Ursack with or without the liner?

I use the liner when I feel the bears will be more active where I am hiking. It does make a fantastic windscreen if you are using a canister stove. Dual use! It also does help the food stay in better condition.

I didn't bother buying the liner. If I think there is a chance of a bear encounter I bring the bear can instead. Using the Ursack means I'm in an area with fewer bear problems simply because the areas with problem bears generally require a bear can. Plus it's so nice to be able to roll it up like a stuff sack when I pack it away. I'll take the risk of my food being crushed. These days I consider myself lucky if I see a bear at all. In a couple hundred nights in the Sierra I've never had a bear come into my camp.

I do like Ken, to save weight when I can, but I don't remove the liner if it is along, too much trouble getting it out and back in.
Duane

Parts of the Olympic National Park in Washington require the use of bear cans for raccoons, which is extremely extremely frustrating as there are many options, such as the Ursack and the Outsak to keep the critters out that are much lighter and convenient than the bear canisters. Yet, the parks refuse to reexamine their rules and consider these lighter, better solutions.

I don't bother with the liner… My food is pretty much crushed anyway just to jam it all in there for an 8 or 9 day trip…

b

oh, but I do line it with a plastic liner… just in a case a bear does play with it, hopefully the liner will keep his slobber out of my food :)

Bill D

Come up here Andrew if you want to see bears. We still get them in town once in a while.

With raccoons let's remember. They have opposable thumbs, and nothing but free time. Super pesky here.

Ravens, Jays, Deer, mice all want what is in the food bag some trips. Other times nothing.

"In a couple hundred nights in the Sierra I've never had a bear come into my camp."

Geez, back in the old days before bear canisters, we had to hang all of our food in Yosemite. The bears knew all of the common campsites, and they knew which trees could be attacked and which not. We've seen bears on the trail, bears in camp, and bears up in the trees. Then after bear canisters came around, the bears did not venture so much into camps. They seemed to learn that canisters were a waste of time for them. So, canisters seem to be much more foolproof than hanging, plastic bags, or the other methods.

–B.G.–

Bob, my wife's parents lived out here and backpacked in Yosemite quite a bit in their 20's. A few years ago we were going through their attic and they showed us their old backpacking gear. The pots and pans were all dented up from being banged together to scare off bears, and they had one old soft-sided Nalgene bottle that had a big claw hole in it. Apparently my mother in law was using it as a pillow one night, and the bear came up and tried to pull it out from under her head and poked a hole in it in the process!

I believe the rule is that once the bear gets its claws on an item, it belongs to the bear.

–B.G.–

"oh, but I do line it with a plastic liner… just in a case a bear does play with it, hopefully the liner will keep his slobber out of my food :)"

I'm curious Bill, what kind of plastic liner do you use? I'm envisioning something similar to those thin colored plastic cutting board pieces. Seems like something like that would keep the bear slobber off the contents and not weigh too much. There's probably lighter things you could use though that I'm not thinking of.

@ Ken: Raccoons do not have opposable thumbs, but they are none the less good at using their paws. But that's why there are awesome products like the ursack minor and Outsak around. Wish the ONP would take a look into allowing those as an option.

I do like my bear can though, I've got all my gear brand stickers on it, but only use it in the ONP when required.

That line about raccoons. I overheard a ranger at Point Reyes giving advice to someone on the phone. Thought it was hilarious.
Those buggers will try to get into anything, thumbs or not.

"oh, but I do line it with a plastic liner… just in a case a bear does play with it, hopefully the liner will keep his slobber out of my food :)"

"I'm curious Bill, what kind of plastic liner do you use?"

I'm guessing Aloksak

I don't recall what liner I use with my Ursack… I think it was being sold by Ursack at the time I bought from them… but pretty sure it is not the Alosack… likely any thing that is not too flimsy would do..

bill d

Bob… "So, canisters seem to be much more foolproof than hanging, plastic bags, or the other methods."

emphasis on the word 'fool'…
Canisters are much easier for any fool to operate correctly…
Most of the time that people lost their food before the canister era, it was operator error… not hanging right, wrong branch choice, not hanging food right away when you get to camp… etc etc.. groups like the boy scouts were a cornucopia of food for the bears…

Yes, that's my view.. it used to be quite common for a bear in camp… many times had them brushing up against my tent as I try to sleep… rummaging around my pots and pans… or up a tree trying to get at my hang… got to where I just expected them as part of the deal… in Little Yosemite they would follow you down the trail and wait for you to take your pack off and walk away from it looking for where to pitch your tent… love that sound of claws ripping through pack cloth :)

Now that canisters are the norm I never see bears in camp… Inyo Ranger told me a few weeks ago they almost never get a bear incident report any more…

I think it's clear the canisters are doing their job.

Bill D.