How to Hang Your Food for Camping

Hang food and keep bears at bay.

Camping in the wilderness attracts wild animals. Leaving food in tents, on camp grounds, in cars or out in the open is a sure way to entice bears and other creatures to venture over. Stay safe while camping by knowing how to hang your food. Hanging your food in proper fashion prevents bears and the like from getting their paws on the goods and ensures you will have something to eat upon returning from a hike or other activity.

Things You'll Need

• Rope
• Rock
• Cooler
• Food sacks
• Hooked stick

Instructions

1. Knot the end of a rope around a rock. Pitch the rock over a live tree branch at least 15 feet off the ground. Scoot the rope outward along the branch until it is a minimum of four feet removed from the trunk. Pick a branch at least 3 inches in diameter so it will hold your food sacks without snapping.

2. Place your food into two coolers or other containers. Secure both cooler lids. Place both coolers into individual food sacks. Untie the rock from the end of the rope. Tie the same end of the rope around the first food sack.

3. Grab the free, hanging end of the rope and hoist the first food sack 10 feet off the ground. Knot the second food sack to the free, hanging end of the rope. Secure a loop to hang off this knot for retrieving both sacks later. Push the second food sack up until both sacks hang 10 feet from the ground.

4. Extend a hooked stick upwards. Latch the hooked end onto the loop on the second sack to pull food down.

References

• Mountain Zone: Hanging Food