Hanging A Bear Bag PCT style

[eric schultz]

I am hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail soon. I plan on using the zpack bear bag with a opsak odor proof bag to hang my food . I always used a bear canister. I have practiced the PCT style once. I live in Phoenix so it is hard to find trees tall enough to practice with. I have watched videos and read the how to on this site. I believe that nothing beats experience. Is there any other advice or tips that you guys can offer me? My concern is not finding perfect trees to use.
Thanks
Eric

[Anonymous]

"I believe that nothing beats experience. Is there any other advice or tips that you guys can offer me?"

You can practice the mechanics of the PCT hang with a short piece of rope hung over your shower curtain rod in the bathroom. Learning how to throw the rope up over a limb might take some looking around for something that mimics a limb, but I'm betting you can find something, even in Phoenix.

"My concern is not finding perfect trees to use."

This is a concern for anyone using any hanging system, from the rawest "newb" to the most experienced veteran. If you can't find a strong enough limb high enough and long enough to get your bag 4' or so away from the trunk and at least 10' above the ground when the hang is executed, I don't care if you're Andrew Skurka himself, you won't succeed in protecting your food. In questionable territory where bears are a serious concern, it might not be a bad idea to start your search a little earlier in the day than you might otherwise do, because it may take a little longer to find a good limb. In this kind of situation, I would opt for a good hang with a marginal campsite over a good campsite with a marginal hang.

[David Thomas]

It is tempting to try to tie your cord around a stick and throw it over a branch / pole. Sticks tend to get stuck in tree.

Rocks work better. But tying the cord around the rock is hard and the rock then comes down in unpredictable places, hopefully not on anyone's head.

Far better and more controllable is to bring / multi-purpose a small stuff sack, filled with rocks / sand. Then it is very streamlined and well attached to your line. And you recreate the same weight at every campsite for consistency. Practice at home winging the weighted stuff sack around in a circle and releasing it to fly over real or imaginary tree branches. Lacking real trees, aim for lamp posts, billboards, Golden Arches, or house ridge lines (stay away from power lines). Lay your line out on the ground in a zig-zag so the stuff sack can pull the line after itself easily. Pro-tip: tie the end of the line to a root / rock / stick / bush so it doesn't all fly into the tree. Think David and Goliath. You're David. The tree branch is Goliath.

If you use very thin line, you want the first few feet to be more like 2mm, 3mm or 550-parachute cord that is far easier to hang on to than very thin line. If you need some very thin line, I've got thousands of feet of 130-pound test nylon fishing line (we fish for big fish up here) that I can send in the US Mail in an envelope if you PM a mailing address.

If you want to avoid the cost of a stuff sack, take a 6"x 6" or 8" x 8" square of light fabric, place the rock/sand in the middle, pull the corners up, and use the cord to tie the neck of it tightly.

>"My concern is not finding perfect trees to use."

Don't worry about that. The perfect tree doesn't exist. Or rather, it only exists in the pamphlet the park gives you about how to bear bag your food.

[Richard Cullip]

Easiest way to hang a bear bag PCT style is to leave the bear bag and rope at home and bring a canister. Yeah, it's bulkier, heavier and, often a pain to stuff in the pack but it's pretty foolproof. No need to find the "ideal" tree. Heck, you don't need any trees at all……

[jscott]

You're not going to find an adequate hang above treeline. Or, it will take more effort than it's worth in comparison to carrying a bear canister. (If it's a Bearikade.)

I hung my food for years and was very, very good at it. No more. A moment's inattention; a late entry into camp; suddenly remembering that you need something in the hung bag; being tired at altitude with no good option available, and so making do…I've used cliffs to dangle my food, or stuffed my bag high in a crevice–in the end, I found a canister to be easier and better for me and certainly for the bears.

The TRT is weird: the bears are certainly used to people (bad) but they are hunted in wilderness areas (good, in that they avoid people.) I used to think that the TRT was hangable; I'm not sure anymore. I'm not even sure what the rules are.

It may be that you can hike the TRT ending each day amidst tall trees that will give you a good hang.

But I've seen plenty of people who 'thought' that they had a good hang, when it was crap. The bears are very, very clever.

[John Klinepeter]

I have been using this variation for years. Instead of a stuff sack I use a rock and a cross-country ski hook and loop strap. Here are the parts laid out next to a ruler with inch gradations (sorry, metric folks).

The ideal rock shape has a slight bow tie appearance to better hold the cord. I use flat cord because it seems subjectively to untangle about 3 times easier than circular cord. Wrap the cord 8 to 10 times around the rock.

Attach the hook/loop fastener firmly around the cord. Start tossing!

This method does not work perfectly. The assembly often comes apart but it has not yet tried my patience to the point of looking for an alternative.

[Kiel Senninger]

I've always used one of those plastic mesh bags that avocados or oranges come in as a "throw bag". Cut the top papery stuff off. You can put one nice size rock or a couple small size rocks in it. Twist the top, tie your line to it, and blammo. Never had a problem w/ it breaking , tearing, or the line coming off. Also, "cowboy loop de doop"/spinning the bag in a counter-clockwise circle toward the branch always worked better for me than trying to just toss it like a baseball. Be prepared to miss a few times. You can probably find big enough trees along the TRT.

Also, I went to a park and just practiced on random trees. People probably thought I was crazy.

[Katherine .]

an Ursack would give you some margin of error.

It's at the top of my To-Get list, as my recent bear-hangs have been more like chipmunk-hangs.

[Michael Gunderloy]

As an alternative to zig-zagging the line before throwing, try a figure 8 wrap (illustrated: http://theultimatehang.com/2012/11/wrapping-tarp-guyline-to-eliminate-tangles/). If you coil your cord up this way when you take your hang down, then it's ready to throw as soon as you can find a rock.

[James Marco]

I have been hanging food for over 40 years. I never had a problem with a single hang. (At least so far…)

A minimum of 4' out and 15' up and 3-4' hanging down.

I use a small ditty bag as a rock, sand, gravel or whatever sack. It doubles as my actual ditty bag in my pack.

I use some 15 year old non-stretch, 2mm, spectra/fiberglass/nylon line. After a couple years it gets slick with resins from the tree. And fairly stiff. A soft line gets tangled too easily. Zing it is a little too soft. Flake it out on the ground in front of you and tie a loop at one end to slip on your finger. The other end is a small ALUMINUM caribiner that bends if it gets stuck in a tree. Twice, I needed to use a very long stick to retrieve the line after it got stuck in a joint. No real problems otherwise. Use muted colors, though the food bag is often orange or red. I stick a stick through it to find it later or in the dark. Remember where you set up the hang. Make it a habit to do this when setting up camp every day, whether you need to or not. Think about it at every campsite and do it before dark!

Hold the line above your head and walk around the tree after hanging the bag. This puts the line tie-off well above a bears head, otherwise he will find it and chew it/claw it. I think the spiral down the trunk is slightly confusing to the bears.

Find a fairly stout branch, preferred is a living hardwood (aspen/poplar) and a smaller 3-4" trunk diameter. Use a pine/fir as a last resort since these get very sticky after hanging the bag. The sticky sap can harden overnight and "glue" the line. A sharp pull will release it. Many times you have no choice, though. Try to choose a branch that does not have other branches around it and a bear cannot (will not) climb out on. They know what will and will not support them. You can rely on their intelligence.

Preferably in the forest. And at least 50-100' away from camp. Remember where your hang is or place a marker on the ground to help find it. (I do both…I need my coffee in the morning to find my butt.)

You do not need an OP nor Ursack sack. The animals can still smell your food and get through most things, even bear canisters. The idea is to delay them long enough to make them frustrated and go find an easier source of food. Playing with it till it drops off a ledge. Ripping away till it opens a bit. With unlimited time, they can get through most things. Anyway, I haven't lost a hang yet to a bear. In extreme cases, I have another 50' hank of rope to set up a counter-balance. but this is only in extreme cases (I have used it a few rare times between larger trees when there were no good hangs within a quarter mile of camp, otherwise it makes a good cloths line…)

[Mike V]

James had some solid advice, but one thing to add I noticed no one else has mentioned; make sure you keep an adequate amount of weight in your food bag. I always keep the rock sack full and hang it along with my food bag and if I am camping with others, I will share my hang with other hiker's food bags. If you are getting low on food and your food bag gets too light you may find that when you go to bring your bag down from the tree in the morning, that there isn't enough weight for it to come down easily as a result of the friction from the rope on the bark.

[ed hyatt]

I did the TRT a month ago, food hung every night. Zero bear sign.

I was more concerned with the lack of water on the trail!

[jscott]

I grew up in the PNW. I have to say: a hang that works there often will not work in the Sierra. Bears in the Sierra are far more experienced.

[Anonymous]

"I have been hanging food for over 40 years. I never had a problem with a single hang. (At least so far…)"

If you do a single hang out here in the Sierra, bears will be the least of your problems, should a ranger happen by. It is illegal and cause for a hefty fine and an escorted trip to the nearest TH.

[Kiel Senninger]

Do you mean a single hang ie PCT method versus counter balance is illegal or hanging in general vs canister? It is legal to hang your food in desolation wilderness, Tahoe nf, and many other places in the Sierra. However, it is illegal to hang in the national parks and certain other wilderness areas south of Tahoe.

[Hiking Malto]

"I did the TRT a month ago, food hung every night. Zero bear sign.

I was more concerned with the lack of water on the trail!"

^^^^This.

[Anonymous]

"Do you mean a single hang ie PCT method versus counter balance is illegal or hanging in general vs canister?"

Counter balance is the only acceptable way to hang, according to the ranger stations where I pick up my permits, White River in Bishop, and Eastern Sierra Interagency Visitor Center outside of Lone Pine. Both the PCT hang and the single hang James mentions are forbidden. I know, it's nuts, but I have asked several different ranger front office types and gotten the same answer. That said, a backcountry ranger might be a little more reasonable about a well executed PCT hang, depending on mood, how they size you up, the phase of the moon, etc. But I can just about guarantee you'd be in deep doo doo if they caught you doing a traditional single hang. Any self respecting Sierra bear would make sort of one in a New York minute, unless you tied it off way up high, as Kevin Sawchuck, a very experienced Sierra veteran, once demonstrated. Still, it wouldn't much matter if you fooled the bear, if a ranger came across your setup.

[James Marco]

I don't hike out west. Mostly the east…

[Kiel Senninger]

I get it now. I didn't know that a "single hang" by just tying the loose end off was a thing.

Sucks to hear that the PCT method might draw some unwanted ranger attention.

[Cayenne Redmonk]

Shorter people can't do an effective pct hang easily.

[jscott]

Oh geeze I just assumed that we were talking about counter balance hangs. I personally wouldn't trust a single line hang in the Sierra.

The need to counter balance is part of what makes hanging more difficult; it requires a pretty good tree. Get a Bearikade and problem solved (especially a Scout). Plus when you blow your hang, the bear won't suffer the consequences (plastic in its stomach etc.)

Again, people from outside California may not appreciate how wiley the bears here are. Not bragging on them; just a fact.

[Gator Paddler]

How is a counter balance hang more secure than the PCT method? Am I missing something?

[jscott]

"Am I missing something?"—No, it looks like I am–I'm unfamiliar with the PCT technique (been using a canister for so long!) I always counter balanced and assumed any single line technique involved tying off. Looks like the PCT technique is fine.

[David Gardner]

Make sure you have plenty of loose cord and that it won't snag on anything before you toss the bag/rock over the branch. The first time I used the PCT hang method my cord caught on a bush as the bag was sailing over the branch. The line went taut and the bag wrapped itself around the branch several times. No way to get it down, except to wrap the cord around my waist and pull with all my strength until the line snapped at the branch. Fortunately I was using 300 lb. cord and not 500 lb. or it would have been a goner.

[John S.]

The counter balance method might be more secure because the bags are higher, supposedly 12 off ground. The pct method must have a string much closer to the ground, within any bears reach when they stand.

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