Ursack Major

The Ursack has saved time and effort for me when traveling in bear country. I’ve carried canisters many times (see my review of my BearVault) and thrown countless ropes for bear bags, and I certainly enjoy how much lighter and easier to pack the Ursack is in comparison to the canister (7.6 oz for the Ursack vs 41 oz for the BearVault, and flexible vs rigid) and how pleasant it is to come into camp and not have to orchestrate a suitable bear hang at the end of the day. Hanging a bear bag with multiple people with differing opinions also seems to set the scene conflict, so avoiding this by using an alternative method like the Ursack is an additional perk.

The Ursack is especially useful in areas where there are trees with limited strong limbs for the hangs, which can be the case in many of the northern climates where I find myself adventuring. Since the bag just keeps bears from gaining access to the food, it would be nice if a smell resistant inner bag was automatically included. However, I find it easy enough to package my food appropriately using Mylar or other smell-proof bags.

My Ursack is about 10L and I find that it can sometimes be small for a longer trip (more than 5 days) or for multiple people, but now they make larger bags to accommodate these scenarios. Mine is black and it is hard to see the contents when it is fully packed, so the white version may be preferable so one can find one’s food without dumping it all out.

Luckily, I have not had a bear (or other critter) attempt to get my food while it is in my Ursack, so I cannot say that I have a firsthand experience with how durable it is while under attack.

Strengths: Ease of use and packing, weight savings (in comparison to a canister)

Weakness: Dark color of black version makes visibility challenging, price (in comparison to a bear hang)

Weighing in at 7.6 ounces and with a carrying capacity of 10.65 liters, I have found the Ursack Major Bear resistant food sack to be my go to food storage system, in conditions where a bear can is not required. I used an Ursack for the entirety of my Appalachian Trail thruhike, my first 180 miles on the Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango, and on several 1 to 5 night backpacking trips along the Arizona Trail.

While food systems which rely on a bear hang and dry bags are lighter, or bear cans, which are required in some areas and also double as a camp stool, the Ursack Major is a good compromise between weight and durability. It weights significantly less than a bear can and is just as easy to use in my opinion, as you tie it to a tree, fence, or anything that a bear cannot drag away. It also is significantly more durable than a traditional bear hang which relies on dry sacks or other lightweight bags. While I have never had a bear come through camp and get to my food bag, I have had plenty of experiences where mice, pikas, squirrels, or other “mini-bears” will attempt to go for my food or the food of those I was hiking with. These animals have never managed to chew through my Ursack, and I haven’t experienced a spork or fork being able to punch through it, as some users claim. The Ursack is also versatile enough that if you want to hang it or store it on a bear pole, you can. It also packs down very well and can be rolled up easily. I have also found in conditions that bring rain or snow overnight, the Ursack will get wet but not soggy.

I have also found this product to be durable over time, although not perfect. After 250 nights in the field, my Ursack Major’s drawstring has degraded significantly, but is still very much usable. I also use my Ursack by pairing it with the recommended Opsack. I often find that if I fill the bag to its capacity, but not overflowing, there is an opening at the top even with the cord cinched all the way down, making me wonder if it would be possible for a small, but determined, critter to get through the hole and puncture the Opsack. It hasn’t yet happened, however. I also find that the most I have been able to fit in the Ursack Major was six days of food, for the 100 mile wilderness on the Appalachian Trail in Maine, and even with significant attention to my calorie to volume ratio, it was still an extremely tight squeeze. If I were to go more than six days without a resupply, I would need to consider another system.

Still, I find the Ursack Major useful enough that I intend to keep using it until it completely unravels. Which make take many years at this point.

I ditched my ursack major for an Adotec 14 liter. Lighter, cheaper, and holds more. A bit stiffer, it needs to be broken in. Being larger, it’s also a little harder to pack. They have different sizes, but only the 14 liter is grizzly approved.

I have two Ursacks, one at 10.5L, one at 20L for longer trips or groups.   The drawback with the Ursack Major is that it’s not rated rodent proof.  The AllMitey version covers those needs with another layer added at the cost of a bit more weight.

Since small critters are as much of a food risk as bears, my Ursacks are the AllMitey 10.5l (9.5oz, +2.5oz vs the same size Ursack Major), and a 20L Ursack Allmighty Grizzly (13.8oz).

With some very careful planning I can just pack 5 days of food in the 10.5L version (~3500 cals/day), same size as the Major reviewed here. I find it a bit too small unless I want to make some sacrifices in my meal plan.

The 10.5L Ursack absorbs 6 oz of water when its wet, which happens almost every trip, so factor that into its weight.  I sometimes carry a small garbage bag to encase it so it doesn’t dampen the inside of my pack.

I did find it easy to tie and the reflective cordage is great for finding it in the dark.

I moved to the 14L IGBC certified Adotec for all of ’25 and found it superior to the Ursack in almost every way.  It’s lighter (7.0oz), rodent proof, the fabric is waterproof so it doesn’t gain weight and it’s 3.5L larger which makes a world of difference for any trip longer than 3 or 4 days (though there is a Major XL @ 9.0 oz but its not rodent proof has the weight gain issue), and its shape move conveniently fits in a pack.

I’ll keep my Ursacks for when I need to loan one out or do food carries longer than ~ 8 or 9 days, where I’ll reach for the 20L version.  Other than that, the Adotec is an easy choice for me.