Bear Bag Line Launcher: Would you use one?

I've experimented with a very light sling shot aimed at accomplishing the same thing. Slingshot showed promise but I concluded that I prefer to keep things simple and stay with a rock or stick swung from the cord like David vs Goliath.

A short piece of flexible fishing rod might also work. Cast the rope weight as you would a fishing lure.

I'm pretty good with the string or rock so I wouldn't buy your device even if it was perfected.

My wife is terrible with a rock or stick so she and others like her might be interested but she is also terrible with mechanical things (can't really operate a bic lighter reliably) so would probably also have trouble with your device. She is also cheap and wouldn't pay anything for it. I wouldn't pay more than $10 for it if I bought her one as a gift because I doubt that it would get used much if at all.

I can't really encourage your efforts beyond your own personal use but I don't consider myself a very good judge of such things. Best of luck if you pursue it.

Daryl Daryl,

I appreciate your input. My first thought was to use a slingshot, but for me it did not work well. It just didn't aim as easily as I had hoped, and controlling the release speed was not as accurate as the adjustable Line Launcher that I wound up using.

I think pretty much anyone could use the Line Launcher, if they can use a dart gun.

The whole idea behind the Line Launcher is that some people (like me) have a hard time accurately throwing a line over a tree branch. This device makes it easy for anyone.

"The whole idea behind the Line Launcher is that some people (like me) have a hard time accurately throwing a line over a tree branch."

Practice makes perfect.

–B.G.–

It looks sort of like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Pack-Flyshooter-Bug-Martin-Paul/dp/B00AN6EHEQ

We used these a few decades ago in Saudi Arabia, where what we called O-flies were incessant (named that because they'd find their way into every orifice of your body–eyes, nose, ears, mouth, etc.). They have a strong spring, and I'd bet that one could be modified to remove most of the fly-swat and send a 20' line of dental floss over the branch or bear pole. The one I use around the house now weighs 1.0 oz.

So you have me thinking–why not make yours multi-purpose? You know, have something harmless (a golf ball size Smurf?) that could shoot out and bonk a squirrel that was pestering you while you were preparing dinner.

Gary,

The Martin Paul Flyswatter gun is what inspired me to work on this project. In fact I did modify one of them to shoot over a tree branch, and I did use it in the field to place bear bag lines. But I concluded a line launcher designed specifically for placing bear bag lines would work better.

The Martin Paul gun propels the spring inside a plastic casing. While there are some theorectical weight -saving advantages to propelling the spring (it's not wasted mass left behind in the gun), optimally the launcher would use a small dense projectile. Also, the spring in the Martin Paul device cannot adjustably compressed, which is a key feature of the Bear Bag Line Launcher.

I don't think the muzzle velocity of the Line Launcher would be enough (maximum is roughly 50 f.p.s.)to do more than bother a squirrel:).

Thanks for your comments.

As a fellow tinkerer (in my case it's making things out of titanium), I admire your ingenuity and creativity, Peter. You have me thinking that I need to hack my last remaining Fly Shooter and see if I can get a length of mason line or dental floss over the 12' power line out back. And I should probably buy more Fly Shooters, because they're so damned cool and make great X-mas stocking stuffers (be cautious, those of you with young kids, as they'll want to constantly shoot each other with them).

And yeah, it isn't prudent to simply make a big gray squirrel mad at you. A few years ago one was in my face at a Glacier NP cooking area, and I bonked him with a big pine cone. He quickly left, but the next morning he hid behind a big rock and waited for me to hike out. He tried to attack my ankle in revenge, but he was thwarted by a solid whap from my trekking pole.

I hope your product can find its niche, because it looks cool. But I'll stick with my cuben rock bag to get my line up and over the pole or branch. I've gotten fairly good at the David/Goliath underhand sling technique. Good luck!

Gary,

Thanks for your comments and encouragement. Please be careful shooting any lines over a power line. I'd recommend that you avoid using wire:).

No, would not buy, an would not use.

I've always enjoyed throwing things over a branch to try to get a line up. It's like gathering wood, lighting a fire, finding water, etc. I can see this appealing to gadget nerds, but I think a lot of backpackers still like doing things as simply as possible.

Bear bagging is part of the game. Learning the skill was part of the fun. Its just really not necessary.

My biggest problem with it is the potential of more fishing line littered about. Already enough of that from a few irresponsible anglers.

As the sharks say -Its a no for me but if this idea doesn't work out good luck on your next invention :)

jimmyb

Most of the places I go require bear cans. No need for a device like this. Good luck.

I'm probably not a target customer as a DIY minimalist, but I do think there are people who would buy it with the right tweaks. First, I would include everything but the bear bag/stuff sack itself to make it as simple as snapping a carabiner on and pulling the trigger. I would also consider making it a multi-use device, especially for emergency situations. Something like a piece of magnesium glued to a magnet on a string through the handle. The magnet attaches to the "plunger" of the launcher before cocking and can shoot a significant pattern of sparks into a pile of tinder to start a fire. It could also serve as a flare launcher for rescue situations, even if the flares had to be lighted by hand , then placed in the launcher and fired.

I wouldn't necessarily market it as "time-saving", as if you don't have 5 minutes to spare on your week long trip in the wilderness you're likely missing the point :).

Injection molding will likely be the lightest weight, lowest cost option, you might even be able to make a mold in your Bridgeport and come up with a prototype with little investment.

You might consider looking into kickstarter, there is no cost and it allows you to do market research/funding simultaneously. Make sure you promote your page well, if people can't find it they can't buy it. If you can't raise funding that way, it may not be viable. If it works, then take it to REI and you will have more credibility with true sales than just an idea. Good luck.

Would not buy, would not use. With that said, however, I was truly thrilled by Joe zpack's rock/gravel bag, which is just a small stuff sack. After years of looking for rocks with a crease in them that would be easy to tie a rope around, then having the rock slip out every few tosses, I love the stuff sack idea, you can put dirt, sand, gravel, rocks, whatever, in it.

I don't see how a launcher would work without a major weight, say, a rock, at the end, every trip I've made there is at least one, usually more, branch, that would just catch up on any loose unweighted line, but with a sufficiently heavy weight, aka, a rock, the cord always comes down again, one way or another. Think bushy pine branch.

Rock bags let you use many ways to launch the line (Lawson cords are nice), swinging around like a catapult, throwing it like a baseball, whatever works.

My rock stuff sack also holds my headlamp / batteries when not serving as a rock bag, ie, the rest of the day.

However, I agree with others here, I can see REI type consumers maybe buying one, it would fit right along with their wilderness espresso kits, lol. That's the market I'd look at if I were you. And tree climbers, etc. And that's a much more profitable market segment anyway. Of course, they might get slightly grouchy when they come to that scenario where the cord really needs a significant weight attached to make it back down to the ground.

With a weight, you can swing the cord around, creating slack, which then lets the sack/rock come slowly down back to the ground, without the weight, that would never happen, you'd have to just reel it back in and do it again, and again, etc…

Jonathan,

You're right about including everything to make it ready to use. If we do market this, we will include, as you suggest, everything except the bear bag and bag line. The launcher would come with the line launcher, pilot line (low friction Spectra fishing line) on a spool, a cocking stick and two throw weights.

Making the product multi-use is a good idea, if it's practical and doesn't add much cost. A magnesium spark shooting gun sounds interesting, but the line launcher may not be easy to modify to accomplish that. (I do like the image, though, of starting fires by shooting sparks out of it.) As for a flare launcher, it would require a significant increase in power, and thereby weight, to propel a flare. What makes the launcher practical is that it can use very light throw weights as projectiles, about 1/4 oz. Such light weights work because of the very light pilot line.

The "time-saving" benefit may not be a selling point for some. But it does save time for me. I find it much faster to get a line over a tree branch by shooting it over instead of throwing a rock over. And if it didn't save time it might be hard to justify spending any money or incurring even a slight weight penalty. However, it is more fun than throwing a line.

Kickstarter might work for funding. My brother and I are continuing to tweak the design and are thinking about how to keep thinks light and costs reasonable. It's been more of a hobby than a serious quest to make a profitable product. Plastic injection molding is one possible way to make these in numbers for a reasonable start-up cost.

Harald,

Rock sacks like the Zpacks one are sure easier than tying a line around a rock; and you can fill them with sand or other stuff. That's what I used to do before making a line launcher.

The line launcher will work without a heavy weight. What makes it work with a small weight is the ultra light and slippery pilot line. I've been using PowerPro 10 lb. test Spectra line. A projectile with a mass of 6 grams will pull the weight down over a branch. If the projectile should get tangled, a pull on the line will cause the line to separate.

It may not seem like it would, but the line launcher really does work quite well with a small weight.

While Ligthtweight backpackers may not be the ideal market for this, the carry weight would be under 3 ounces. But your point about REI is well taken.

Thanks Jonathan and Harald for your comments

Pete.

Try posting your idea on whiteblaze.net. I suspect there are a greater number of less experienced hikers there and most will be less weight conscious. It is a neat idea though.

Is this still viable? I mean, I would use this. I am doing a LASH starting May 29, 2016. I can’t throw for diddly. I am also only 5′ nothing and even with the bear hangs at shelters the pole and I are still too short to reach the hook. I would like to heard more about this line thrower. If you are still around contact me, let’s talk!!

Buttercup