“Bear” Bag for Dry Storage of Sleeping Bag and Clothes…Bad Idea?

[Craig J.]

So, would it be dumb to use the Zpacks Blast food bag to carry my sleeping bag and spare clothes, and then use it to hang my food, trash, etc. for the nights on a multi-day trip. It's safe to assume that this will make my sleeping bag smell like dinner after day 1.

I know this would be a definite no-no out West, but most of my trips are in and around Pennsylvania and West Texas.

C.

[Ken Thompson]

A nylafume bag as a pack liner is 1.1oz. Just saying. I applaud the thoughts on dual use, but…

So would you have your food and clothes packed in the same bag while hiking?

[Craig J.]

For 2- or 3-day trips I usually carry my food and cook kit in a tyvek mailer or small stuff sack and share a larger bag with my hiking partners for hanging purposes. So, no, the food wouldn't have to travel with the clothes. I was just trying to double up on the utility of the dry bag, but was worried that lingering smells from inside the bag might cause some small (or large) woodland creature to try chewing its way into my tent.

[Luke Cobrae]

I Just came back from 6 days in the Sierras. Used my E-Vent compression sack for my bag to hang extra food. Bummer is we put Salame in it, now my sleeping bag smells like Salame. :(

[kevperro .]

I'd say go for it as long as you hang your sleeping bag & clothing with the food at night.

[Mitchell Ebbott]

I do this with an odor-proof liner inside the haul bag (I use LiteTrail NyloBarriers). I wouldn't do it without the liner though—even if critters weren't a concern, I don't want my gear to stink of peanuts.

The OP liner also serves to keep small rodents out of your food. Many of these have no trouble climbing down a rope and chewing through a stuff sack.

[Billy Ray]

Bears country or not, your cloths and sleeping bag will smell like food… possibly even have crumbs of food on them and you will likely, at some point, get visits in your tent from Mr. Mouse… or maybe a host of other critters… like Mr. Raccoon, etc.

I do everything I can to keep my food away from my sleeping gear and cloths.

Billy

[M B]

My foodbag keeps my food together in my pack. I wouldn't want it to be running around loose. It would be anarchy.

[Ryan Smith]

I dont think it would make much of a difference. You already smell like food to a critter regardless of where you store your sleeping bag. Personally, I wouldn't do it just to avoid smelling it myself.

Ryan

[Jim S]

I live in Australia, and have no experience with bear canisters whatsoever, but I'm wondering whether you could use one as your main pack – have a harness/tether system like the ULA Epic backpack does for a drybag? I assume they're waterproof, so the need to carry drybags would be dispensed with. Size could be an issue?

Regarding the smell: wouldn't double ziplocking your food fix this? As I understand it most canisters are cylindrical, and wouldn't lend themselves to doubling as a main storage area, but maybe someone makes an ovate cylinder? Just wondering out loud.

[Mitchell Ebbott]

Never thought of or tried the idea of using a bear can as your main pack. I suspect it would be difficult to get it strapped in securely without bouncing around.

But double ziplocking won't keep smells in. The plastic that ziplocks are made of is very much not odor-proof. I tested this once accidentally by leaving some double-ziplocked GORP in my daypack for a week. Everything else smelled like peanuts. Specialized odor-proof bags will keep this from happening.

[Michael Gunderloy]

Luxurylite sells a pack that can use a bear canister as one compartment. Doing most of my hiking in so-far-bear-free Indiana I haven't looked into it past noticing it on the Web.

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