Vacuum seal (home freeze dryer ) bags to block odors from bears

To clarify, I freeze dry most of my own food and store it in vacuum seal bags.  (sometimes in mylar bags)

Just don’t forget…when packing your meals, your hands, gloved or bare, are touching the bags, and leaving food scent all over it. Even commercial meals will have smell on them. And every time you reach in to get a snack, your hands transfer to the items, as you root thru the bag/canister.

Instead….just put your effort into proper bear bagging/canister. Freezer bags work well as trash bags,

As for toiletries…I have never ever worried. I just kept my toothbrush and travel toothpaste in a small ziptop bag, and tossed it into my canister or Ursack at night. I never carried anything else that smelled (I don’t use sunblock or bug spray).

Trying to package food scent-free from bears is a waste of time… they’ll smell it no matter how you package it. Hang your food well away from your camp and keep a clean camp.

When cooking your food, everything will smell like food.

I’m pretty sure you can never eliminate all scents, but common sense and a little diligence can go a long way in reducing the range at which your food/toiletries can be smelled by wildlife. I agree that keeping a clean camp and storing your smelly items well away from your site is valuable advice. It’s not about guaranteeing that your experience will be beast-free, it’s about mitigating the chances that you’ll invite a beast to come see you. I repackage all my dehyrated meals and my snacks in 4mil ziploc bags, then portion each day’s food into odor barrier ziplocs, and finally all of that goes into a nylofume bag. It adds a few extra ounces to my load, but I like the peace of mind it offers as it helps reduce the range at which my food can be smelled.

FYI – You can also use unscented disposable diaper bags to help limit odors, too.

A bear can smell any food through any plastic or cover scent. Trying to eliminate or hide food scents from a bear (who’s sense of smell is 2,000 x greater than a humans) only guarantees a false sense of security.