Packing an Ursack into an OHM

Sleeping bag on bottom, clothes next. Ursack goes in on what will be on your left side of pack upright. This is so you can get into it without taking it out. My shelter goes to the right of it with my ditty sack and other odd stuff. Water in the right outside pocket keeps thing balanced. Carries like a dream. You just need to move the can off to one side of your spine. I don't even know it is in there.

I have all my stuff out since I just got back yesterday. Would you like photos?

Nice, classy, comfortable abode there Tom.

I have never played with an Ursack. Does the aluminum insert sit inside the sack and make direct contact with food-stuffs?

If so, are you concerned about food-smell contamination on other gear from removing and repurposing it? (I.E. is your skyscape now a big expensive bear bait bag?)

I am not seeing the smell proof inner bags with your system. Are you using those?

Been using the Ursack with the special bags for over 1000 miles now and never even found evidence of animal interest. I believe it is because they don't smell it(food)in the first place and I always take the Ursack but never a rigid insert.

I like your lair!

"Sleeping bag on bottom, clothes next. Ursack goes in on what will be on your left side of pack upright. This is so you can get into it without taking it out. My shelter goes to the right of it with my ditty sack and other odd stuff. Water in the right outside pocket keeps thing balanced. Carries like a dream. You just need to move the can off to one side of your spine. I don't even know it is in there."

As always, HYOH and PYOP, and there are many ways to approach the problem. That said, I find myself wondering if you could keep your pack balanced with much more than a day's worth of food in the Ursack. A quart of water weighs ~ 2 pounds plus the bottle; the Ursack, with insert, weighs 19.2 oz on my scale; and for the sake of discussion, let's say a day's worth of food weighs 20 oz. Given these parameters, you would be a few oz out of balance from the get go, and another 20 oz out of balance for every additional day's worth of food. And that is without drinking any of the water. I know this would not work for me on a typical 7-9 day trip, even at my current 18 oz of food/day. I won't get into my reservations about having a rigid tube along one side of my back on some of the routes I do, because that is not relevant to a general discussion. I just tested my system on a trip to Bench Lake via Taboose Pass, a trail rigorous enough to put it thru its paces, and it performed admirably in terms of balance, stability, and ease of use. So, I'm confident in recommending it to the community. Still, as above, PYOP.

"Nice, classy, comfortable abode there Tom."

A labor of love, immediately appropriated by my wife upon completion. My lair in the basement is a considerably more humble abode. ;0))

"Does the aluminum insert sit inside the sack and make direct contact with food-stuffs?"

No. The Ursack comes with a large Alok OP Sack which, IMHO, is a piece of sh!t. I double bag my food with Nylo Barrier bags, one into which my food is placed, and a second slipped over the first after I wash my hands. I assume I will transfer some food odor to the neck of the first bag when I am filling and sealing it, hence the second bag placed and sealed with clean hands.

"If so, are you concerned about food-smell contamination on other gear from removing and repurposing it? (I.E. is your skyscape now a big expensive bear bait bag?)"

See above. I apologize for my error of omission. As for the Skyscape, not a chance. It is by far the most expensive piece of gear I ever bought, and I'm damned if I'll watch a bear use it to wipe the drool from his furry chin after dinner on the house. ;0)

"I am not seeing the smell proof inner bags with your system. Are you using those?"

Yes.

"Been using the Ursack with the special bags for over 1000 miles now and never even found evidence of animal interest. I believe it is because they don't smell it(food)in the first place and I always take the Ursack but never a rigid insert."

When I use an Ursack at all, which is very, very seldom, I operate on the worst case assumption that, in spite of my best efforts, the bear will detect the odor of food on my Ursack and proceed to go to work on it. If this happens, he may not get my food, but will have been rendered it most unpalatable by his efforts. So, if I take an Ursack at all, I will take the insert to not only protect my food, but keep it in a recognizable and edible condition.

On the trip to Bench Lake, my decision to take the Ursack was proven right when we ran into a huge set of bear tracks about a mile from the lake. We immediately headed off trail up to a small lake that we had planned on visiting on a day hike, and found a completely pristine campsite that not only provided stunning views of Upper Basin and Cirque Crest, but was also not on the bear's radar. So, in retrospect, the Ursack was unnecessary, but I was not sorry I had brought it, as it allowed us a certain measure of relief from having to depend totally on evasion and also to test the carrying characteristics of the method I described in my OP.

Thanks to all for contributing.