I use a similar product but different brand: Smelly Proof (yes, that’s the brand name). I have two sizes I use depending on how much food I’m packing. I can’t vouch for whether a bear could smell through the bag, but I do wash it inside and out after my excursions. I guess you could rub some pine needles over the outside to further mask the scent, but since bears have the keenest noses on the planet, it’s probably not worth it. I seem to have a knack for meeting bears (mamas with cubs in particular) on the trail but never had a “problem” encounter storing my food in these.
For overnights, I carry a single 5 ft. trekking pole. I put the Smelly Proof bags in a dry bag, jam the knob of the trekking pole under the lip of the dry bag, and simply find a long tree branch about 12 ft. off the ground. I’m just tall enough to hoist the dry bag “loop” over the branch tip while standing on the ground under the branch. With a bit of practice, this takes no longer than 5 minutes. It’s much easier than trying out for the Bear Bag Olympics. I’ve never lost a bag this way. No canisters, bear bags, Ursacks, etc.
I’ve heard of people also stashing their smelly proof bags underwater in shallow streams. Just put a few rocks on the bag corners. I haven’t try this method, as there are lots of critters who could take notice (mink and raccoons in particular). You could build a sort of “shelter” or cairn of stones around the bags to keep them from taking off down stream. But this seems like too much work for me though, and I’m happy with my current method. And you may not always have access to a stream. My method just requires some taller trees. Above tree line? No idea. Maybe try hiding the bag in a pile of stones, a large crack in a boulder, etc. If the smelly proof bags actually work, the bears shouldn’t be able to find them. Good luck!
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