bear bag color

[Dennis Park]

I've never had to use a bear bag before so this might be a stupid question.

Is a bright color or a subdued color better?

I can imagine bright to be easier for me to find but can bears see colors too? I figure they are going to approach using their noses but do they depend on sight to home in on the actual bag?

[Ken Thompson]

Do bears have very poor eyesight?
Bears actually can see fairly well — at least as well as humans. Polar bears have the best vision with special adaptations that allow them to see underwater and to filter snow glare. The eyes of an American black bear are small, round, widely spaced, and forward facing. American black bears have color vision and seem particularly sensitive to blue and green wavelengths. They may even be sensitive to red — if this is true, then black bears would have the same color vision that humans do. The ability to see colors probably helps them find food, since much of their diet consists of colored berries and fruits. They also have binocular vision that allows for good depth perception. However, they are nearsighted, so they have difficulty distinguishing objects at a distance. Nearsightedness probably is an advantage as they forage close to the ground, and it also is responsible for their ability to see moving objects far better than stationary ones. Cubs are born with blue eyes which change to brown during their first year (except albinos, which lack any color pigment at all). Finally, a bear's eyes are reflective and mirror the moonlight. Like most nocturnal animals, bears have a reflective layer, called the tarpetum lucidum, lining the back of the eyeball. This layer reflects light back through the retina, allowing the light to stimulate the rods a second time, this improving night vision.

So, I'd go with a subdued color. Can't hurt.

And this is posted in the wrong forum. Dennis should have posted this in General Lightweight Backpacking forum.

[doug thomas]

Handled very well Ken

[Dennis Park]

Is there a way to change the location of the post?

[Dale Wambaugh]

I use a black bag, but I wonder how one with a big photo print of a wasp nest would work?

[Nick Gatel]

"And this is posted in the wrong forum. Dennis should have posted this in General Lightweight Backpacking forum."

Might as well post it here, since this forum serves no other function.

[Brian Mix]

Around here they (black bears) dig hornet, wasp, etc nests out of trees and stumps to eat them so probably not the best idea to make it resemble a food source.

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