sak. Sounds good, right?

Wrong. Its tall and skinny, it simply doesnt pack well because of that, at least not for me.

So my recommendation is to get a Zpacks or HMG cuben food bag, the rectangular squatty one, its like 12x14x12 or such, with a drawstring top. The size is perfect to pack in most UL packs. Put the food in a 2gal ziplock or two inside and call it a day. Waterproof, light, etc. Use 50' of spectra cord w/small carabiner. Order from MLD, Zpacks, Lawson, etc.

And remember that if it has a hole in the top for rain to get in, it better also have a hole in the bottom for the water to get out. So cut a hole in bottom.

[daddytwosticks]

Ursak Minor, the yellow colored one. I don't know if this would be big enough for multiple days of food. It's not waterproof, but will keep the micro-bears from eating your grub.

[Wolfie2nd]

+ 1 on the ursack it makes life so much easier! Rather that find a tree to hang a bear bag just tie it too the tree and be done