bear bag weight holder (not the food bag)

[Ty Ty]

What do you use as a weight to toss your bear bag rope up and over the branch? I know the lightest thing you can use is to tie a rock or branch or something to the end of your rope. I have read in several threads recently where people carry a small stuff sack or something to put the rock into so you don't have to try and tie rope to a round rock.

I used to bring that myself, a .7 oz stuff sack from Wal-Mart (the small blue waterproof one that comes in the pack of 3). On a recent trip it got caught in the branches on a missed throw and in pulling it down I tore the buckle part off. It was the rolled top and buckle that caused it to get caught.

So I got to thinking and last night I took a scrap piece of 1.1 oz nylon and made what amounts to a small stuff sack without a draw cord. Instead I just folded it over and hemmed it repeating 3 times so that it has kid of a thick hem at the top. My idea is to put a small rock or rocks, hand full of dirt, whatever in there, bunch up the extra fabric and tie my rope onto the bunched up fabric.

Several advantages here I think…smaller, lighter (does not register on my scale so .25 oz maybe?), less to get hung up, practically free (scrap), and if it breaks I am not out a waterproof bag.

What do you use for this purpose?

[Bob Gross]

In the old days, we used to use simple parachute cord tied around a rock.

Each time that the rock falls to the ground, it stands a chance of hitting another rock on the ground. As a result, the last six inches of the cord gets chewed up a bit.

However, I haven't bear bagged in over ten years now, so my technique is rusty.

–B.G.–

[Daryl and Daryl]

I like your small bag idea. I have been meaning to make one but haven't gotten around to it so I'm still throwing the rock or stick.

[Peter Griffith]

I use the smallest cuben fiber stuff sack from Zpacks. I removed the drawstring and fished the bear bag line through the stuff sack and tied it off to itself. Just stick a rock in it, cinch it up, and fling it over a branch. You can also use dirt or sand in the bag instead of a rock for a softer landing. I originally used a silnylon bag and it shredded after a season. So far the cuben is holding up.

[John Gelack]

I've also been using a small Sil nylon sack, that just got shredded after about a year of use. I just ordered a ZPacks Cuben rock sack made out of the heavier weight cuben, so I'm hoping that this will last longer.

[Lee Fitler]

I have a throw bag that size and I put 1 or 2 cliff bars in it. I used to use rocks but they put holes in my bag.

[Daryl and Daryl]

Lee,

Thanks for the idea of the Cliff Bar weights.

I've often thought about what I might be carrying that could be used as a throw weight. Until your post I had never even considered the obvious thing…..the food itself.

Daryl

[Author]

Posts