Protecting Your Food From Bears (Members Q&A)

Thanks Ryan, a good presentation. Food discipline is an important part of any camping.

Ryan,

You mentioned that you don’t know of anyone who carries two bear canisters. Well … I was backpacking in Yosemite and met this one-of-kind guy who called himself Two Pack.  He had a moderately large backpack on his back plus a somewhat smaller backpack on his chest.  He also carried two Bear Vaults stacked end-to-end below his stomach.  He said he could go two months between resupplies.  Needless to say, he walked veeeerry slowly.

Bring your own bear.  Problem solved.  ;-)

Todd, black bears in southeast US don’t hibernate unless its really cold for some time. Past many years bears have been Very Active on the AT all year, much due to increase of novice hikers. From direct conversation with 2 brothers, and a recent thru-hiker article on The Trek, southeastern bears can defeat tree limb hangs. They go up the tree, crawl out the limb and dive bomb the bag. The Trek article said many hikers witnessed it at Carters Gap, Betty Creek Gap both near the GA/NC line. To add insult, bears are crushing Ursaks, biting the bag leaving it covered with mess inside and out (the brothers tossed theirs and got a BV500). Additionally, a very large male bear stomped on a BV500 til the lid  departed. The next can bear found got kicked into a laurel thicket down the hill. I use an Ursak and Im now getting the aluminum liner. Once I win the lottery, I’ll order a can from Wild Things. Lastly, the Forest Service are posting numerous signs in problem areas, but many hikers are not smarter than bears. If all AT shelters had bear cables many problems would go away. The Smokies and Shenandoah NEED steel food lockers at shelters. I don’t recall where I saw, but someone (Backpacker maybe) did an Opsak test with police trained dogs using precise testing protocols. Bears reportedly have even stronger olfactories than dogs. Test result – the Opsak faired no better than a ziplock. Needed: a better, lighter, easy to open bear can for under $100. Hmmm…

We can dream all we want. At the end of the day…in the real world, a Bearikade checks the most boxes. It’s pricey for sure. On the other hand…it lasts a lifetime.

The Scout is just about perfect for a five day venture into the wild. Packs small, weighs little, keeps food safe. I hung my food for decades in the Sierra, where the bears have Ph.d’s.  I was damn good. I would still bring the Scout these days, even if canisters weren’t required. it’s far easier and more reliable than hanging, or anything else, especially at altitude.

We can dream all we want that everyone is going to carry a bear can. And we can dream that that bear can will be Bearikade or that a Bearikade cannot be breached by a bear – only a matter of time.

In the real world – no one takes a bear can unless they are forced to by the parks.

If the purpose of food storage is to save bears, then why not have those industrial bear containers every 5 to 10 miles of every trail where there are bears?

Take JMT for example where we need to carry the bear can. It is 225 miles or whatever. Every 10 miles will mean have 23 containers along the trail. It would be cheap to buy those single use shipping containers and convert them to small bear containers. JMT has a limit of 40 hikers per day. And its as everybody know very difficult to get a permit. Assume a 3 month hiking period. And assume everyone is spending $100 for a bear can. That comes to 40*120 days * $100 or $480K every season. I am sure it will be cheaper to put in a bear container every 10 miles. Charge every JMT hiker $100 for  a period of 5 years to recoup the cost of installing these containers. I would donate money for this purpose.

Sure not so popular trails will not be able to spend the money. But popular trails are where these are needed.

If the “noble” purpose is to save bears, then federal government can cough up the cost. Or some benevolent billionaire.

Nice to hear from someone who is part of a major long distance trail Morgan!

I checked this website for Bear Lockers – they are around $1500 approx.

https://bearsaver.com/collections/bear-resistant-food-storage-lockers

As I said, on say JMT, in one season hikers collectively spend 480K for these bear cans conservatively – with $100 being spent by a hiker on a can (bearikades as you know are 3X that amount typically). That will get around 320 bear lockers (at $1500 a piece or 480K/1500 = 320) – enough to have more than one every mile! Of  course I am not saying we should have one every mile. But, you get the point. Yes – installation and carrying it is a pain. But, I would think building a trail will be more painful than installing these. Maybe there should be a way to dismantle it into smaller pieces and assemble it at destination. This number of 320 lockers are just from one season. In a few seasons, you will have lot more to make sure no hiker is not able to store food in the wild!

Surely, AT thru hikers will not mind paying $50 or $100 to thru hike the AT. I am sure there is a way to put enough of these bear lockers for everyone to use.

That is just a thought.

Since I am dreaming anyway – maybe provide some bear cans inside these lockers for people to camp away from these bear lockers if they choose to:-)

“a chicken in every bear canister” wouldn’t really work as a political slogan. It would get votes here though!

Murali: I guess this is not for everyone, but I make a conscious effort to avoid places that I would be likely to encounter other people, and therefore habituated black bears (there are no grizzlies near me in Colorado). I’m generally in isolated areas and often above timberline, and with one or more digs. So my experience is probably not representative, and shouldn’t be used as a model.

Another P.S.  Last year, ATC, in partnership with The Georgia Appalachian Trail club, the Green Mountain club, the Appalachian mountain club, AMC Mass and the USFS began a bear canister loaner program, one in Georgia and one in Vermont/New Hampshire/western Massachusetts. Both locations have numerous hikers, including thru-hikers, take advantage of the programs.

Dogs, by the way, not “digs”.  :-0

It will greater peace of mind with my food in a bear locker:-) Without having to worry if my bear can is still around where I left it when I go looking for it in the morning! Or wondering if my Ursack is all smushed with bear spit! Just because it has not happened to you yet doesn’t mean it is not going to happen. We know Ursacks have been compromised. We know bear can’s have been broken into or have gone missing. Just a matter of time I say!

I know I am not going to win this argument!

I should just buy the Nuntak Bear Ears and carry my can everywhere and hope for the best.

Till then I will dream of a world where there are bear lockers everywhere:-) Or no bears!

I actually felt safe sleeping with my food on the AZT this April! Maybe the bears respect personal space:-)