Lions and tigers and bears, oh my

Hanging on the AT is usually very easy. Many shelters in GA TN and NC have cables to hang on. In the Smokies you have to hang (they have cables) or get fined (if you get caught) even with a bear can.

Bears are used to people and will snatch And run off with food bags or packs.

Bear cans arent heavy, they are bulky.

All your other crap is heavy, and people dont want to carry bearcan also.

On at, you wont see anything but foodbags, and usually poor hangs.

Bradford and MB. Guess it will be a bear bag. Just don't like hanging a bear bag cause I throw like a girl, so rather embarrassing.

"Just don't like hanging a bear bag cause I throw like a girl"

Throw like you're throwing a grenade instead of a ball, much easier.

Ha probably throw that like a girl, too.

You mean like in the "throw like a girl" video? When they weren't "throwing like a girl" they did pretty good.

When you make jokes about "throwing like a girl" are you ruining the next generation of women or is it a harmless joke? Or am I being insufferably PC?

I played Little League, hit in nose and bled like crazy, didn't play after that : )

I usually take several attempts to throw rock with line over branch. The misses produce healthful laughs.

Just a joke nothing more.

I'm probably being overly PC, no offense intended

But, I think the point of that video is…

Skurka no no longer teaches food hanging techniques and focuses on canisters for their ease of use and time saving.

Never saw the video. Making fun of myself. Guess we can't do that anymore without offending someone. What a shame.

"Skurka no no longer teaches food hanging techniques and focuses on canisters for their ease of use and time saving."

And the chances of skurka taking a bear canister if he hiked the AT again…… 0.000%

To the OP, you are worried about the wrong thing. If you are planning to stay in a shelter are then it is mice not bears that will be your biggest nemesis. I rarely hang on the AT, rarely stay in shelters either, and generally use my food as a pillow. Other than some pesky mice on occasion this hasn't been an issue. canisters on the AT are something talked about but RARELY seen on the trail. I have seen a grand total of one, on the AT approach trail, that someone left on the side of the trail to cut down on weight. I added it to my collection.

"Making fun of myself. Guess we can't do that anymore without offending someone. What a shame."

I should have not commented? I'm not offended.

I think the point of the video is not to criticize anyone but to just think about it.

Fine to make fun of yourself. Do comments like that affect girls? I don't know…

Wrong take away from my poorly written post. Just don't worry about hanging. Sleep with it or stick it in a can. Hanging is too much of a PITA. Mini bears are the biggest issue here too. Some fly.

I'd take my Ursack if I took anything special for protection at all.

in PNW bears are fearful of humans (except for a few areas)

Hang food to keep it away from rodents. I just use my pack which is sturdy enough to keep out a lot of critters. A rodent hang is easy.

Jerry. I am a 61 year old "girl". I am also half Polish and just love Polish jokes. Before I tell one I do make sure to tell the person that I am Polish.
Thanks everyone for the info.

I'm an engineer and like engineer jokes. How many engineers does it take to screw in a light bulb?…

Jerry. Remember, I am Polish. I'll bite. How many does it take?
Polish and polish, as in furniture. What do they both have in common besides the same spelling?
They both shine.

I don't remember the answer

Someone?

Funny

Most hang on the AT, and the ones that don't eventually have mice get into their food. They only need your food to be left unattended for about 3 mins. The more you stay in shelters the higher than chance of problems.

P.S. – Outsacks work great and are another option, but can only hold 2-3 days worth of food.

Ryan

okay, five

one to climb up on the table and hold the bulb, the other four to pick up the four corners of the table and rotate

I wrote this article in response to a barrage of Colorado Trail questions I was getting…

http://www.pmags.com/bear-and-critter-concerns-what-to-do

Applies to the AT I think. Esp the part about rodents being more an issue than bears.

I think the best advice is to try to avoid camping in high use areas. On the AT, that means shelters.

With the exception of places in the Whites and some national parks, dispersed camping is very easy/legal on the AT.

My experience is mice are the biggest danger to your food on most of the AT. At least if you are staying in or camping next to a shelter. I carried an Ursack Minor ( anti-rodent not bear version) and use to leave it on the shelter floor near me so I could grab a snack at night. I'd sometimes hear a mouse playing with it, but they usually gave up after a few minutes and went looking for easier pickings. Never had any damage to the bag.

Also, except the 100 mile wilderness in Maine, there is no reason to carry 5 days or more of food on the AT unless you really want to.

I have decided on a bear bag. I purchased a new one from Zpack. They claim they hold up well to mice. We will see.