How to Protect Food From Bears and Critters

If your campsite has special food storage lockers, use them. Your next best option is to pack your food in a bear-safe food container, and store this container outside your tent, in a location where is won't roll away. Often the Park Service will rent them, or you can rent or buy them at an outdoor equipment store. But, if you don't have a locker or bear-safe container, you should hang your food.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 100 Ft. Of Parachute Cords
• 2 Plastic Garbage Bags
• 2 Stuff Sacks
• airtight, resealable bags

1. Put all food and garbage into sealable, airtight bags, such as Ziploc bags. Divide these bags of food and other odoriferous equipment into two piles of equal weight.

2. Put each pile into a separate plastic garbage bag. Tie the bags shut and put each bag into its own stuff sack.

3. Tie a rock to one end of a 100-foot length of parachute cord, then throw the rock and cord over a strong, sturdy tree branch 20 to 30 feet off the ground and 8 to 10 feet away from the tree trunk.

4. Tie one filled stuff sack to one end of the parachute cord using a sturdy knot, and hoist that bag off the ground until it reaches the tree branch.

5. Untie the rock.

6. Tie the taut cord in your hand to the second stuff sack full of food, leaving a loop in the knot. Remember, you're still holding the first bag in the air.

7. Stuff all the excess parachute cord into the stuff sack.

8. Push the lower bag up with your hands. The first bag will come down as you push up the second, since they are counterbalancing each other over the limb.

9. Use a sturdy stick to push up the bottom of the stuff sack even more so it's out of reach of a bear (at least 12 to 15 feet high).

10. Use the loop in the second knot to retrieve the bags. Put a stick in the loop and pull downward.

Tips & Warnings

• Locate your hanging tree before dark and make sure there are no rocks or lower branches the bear can use to get to the food.
• When you're not in bear country, you can hang your food 5 or 6 feet off the ground to keep it safe from small animals.
• Hanging your food doesn't just protect you; it helps preserve wildlife. Bears that become accustomed to human food end up being destroyed by land managers.
• Make sure to hang every item that smells like food, including pots, utensils, toothpaste and garbage.

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[theoldgoat]

on 5/11/2008 Rather than tying a rock to the cord end (problematic and frustrating), use a SMALL stuff sack or ditty bag into which you can place just the right sized rock for your arm strength.

on 11/22/2005 Hang your canoe paddles from the trees with your food. Porcupines will eat the handles of wooden canoe paddles (for the salt from your sweaty hands), leaving you up a creek without a paddle. Also, if an animal is bothering your food, the paddles will rattle together, scaring the animal and awakening you.