Food placement at night

[Brien]

I always hang my food away from camp. You never want to keep food and scented hygiene products near your camp site.

[dakotaross]

i was reading whiteblaze.net the other day about food storage, and noticed quite a few people said they sleep with their food with their reasoning being that animals including bears are more deterred by the smell of people than they are attracted to the smell of food...

Lone Wolf is notorious for suggesting that this is all he does. I sort of agree, that if you're in remote sites where the smell of humans IS more rare, then it can be more effective at keeping your food safe. I think where that theory breaks down is when you're camping in areas that have traditionally been populated by car campers, or just beginning campers with no real feel for what is appropriate in the outdoors. An example is the attack at Watauga of a camper in his tent by a bear.

I really don't think that's gonna happen in most places along the AT or other trails where you can get away from overused campsites, but only as long as you are careful with odors. For instance, I thought it would be a good idea to bring a can of pre-made tuna salad on a trip, but that was some seriously stinky trash afterward. I also don't think you want to be grilling brats and then sleep with your remaining food (and trash?). Not that they can't smell more benign stuff, but I do think that they're fear can be overwhelmed by what they smell. Keep it balanced, where your smell has a chance to compete with the food you're sleeping with, and I think it should work.

I'm not out there to hope that it works, or to worry more than reasonable about food smells, which is another reason I pay the 2lb penalty.

[MAD777]

Never put food (including toothpaste, soap, etc.) in your tent or hammock. Hang it all in a bear bag far from where you sleep. Or use a bear canister or a bear proof sack (forgot the actual name).

[signguy]

I would never do anything but hang the food- it takes minutes to do and increases your safety significantly. I carry all of my food and toiletries (in a small zip lock) in a sil-nylon sack that has 50 feet of zing it already attached to it. Eat and then throw it up in a tree 100 yards from camp...
If you aren't worried about a bear attacking then think of it from the standpoint that you might be saving a bears life. Once a bear finds an easy meal the chances are high they are going to start visiting campers every chance they get.
IMO it is the responsible thing to do for your safety and the bears.

[harleynemo]

If I am hiking with a dog then I never hang any food. I guess bears, raccoons, mice and others won't come close with the dog under one of the hammocks (not under mine). Otherwise with no dog I will hang food if I am not near any shelters.

I will say if I am going to hang at shelters, I have been using those "scent-proof" bags to put my food in. I have several occurrences where my food bag up on the lines at a shelter was the only one that had not been chewed through, where EVERY other bag had been chewed through. I never thought they would work….but they do!

[novasquid]

on a related note, which foods do people consider worth hanging or storing away from your camp site? should a sealed mountain house meal be hung/stored away? what about a sealed bag of crackers?

[krshome]

i was reading whiteblaze.net the other day about food storage, and noticed quite a few people said they sleep with their food with their reasoning being that animals including bears are more deterred by the smell of people than they are attracted to the smell of food. most of them also said hanging food was not effective. one of the posts gave an example of an AT guide book writer who sleeps with his food, and never had any troubles in his many miles on the AT. not sure what to believe.

Do you really want to take that chance?

[krshome]

on a related note, which foods do people consider worth hanging or storing away from your camp site? should a sealed mountain house meal be hung/stored away? what about a sealed bag of crackers?

If it smells hang it! Toothpaste, deodorant, snacks, tea coffee, drink mix, sun block, bug spray, cook set, utensils, trash it all goes up even if its sealed.

[SGT Rock]

As a tent dweller I always slept with my food and pack, what do hangers do with them? I'm a little concerned that putting them under the tarp will still leave them exposed to critters. I hung my food the first night on the AT and that was the last, mice had gotten into it.

I hang it from the foot end of my hammock.

[somniferous]

I hang food PCT style inside a OPSak. I usually also hang my cookset if I have been using it for more than boiling water.