Ultralight Food Locker: Grizzly Bear || IGBC TEST VIDEO

I don’t keep anything but food in my food bag (stopped putting my toothbrush in there a long time ago) so it would more like Korean Jerky ramen couscous pesto goulash fortified with Nido and olive olive.  Yummy!

Making me hungry

I lol’d at that, jscott ^^   Glad I’m keeping an eye on this thread.

I’m rooting for this bag, but for now my bear can is simple and effective.

You could make bearnaise sauce.

You’re interested in the real deal – bear slobber, also known as bear saliva.

Bear slobber is a fascinating topic:

_Composition:_

1. Water (90-95%)
2. Enzymes (e.g., amylase, lipase)
3. Mucins (glycoproteins)
4. Antibacterial agents

_Functions:_

1. Digestion: Breaks down carbohydrates and proteins.
2. Defense: Inhibits bacterial growth.
3. Lubrication: Helps with food intake and swallowing.

_Interesting facts:_

1. Bear slobber can contain up to 100 times more enzymes than human saliva.
2. Grizzly bears’ saliva has antimicrobial properties effective against some bacteria.
3. Polar bears’ saliva helps prevent freezing in cold temperatures.

_Bear slobber in research:_

1. Studying bear saliva enzymes for potential medical applications.
2. Analyzing antimicrobial properties for antibiotic development.

Would you like:

1. More information on bear biology?
2. Insights into bear behavior and habitat?
3. Details on bear-related research and conservation?

This time with links.  So its possible to get a disease from bear slobber but there are no documented cases.   Treat it as a garnish. :)  You won’t find this in Julia Child!

The only disease that can be transmitted from a bear is trichinella

• Mild cases resemble influenza.  If larvae are in the intestines, symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea.  Serious symptoms can occur if it enters the blood stream and embed in the muscles and then may be untreatable

Heating to 165F is required to kill it before ingestion

• Transmission is via eating undercooked meat infected with the parasite
• There is no direct transmission documented between bears and humans but the potential exists

Trichinosis can be treated with safe and effective anti-parasitic drugs that are available by prescription. Treatment decisions should be made as early as possible, in consultation with medical experts. Mild cases can resolve on their own, but severe cases can be fatal without treatment

• If given within the first 3 days of infection, it prevents muscular invasion and disease progression

EDIT: Rabies is spread by saliva but there have been only four documented cases of clinical rabies in bears between 1992-2011

Fascinating……You almost make me want my Ursak to have bear slobber :-)

It will be interesting to experiment keeping food inside the tent with food in 3 layers of opsak or other odor proof bags.

1) food is already in ziplocks or some covering like a wrapper for a breakfast bar etc

2) 1st layer of opsak – seal and fold the opsak couple of times

3) this then goes into another opsack with the rolled end in first

4) one more layer like above

Then put this inside nyloflume bag inside the backpack

Then seal the backpack.

Then put the backpack under your legs.

And then camp away from others/campsites and a little bit far from the trail.

I wish they would conduct this experiment in Yosemite valley – have one tent inside with food like above and another tent with a bear can outside like how we normally do nowadays.

For trips more than 6 or so days, I’ve resigned myself to keeping all my wrapped bars in an opsack or a  nylofume in the tent to get away with the 10.7L Ursack holding everything else (in another Opsack).  When it rains overnight, I bring the Ursack in the tent (I know, baaaad)

I never put food in my Nylofume used for my sleeping bag and clothes.  That would be shear madness! ;)

Speaking of bear slobber, a friend of mine had an interesting encounter with a big boar grizzly in the Thorofare region of Wyoming during a fall elk hunt. The bear charged him, knocked him over, pinned him to the ground and growled right into his face. After a few moments of bellowing, the bear released him and ambled off. My friend was completely unscathed, except for the brown stains in his pants. The fascinating part of the story, apart from the fact the bear never bit him, was my friend said you have never smelled anything so awful in your life as the rancid breath of a grizzly inches from your nose…

That’s why you should always carry breath mints.

The smart move is to carry a carbon fiber vinaigrette…

Explains the bear divorce rate

Thts how they end up in Colorado.

Guys… for those who risk/dare to store your food inside your tent… besides the obvious bear risk… if a ranger see that you can be fined over 200.00 and escorted to the trail head to end your trip…   We have now been, what, 30 years or so with bear canister requirements here in CA… it has made a HUGE difference in bear incidents and the number of bears that had to be put down… Why risk reversing all the great progress for you selfish interest in reducing a few ounces or pound and make a bit of comfort over pack the awkward can? Don’t you care about anything but yourselves? No regard for the rules? Or for maintaining the progress of the past 30 years??? Geez !

Because they’re legal and they work. Testing backs them up. Your feelings don’t make me selfish.

This was directed at me so I’ll respond.

Ignoring Ursack vs bear cannister for a moment because Ursacks are allowed where I usually trek.  In fact, I’d say ~ 60% to 80% of backpackers here use a bear hang on a tree which in practice is far less effective than an Ursack, even in the tent

Not denying bear cannisters made a big difference, but not because of this use case.

The food is in an Opsak (effective, please see the video I posted in this thread) in an Ursack.  The only difference is that its not tied to a tree, no different than if above treeline.

Secondly, it’s only in those infrequent cases of overnight rain.  Ideally it gets hung after the rain stops because scent can be easier to track after rain but harder to track during rain

https://bearvault.com/backpacking-in-the-rain-how-to-enjoy-wet-weather-on-the-trail/#:~:text=Rain%20can%20have%20an%20impact,if%20that%20air%20is%20warm

The ad hominem part is something I really don’t expect on BPL

“The ad hominem part…’

adding M and Ms, even the fancy, latin style, to an Ursak is bound to increase the chance that a bear will attack your food bag.

As usual, I’m happy to once again share my wisdom.

I take out the red ones.

I’ve used an Ursack/Opsack for years on scores of trips without issue. I upgraded to the AllMitey when it became available because I did get some small rodent holes (but no food loss) in the earlier versions.

When in country with serious bear exposure, e.g., the Bob or similar, I use the aluminum liner. The ‘Sack with liner still weighs much less than a solid canister. I usually strap the liner to the outside of my pack while hiking and then insert it into the ‘Sack when I’m ready to put things away for the night, so I get the benefit of a soft bag in my pack but the hard-side protection for storage.

Dan

Never had anything get into either AllMitey but just bought the 14l certified Adotec.  Waterproof fabric, notably lighter, it seems much nicer.  Looking forward to seeing how it fares starting Friday

“You won’t be able to eat the food inside one of those sacks after it’s been mauled to death and slobbered over.”

Whatever happened to the aluminum insert for the Ursack?  It protects the food from that kind of damage, and the combo is still lighter than and canister I know of, including the Bearikade Scout.  That said, the Scout was my preferred canister for up to 9 days.  I used them interchangeably, depending on conditions and regulations.

I have a ursack to comply with regulations and to keep critters out. It was the lightest and cheapest option.  While the liner doesn’t add a lot more weight, it makes the setup closer to the weight and cost of a bear can while offering no regulatory advantages. At that point, I’d get a bear can. Possibly many others felt the same way. It must not have sold well and I believe they’ve discontinued it.

The Ursack/liner combo weighed about 20 oz, IIRC, an 11 oz saving over the Bearikade Scout.  Back in the day that was a significant saving in my setup.  Also,  it offered a much more efficient use of space in my pack.  I carried the liner, which formed a hollow cylinder, outside my pack with my tent neatly tucked inside and secured to the pack so it couldn’t fall out.  This freed up considerable space in my Ohm and made for a much more comfortable carry.  But, to each their own.  I just wanted to give visibility to another approach.

BTW, I also used Nylofume bags, both inside and outside, the Ursack.

I won’t disagree with you. I’ve came close to buying the liner a few times or considered making one.  REI had them on sale last year, but only the XL. Ursack no longer lists them. I think not meeting the more stringent regulations was their downfall. Regulations are the main reason I even have a Ursack, though I did have a critter bag. I’ve been very careless in the past and never had any problems, though it was mainly off trail. I acquired a Ursack after starting on some of the more popular trails, hang it properly and have never had a problem. I always have an exit plan just in case. I generally have my pot inside the sack as well with a few tidbits inside it for emergency. I also believe in a survival situation, I’d get over the bear slobber or go hungry for a day while I walked out.