cooking under the tarp

[SilvrSurfr]

I think some of you guys are going way overboard in bear prevention. IMO.

Way overboard? Which of the tips in this thread (most of which are also the recommendations of wildlife experts) do you disagree with?

[MDSH]

Bears and ticks. Anything else

Well, the most dangerous thing in the woods are deranged people. Did you ever watch a Shug video?

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[Gqgeek81]

If one takes a casual glance at this thread it will be pretty obvious that those for/against BFTH are also more or less outside/inside grizzly country respectively.

[doc17th]

I also use a Kelly Kettle. We used it May long under a shelter we made out of blue tarps. They were about 8' off the ground. Had the fire under there as well. Don't know if I'd risk my brand new DIY tarp for that though. The blue tarp we used is pretty stick as well from the smoke. If I could angle the tarp properly, I might try it at the edge in porch mode if the wind was blowing away.

Thanks I will be bringing my big tarp if car camping and I may try a alcohol stove under my vertex.

[Gqgeek81]

Just curious, who else keeps their safety whistle handy in the hammock?

I like to have mine ready to go to scare the bejesus out of critters in camp.

This has always been racoons for me, and only when in established camp sites, but I'm guessing most black bears would poop their furry britches. Not to say they wouldn't come right back though.

[Jcavenagh]

I keep the whistle handy. Here in IL we don't really have much bear activity, but mice, coons, and other rodents are plentiful. Whistle is good for scaring them. BUT, those little ground squirrels are frisky and will go right into anything with a food scent, pack, tent, sleeping bag...and they don't seem to scare too easy. Blow the whistle and they look at you curiously while nibbling your oatmeal!

[Tendertoe]

I've used my Backcountry Boiler countless times under a tarp in both wood burning and alcohol mode.

I usually have my tarp in porch mode when I do so but I've had the sides of the tarp pulled down and all I do is sit in the hammock and put my feet on the ground and push the hammock out of the way until the water is boiled and the fire is out.

Only done this a handful of times when it was really raining so I wouldn't recommend using this method regularly as if your feet slip, your hammock (with you in it) will swing over your stove.

[MotoBoss]

Just curious, who else keeps their safety whistle handy in the hammock?

I like to have mine ready to go to scare the bejesus out of critters in camp.

This has always been racoons for me, and only when in established camp sites, but I'm guessing most black bears would poop their furry britches. Not to say they wouldn't come right back though.

Blow a whistle in the middle of the night around here and you'll get a posse of angry dudes with clubs come by and scare the poop out of you.........






........................do you hear a banjo...................

[TallPaul]

I'm still on the fence myself.

I just ate dinner and breakfast (aka boiled water and added it to my food) under the tarp in porch mode this weekend during an all night downpour. If I was in Colorado or the Sierras, I'd probably think twice.

For those concerned about food odor, does this extend to picking sites people haven't camped at? If that bear 5 miles away smells my food, he'll be there just about dinner time when you show up. I ask because...When I backpacked at Glacier NP, they had a common place to eat and hang your food. My first opinion was I hated it, until somebody offered me some wine and dessert.

[LFCRed]

"If one takes a casual glance at this thread it will be pretty obvious that those for/against BFTH are also more or less outside/inside grizzly country respectively."

What is BTFH?