Do you cook under your tarp?

**Doctari** · 06-14-2016, 11:53

I have "Cooked" under my tarp prolly 4 or 5 times, last time I was 100% sure there was a bear less than 50 miles from me, & pretty sure there was bears within 10, & very likely closer. I "freezer bag cook" so much of the smell stays in the bowl not put into the air by real cooking. I do hang my food bag High & well away from my camp,,,, although that is ONLY since the start of my 2016 AT section hike. My stove is an alky, & is WELL AWAY from my tarp & hammock. The only times I have cooked under cover is when it's actively raining, but I have eaten in my hammock Many many times when it started to rain after getting hot water.

That being said: I also (until this year anyway) nearly never treat my water, I have hung my food bag from my ridgeline, MY reaction to a bear sniffing my head while in my hammock, in 2015 was to yell "NO! GOAWAY! its my food" & then I went back to sleep. I handle stinging nettle with my bare hands. All of the above highly not recommended!

Know the risks, make your decision!
Cooking in your shelter can attract wildlife.
Drinking untreated water can cause,,,, intestinal distress.
A bear can come back even if startled away.
I'm told stinging nettles hurt when you touch them.

**Wilder** · 01-12-2017, 21:00

I've been searching ways to heat up my tarp and came across this thread. I have a biolote camp stove that i like to use because of the free fuel as long as there are twigs laying around, and charging capabilites but I'm also worried about the sparks wood fires can cause while burning. I was thinking of trying a small 5" steel strainer to flip upside down and put over the biolite while it's burning for heat to hopefully prevent the sparks or embers from flying around in the tarp, kind of like the fire table you can buy for your back deck, but a mini version i guess. Does anybody think this might work? Or at least make it "less dangerous?" I will try it myself (outside of the tarp) once i get the strainer, just thought i'd toss the idea out there and see what everybody thought. Yes? No? Maybe?

**brutalguyracing** · 01-12-2017, 21:10

I would never do that
Plus dont see the need
Get some rates quilts and some decent clothes

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**JmBoh** · 01-12-2017, 22:41

never cooked. only boiled water. i have the same thoughts as silver sufer. don't want to stink up my tarp.

**OlTrailDog** · 01-13-2017, 19:48

Don't they have polar bears in Ontario?

**MonkeyWrench** · 01-13-2017, 19:56

Doctari I'm amazed you used a biolite under your tarp. I would be waaay to worried about burning my equipment. I've got a biolite as well and it kicks sparks up to kingdom come once that fan gets everything cooking.

**SnowyRiverKayakMan** · 01-31-2017, 10:40

Being a leader for my older son's Boy Scout troop and teaching them about the bearmuda triangle when out on hiking trips, we take along a small cooking tarp for dinner each patrol to cook under with their stoves only. No campfires under the tarps. Also I wouldn't want to have any flames near my hammock gear.

**OlTrailDog** · 01-31-2017, 11:49

I'll share a couple pics from my neck o' de woods. One fall I was working rebuilding a patrol cabin. We poured concrete piers, replaced the bottom logs (which required jacking the cabiin up), replaced the floor joists and fir T&G flooring, rechink the cabin, new door, new porch, and replace up the exterior trim. Since it was in the wilderness all work was done by hand with the aid of mules and work horses. I recruited a couple young trail folks help with pouring the piers, skid in the logs in, roll the bottom logs into place, and un-jack the cabin. Then I was on my own for the rest of the work so they could get back to their trail duties.

It was hunting season and as I packed materials in to the cabin and rode out after working for the week I would pass by a hunting camp. I knew there was a G-bear working the area because I would occasionally see tracks and my dogs also let me know when we were in the vicinity of the bear. I would check out the camp to make sure they were storing their food safely. They were hanging the horse panniers from a meat pole behind the camp. However, on trip out the tents were smashed flat with obvious bear prints on the material, the fire pit where they had apparently dumped the bacon grease was licked smooth, and the tents were ripped and broken. The reason for the broken tents was they had left a bar of soap and possibly other goodies in the tent. The scent was enough to pique the bears interest. The incident cost the hunters a sizable chunk of change because they had just taught a G-bear that it was worth their time to smash a tent. Could have been worse if it was a sow with cubs learning new food sources. Now that the bear was rewarded for it's efforts it is highly likely it will be killed in the future for seeking another reward in another camp. Moral of the story is it isn't a good idea to train bears to smash tents and it isn't prudent to provide an incentive for a bear to visit campsites.smashtenta.jpg smashtentb.jpg smashtentc.jpg

One night while working on the cabin a herd of elk passed by making a real ruckus as the cows mewed to the calves and they answered. Bright and early in the morning I went out on the porch to check out another chilly blue bird morning that was going to be great for working. About 75 yards down slope from the cabin a G-bear stood up in the willows. Believe me that woke me up better than a morning cup of joe. Apparently the reason for the elk ruckus was the bear was working the elk and had a kill just down from the cabin. Alas, now I'm old and retired, but I certainly miss those days that are but distant, albeit vivid, memories to bore younger folks with.

**Billy Goat** · 01-31-2017, 14:51

I hike in bear country. Short answer: No. Long answer: Absolutely no, I have no intention of becoming a bears late night snack and have no desire to be woken to the feeling of having a leg torn off while sawing logs in the woods. (Censored, of course, to be family friendly) Even though I assure my kids that the black bear in our area are generally timid and more like scared dogs than real bears... I don't want one getting curious and crawling up into the hammock with me.

Cheers,
the Goat