Food and bears in New England: what do you do and why?

[spelt with a t]

I recently moved to western ME and need to be more serious about food storage. I’d like to hear from others in the ME/NH/VT/upper NY area about your practices. I think the balance between weight and idiotproofness is probably going to be an Ursack, at least until I take the time to practice hanging and get competent at it.

[David P]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Hello spelt . Welcome to Maine!  The black bear here are usually not bothersome at all to people, VERY rare to have an attack or violent incidents like that. They are more of a nuisance in that they will smell food and rummage around stuff, knock over garbage cans etc… Typically I cook supper about a mile from where I aim to camp and I do a bear hang every night in camp for that reason and because “mini bears” (mice, raccoon, skunk, etc) Finding a suitable branch and hanging is kind of fun after you get used to it. I shoot for about 100 yards away from tent to hang. My technique is to attach a 40’ length of reflective line to the food bag and the other end attached to small “rock bag” (a small sack with a couple rocks for weight) . On the food bag end there is also a mini carabiner. I then toss the rock bag up and over branch, clip the food bag carabiner to the rope, yank on rope until the food bag is suspended and then tie off the rock bag end to another tree.</p>
I do know a few people that sleep with their food in an odor proof sack right in their tent.  My friend K did the AT last year and never hung her bag up once nor did she use an odor proof bag…

You are lucky to have some stupendous hikes right in your backyard there in Rangeley!  I’m hoping to do the Bigelows over a long weekend in October

[Author]

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