Underwater bear bagging

[John Schutzman]

Anyone have thoughts or information on bear bagging underwater above the tree line say with a Ursack and an air tight pouch?

[JCH]

I have no information…but If a bear’s sense of smell is anything like we’ve been led to believe, I’d bet water doesn’t do much to thwart a bear’s ability to locate food :)

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Funny that you mentioned that, I saw a Ranger use that technique in the Sierras

[David Thomas]

I’ve done it here in Alaska and it’s always worked for me.  Most often, I’m caching food several days prior to some death march to save weight on a single, high-milage day.  Unless you’re using canned goods* (which I do at times, for things like Kern’s fruit nectars in aluminum cans because it’s calories, liquid, and fiber in a very lightweight container to be packed out), then there’s buoyancy to deal with.  Large rocks can keep things weighted down.

Our trails get a lot of traffic from grizzlies (not so much from black bears which have to stay away from the grizzlies) but it’s also a “target-rich” environment – berries, salmon, grubs – so they may not have been habituated to the more minor scent of packaged food

*Beer, deposited on your way in, will be cold on your way out if left in a stream bed.

[JCH]

I am perfectly happy to be proven wrong :)  I don’t live in, nor do I frequent bear country so like I said, no information or personal experience.  I trust David’s opinion on this.

[Ike Jutkowitz]

I’ve also done this for years in Alaska during salmon season, though more for refrigeration than anything else.  When camping by a mountain stream fed lake, I’ll fillet the day’s catch and sink it to the bottom of the lake in an opsack or other large ziplock bag to keep it fresh until I hike out a day or two later. I have a second air filled bag tied the the end of the rope to allow me to pull the fish back up. I’ve never had one of these caches disturbed by bear or otter, though I can’t say whether it’s been just luck or not.

[John Schutzman]

I plan to hike the Southern JMT from VVR to Whitney without a resupply and no bear container can hold enough food.  With this information I will carry both a bear container and a bear bag which I will submerge.

Thanks so much,   John

[Terry Sparks]

Do as you please John, but caching food in the NP’s (SEKI) is prohibited.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I think there is a bear container, the Bearicade Expedition, that can hold enough food for VVR to Whitney. Probably the limitation will be the size of your pack.

Some things to consider to make your food fit in the biggest bear canister you can find:

• Repackage your food. The plastic packaging takes up a lot of room.
• Rethink your food choices. Buy food that takes less space, requires more hydration.
• Go a little hungry. I have done this and it isn’t THAT bad.
• When you see big groups of kids on a group backpack trip, ask if the parents if they have extra food. Same if you see people on their way out at the end of a trip.
• Use the bear boxes on that part of the trail.
• Add a resupply stop. You could add one at Parcher’s resort which requires going out at Bishop Pass. This is a gorgeous segment of trail to add to your trip.

[David Thomas]

“When you see big groups of kids on a group backpack trip, ask the parents if they have extra food. Same if you see people on their way out at the end of a trip.”

Yeah, if you see my wife on our way out, there’s ALWAYS extra food.

“Go a little hungry.”  Manfred has long figured on burning 1/2 pound of fat a day and, over his annual month-long epic trip, will lose the 15 pounds he’s put on around town since that last big trip.  It works for him, but is kind of extreme (it does save a LOT of pack weight on a long trip, though).  For 3-4-5 days, I can go 2000 calories (1/2 pound of body fat) short, but longer than that and 1000 calories a day shy (1/4 pound of weight loss) is more easily sustainable for me.

[W I S N E R !]

I’ve easily done Whitney Portal to VVR without resupply, with a BV500 bear canister.  It’s entirely dependent on mileage per day and food selection; it’s certainly not an impossibility.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

Also, the first day’s food doesn’t have to fit in the canister because you’ll eat it. And the last day you can just eat the dregs of what’s left knowing there’s a big burger or pizza waiting for you in Lone Pine.

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