Don't like bear canisters….don't like to hang my food…any suggestions?

Malto – you say “so I’m not sure why you are any more confident in your safety.”

I may not be any more confident in my safety if a bear tears into it, but I’m much more confident that the bear will get no food, because there isn’t any in my tent.

I believe that hundreds of backpackers have slept with their food without incident. I also believe, as mentioned before, that “the only thing areas with problem bears have in common is that they used to have no problem bears.” Sleeping with one’s food is effective, until it isn’t.

What to do if a bear enters the tent (or my hammock?)  Freak out!  Fight back! Punch, scratch.  I’ve heard someone say spit in their mouth (that makes me laugh), or hiss rather than yell.  Pray to God none of us personally finds out what works and doesn’t.

What I’m not doing?  Trying to assert possession of my food, because like Karen, it’s not in there.

I’ve been following the Ursack story for awhile, and yes they are definitely throwing some FUD at the traditional bear canister market.  I think it’s unnecessary noise – the same kind of anecdotal crap that hurt them in the past with Yosemite approvals.  I do think they have innovative products and the IGBC certification speaks louder than any marketing hype.  I hope the AllMitey is approved throughout the US wherever a canister is currently required.

“Side Bar:  Last month, while hiking in the northern part of Yosemite, …   We had a fairly good size doe show up who was quite intent on stealing our food.   Geez, she was worse than any bear I’ve come across, none of us had seen anything like this before.”

Known fact – Yosemite bears have been known to dress up as deer to fool unsuspecting campers. I read it on the interwebs, so it must be true.

Jimmy B said it best. The right thing to do for everyones sake is be responsible and get used to carrying a can! FWIW I use a Bearikade for consumables and OpSacks for everything else. Keeps gear odorless and organized. I encourage you to spend more time and thought into your kit. Look at where you shave your base weight and learn how much consumables you’ll actualy go through when in high country. There’s 5lbs right there…

DTRT!

Jimmyb, I think “you GO GIRL” and “no need to pee your panties” should probably be phased out of your repertoire.

A number of people on here strike me as similar to drivers who decide they can do 100 though town because they think they are superior drivers to the average plebs.

That’s friggin hilarious!!

Well, I guess you know my own backyard better then I do from way over in Montana. You know, because the internet doesn’t lie. Honestly though, if that was the only thing you looked at to tell me my backyard has bears in it, I’m not sure what to tell you, trying not to be a dick like you are.THERE IS ABSOLUETLY NO BEAR POPULATION IN THE PINE BARRENS WHATSOEVER. I don’t care what internet website you’ve read. There was reports of one single bear that managed to migrate down here, it was seen in manchester. That was a long time ago and have not heard anything about it since. It was a big new article, well, because, THERE’S NO FRIGGIN BEARS IN THE NJ PINE BARRENS.

Ridiculous comments like ” don’t you know the internet is saying there’s bears in your backyard” ( when I can say with 100% confidence there’s not) tells me you don’t always know what your talking about, and to take what you say with a grain of salt.

I’m sorry you feel like you need to be the big man telling people that they don’t know what they’re doing or don’t know their own backyard. Not sure why you guys feel the need act the way you do, thinking you’re the all knowing.

I am still cracking up at you pointing out that dumb link to tell me my backyard is full of bears! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice emotional rant. Feel better?

Apparently you disagree with your own Fish and Wildlife Dept. They clearly say bears are being found in all 21 counties in NJ, including the 7 counties that the Pine Barrens cover:

“Within the most densely populated state in the nation, black bears are thriving and there are now confirmed bear sightings in all 21 of New Jersey’s counties.”

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/bearfacts.htm?prompt=0

Even the Barrens Wikipedia Page states as such:

“American black bears are finding their way back into the Pine Barrens after a history of hunting and trapping had driven them out.”

There’s only one person “being a dick” and I can assure you it’s not me… what’s “hilarious” is your complacent view of this predator. You’re obviously a big Disney fan. Best of luck driving without seatbelts.

Yes, there are certainly no bears here:

Jimmyb, I think “you GO GIRL” and “no need to pee your panties” should probably be phased out of your repertoire.

Yeah, I don’t think so. I make no apologies commenting like this toward someone who has just called another member a “dick”. I’m not a little snowflake and I don’t practice political correctness. I practice due respect for others when they show the same.

And with all due respect  I feel sorry for those who have lost their voices in this great country due to the suppression of thoughts and the elimination of words by those who are not strong enough to hear plain truths at times. Frankly I will be judged by my actions much stronger than my words and I believe those who know me best know me to have a kind heart more than willing to help other in need and that’s good enough for me. As I cannot comply with your request I will not in turn ask you to lighten up a bit :)

I wonder if Kenneth’s doe was really just looking for a sweat-drenched T-shirt. I’ve seen that happen twice in Glacier NP, where the deer chewed up the shirts to get the salt. It was pretty funny to watch them go after it, but not so much for the guys that lost their T-shirts.

I think Doug has it right, it was a bear dress up as a deer.  Smart critters.  I bet they’ve been following this thread all along and posting under alias names inferring canisters and hanging aren’t necessary.

Jimmyb, I think “you GO GIRL” and “no need to pee your panties” should probably be phased out of your repertoire.

Personally I agree. As a woman, it’s insulting to have my gender used by JimmyB to insult another member. My gender isn’t a pejorative. And women can be soft or tough, sensitive or cold. But I see Jimmy B here sees that as a form of suppression of his free speech rather than a simple call for decency.

Edit to add: I think as the moderators have tolerated some of the comments in this thread as being in keeping with BPL, then Bob Gross and some of the other former members ought to be allowed back ASAP.

^^^well put Dena.

Right on Dena! I don’t think Jimmy is giving “due respect” to those of us whose gender is being used as a defensive weapon against another rude forum commenter. There is no “plain truth” in insulting a man by implying he’s like a woman. He’s just a rude man.

Sure, there’s freedom of speech, but just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

The bear/tent/food discussion is important and interesting. Wish we could all stick to that in an objective manner, even if we don’t agree!

Well I find it funny that you are calling me to the carpet for taking a harmless poke at the guys masculinity after he calls another man here a “dick” which in my opinion is much worse. Why not set HIM straight? See this is whats wrong with all the PC crap you would have me buy into. It gets very hypocritical and one sided. Even my wife had a chuckle at it all, I guess she is much more confident in her gender. She was not at all offended as it was not directed at her as it wasn’t to any women or lady here. You can take my words out of context and twist them to serve your need or want to overreact but I just don’t have those intentions in mind. I don’t go around dreaming up ways I can offend the other sex.

You know after 30 yrs of a happy and quite frankly story book marriage to not just a women but a lady (not too many of those around anymore) and one that has not tried to emasculate me into a sobbing little boy I feel quite comfortable with myself thank you very much. Its OK though if you would like me to retire from BPL with the likes of Bob Gross I would be more than happy to comply. That way, for those who don’t want HIM back either, they can have theirs as well. I would agree its time for me to go but for other reasons. I’m really done with the whole lefty PC crap and all the outrage over things that mean absolutely nothing. It sucks when you can’t stick up for another member in a bit of a mildly offand way here but it is what it is. Also let me say for the record I have heard some of the most deplorable language from the mouths of your gender. I hope you are policing these women with the same vigor.

Allow me to say before I go that I have so enjoyed many of the not so thin skinned folks here and I have learned a lot from them. I have had a good laugh from the infamous dry humor here as well. Again I have no apologies for standing up for someone who is dressing down another. And as my wife says…as I bid you adieu I will leave you with your rainbows and unicorns and hope that the perfect world you image filled with Sterility and PCness comes to pass for you. Hope it doesn’t bore you to death.

BYE !!

I think the women have a legitimate point here. It’s not 1960 anymore.

Wow, I think being forced to read this thread was one of Dante’s circles of Hell.

Out of all the pixels used by posters to expound and digress (what was the original topic again?), the most noticeable thing to me about this thread is that not one person has changed someone else’s mind. Yup, everyone is exactly where they started on the various issues raised. So is there a point to all this? I’ll go out on a limb and say: no.

So I double-dog dare every one of you — can you leave this thread alone and just not post anything else to it, no matter what anyone else has said or will say? Can you let the thread die and get on with your lives?

My mother was born in the early 1940’s, once said it was important for a man to learn to drive a stick but less so for a woman but drew a hard line when I would try to insult my brother by saying he did something like a girl.  When she did that, I think she was trying to expand my perspective not control it. I can’t speak to anyone else’s experiences on that front.

Its OK though if you would like me to retire from BPL with the likes of Bob Gross I would be more than happy to comply

Personally, I’d love to have Bob Gross back. My comment about him is more that I never heard him say things half as offensive as a few of you guys have been bandying around here. I’m generally hard to offend, but yeah, I don’t appreciate my gender being used as a pejorative, somehow saying that being a woman makes a person less in some way. Which is exactly the way you were using it. I don’t think anyone should be calling anyone names here, or being insulting, which is why I made the general comment about “some” of the comments here. Not just yours. But I do try to keep my posts on topic, and in that particular instance I was replying to a person who had commented about your post. I don’t have a problem with you in general and I’m not trying to get you run off. I was more trying to make a point that the moderation- and more importantly, banning- of members at BPL seems rather inconsistent and thus unjust. People have been given time-outs and been permanently banned for far less.

“It’s not 1960 anymore.”

Hey watch it! ;) – some of us were around back then……what are you implying about those of us?

;)

In case some one missed the humor……let me explicitly flag it.
No intent to offend any one……

“It’s not 1960 anymore.”

Hey watch it! ;) – some of us were around back then……what are you implying about those of us?”

Well there certainly was a “broad” sense of humor back then. And a narrow view of women. That’s still with us today, apparently.

I also frequent a classical guitar forum. World class players are pretty much split 50/50, male to female, (It ain’t weightlifting). It’s the same with terrific players on the internet. Women players always, always get sexist and often downright ugly sexual comments about their appearance. Oh, and always a discussion about what they’re wearing. Again, some  are recognized world class players! Nothing like that happens to men. It gets tiring over the years. We don’t make demeaning comments about someone where race is involved because that’s ugly and unacceptable on its face–not because it wouldn’t be “PC”.  It’s exactly the same with sexist comments, except, like Wooly Mammoths on a lost island near Iceland, they resist dying out.

–soapbox Jeff

edit: oh and sexual banter is something else entirely. That can be fun and enjoyable.