MYOG: Knotless PCT Bear Bag Hang

First off, for those not familiar with the PCT Method of hanging a bear/food bag, this write-up will not cover that. If this is your first time hearing that terminology, I highly suggest searching "Hanging a Bear Bag PCT Method" on YouTube to get an excellent tutorial on what it entails.

The idea behind this MYOG is how to do a PCT hang without using the traditional stick + clove hitch knot. If you have used the PCT Method, you might find the clove hitch to be the most difficult part of this hang. Reaching over your head as high as you can while tying a clove hitch can be a daunting task. The weight of your food adds to the challenge. Feeding all your surplus line through the clove hitch only adds to the complexity. Additionally you have to hold the line tight during the whole process so that your bag stays up against the throw-over limb while you tie the knot. It's a lot to try to do with two hands stretched out over your head.

The fun's not over though, because the following morning the clove hitch will have tightened down to the point that it can be difficult to break the knot, especially when it's only just in reach because you tied it off so high. Often people will use a stick that they can snap so they don't have to untie the knot, but using a stick too small could lead to it breaking on its own in the middle of the night. Another common fix is something tapered, like chopsticks, where you can slide the knot off the stick to drop the bag - but even this doesn't get you past the issue of tying the clove hitch to begin with.

After using the PCT Method just once, I started trying to figure out a way to abandon the stick and clove hitch. They just seemed to over-complicate what was otherwise a minimalist hang. After quite a few goofy "inventions" that were more complicated, heavy, and didn't work well, I finally focused on simplicity. Ultimately I ended up devising a way to replace the stick and knot with nothing more than a piece of PVC with two holes drilled through it. This is about the simplest MYOG you're going to come across and the end product is not only light, but very functional!

ARTICLE OUTLINE

• Introduction
• Making Your Knotless PCT-PVC Stick
  • Time Required:
  • Supplies:
  • Making the Gear
• Implementation of the Knotless PCT-PVC

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