bear bag on the A.T.?

[mr hvac]

If you just get in to good food practice from animals you don't have to sleep wondering (what if). But most important once you have a $350 back pack ripped by animals and expensive gear carried away or worse get attacked by one. Then the 10 min it takes to hang or secure your food is priceless. Better to do it then to learn a hard lesson

[u.willie]

I bear bag it every time. I cook and eat away from where I have my hammock & sleep too. It's not an issue for me to do, and helps me rest easy each night.

If someone I were hiking with left food in their bag, and it brought a bear to us - I think I'd be a little irk'd..

u.w.

u.w.

[AkFly]

I bag using the PCT method, but not for the bears, it's the **** raccoons that have been my nemesis. In fact, I had to add an aluminum cone over the top of the bag to protect against the more adventurous little b#%*#%'s. But I may have to upgrade my game after watching this guy---

http://gearjunkie.com/bears-can-climb

[Suede]

In bear country, I either do a decent hang or use a canister. In non-bear country, I use an Ursak Minor critter-proof bag and just tie it to a tree at head height. If I think there could be a random bear around, I'll hang the Ursak Minor bag. In many areas of AT with bears around, there are bear cables or bear poles (if staying in a shelter or shelter area) you can use to hang a bag.

+1 on the ursac minor for non-bear and "light" bear country. I usually hang it but if it's an over nighter I sometimes have used the ursac tied to a tree outside of camp, but only when camping solo. When a can is required I have a bearicade weekender

[Theosus]

They say "a fed bear is a dead bear", because they get used to us providing food, and become aggressive towards people, and find themselves on the dangerous end of a rifle.

I'd worry more about smaller critters. It would suck waking up on day two, realizing that critters got your food, and your next chance for food is day four.

[gogrillz]

Hey folks, don't forget to bear bag all your other "stinky" items as well. Deodorant, soap, toothpaste, sunblock, even chapstick all go in my bearbag at night.

[Dead Man]

Hey folks, don't forget to bear bag all your other "stinky" items as well. Deodorant, soap, toothpaste, sunblock, even chapstick all go in my bearbag at night.

Excellent reminder.

[Chop]

I didn't see these mentioned, so I will toss in a couple cents.

I bear bagged on the AT, then slept with my food on the PCT. Last summer, another hiker turned me onto the Loksaks. These bags are quite good. You could put your smellables in the Loksak and then hang that from a tree. Or just leave the Loksak on the ground. User error can affect your experience, but if your reasonably diligent with your greasy fingers, I believe these will serve you well.

http://www.loksak.com/purchase/opsak-3.html

One night last summer, I came across some guys who had some hotdogs. They had a Golden Retriever. When he wasn't paying attention, we put the greasy, dribbly wrapper in the Loksak to see if their dog would still keep sniffing around. He didn't smell it, or maybe stopped caring about that juicy goodness that he had been so interested in before.

I don't have a ton of experience using these..but around 25+ nights. I put my food and smellies in the bag, and leave the bag on the ground 20 feet away from where I am hanging.

[FlightMedic]

Its been a few years since we hiked on the AT but we were stopped by a ranger and asked about a bear bag as well. He said there had been "excessive bear activity" in the area and then proceeded to tell us that a bear had entered a womans tent and bit her on the rear. I would definately take the extra time to hang your food.

[Suede]

Its been a few years since we hiked on the AT but we were stopped by a ranger and asked about a bear bag as well. He said there had been "excessive bear activity" in the area and then proceeded to tell us that a bear had entered a womans tent and bit her on the rear. I would definately take the extra time to hang your food.

Hmm. I've been known to do the same