Camping with the bears

Hi all,

I am looking for any and all advice on food storage, ursaks, bear canisters or any other methods of securing food. I'm in Minnesota so I would dealing with black bears. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

People generally look at the requirements of the park/forest they are going to hike in.

If you are looking for something that will work anywhere, most likely be on the approved list of bear canisters, you'll end up with a Garcia, a Bearikade, possibly a Bare Boxer. Best bet is to look at the approved list posted by the park/NF on their website and rent or borrow or buy accordingly.

Being in California, I hang a simple stuff sack, PCT style, most places a bear canister isn't required, as it's lighter. Some areas, it's raccoons and the bear canister works really well for those too. In the Sierras it's always going to be a canister - too many of those bears know how to get a hung food bag, and tear out the bottoms of ursacks.

I live and hike in Michigan, I have hiked most of the NCT in WI and have hiked the SHT in MN. I have used a Ursack most of the time and have never had a problem. On the other hand I have not had a problems with Unicorns either so maybe I just have not been in the right place at the right time.

Unicorns tend to like virgins. Or so I hear.

Clearly Your Bears May Vary - I'm used to the craziness of habituated bruins here. I'm waiting for the bears in Yosemite to start driving away in the cars they break into....

Thanks Lori and GrumpyGord for your reply.

I did a little on line search for both the Ursack and for the Garcia products, as well as the others. As always, price and weight are the two key factors I will have to balance when I make my decision.

It sounds like for ease of use the Canisters have the edge, but the Ursack has the edge in weight on the trail.

I do have a long term goal of hiking in the Tetons, so perhaps a canister would be the better choice for out west. For the areas in northern Minnesota that I plan to hike the Ursack should work fine.

I did not see a retail outlet in Minnesota that carries the Ursack. Can either of you tell me how they are priced in comparison to the lower end canisters?

Thanks again for your responses.

comparisons

Some are cheaper than the Ursack, others are not. Just depends.

I really like the Bearikades.

This is a great help. Thanks lori!

The Ursack is much easier to pack and the size reduces as the food is eaten. Either option can frequently be purchased used if you do need the latest and greatest. I use the original Ursack and it works fine in the MI/MN/WI area. I have an older Garcia which I used when my daughter lived in CA and I hiked in Yosemite.

I use an ursack most everywhere - including grizzly country - however I'm not hiking in a SIBBG controlled area like Yosemite.

I do have a BearVault that I own that I bought for a sierra trip that I ended up having to cancel. If I go somewhere I need it I'll probably take that. but I'd hate to lug it around everywhere.

I also hang food using the pct method in some situations.

The ursack is definately easiest.

I will start looking on the sites to see if I can find one used. It would be nice to have both at some point, but as most of my hiking is done in the Midwest the Ursack is the better choice because of weight and cost. GrumpyGord, what do you find is the most successful way of securing the Ursack? Do you hang it or secure it to the base of a tree somehow?

The PCT method is the one most commonly used-- check out Youtube directions.

FWIW, in Colorado (except RMNP) I just use a simple stuff sack and OPSacks (Odor proof bags). I put the food in the Opsacks and then just shove them in a stuff sack. When at camp, I hang via the PCT method if possible. If I am above treeline then I feel fairly confident in just sleeping with my food.

Actually, SIBBG kind of fell apart in that department, they now provide links to park and NF pages. The various jurisdictions are now the final answer when it comes to regulations in the Sierras. But the central/southern area is so pockmarked with can required/not required regions that a hike of any length and you might as well carry the can. Bears don't respect boundaries, either.

Tahoe wilderness areas require canisters too, and so does the Lost Coast (northern coast trail) - you really do need to check before you go anywhere in California.

I just tie it to a tree. There are good instructions on the Ursack site and even a video I think. Actually in most areas the bigger problem is small critters like coons, chipmunks etc.

I'll check out the Ursack website. Thanks. I agree with you on the racoons and chipmunks as being a problem. We have some racoons in the more popular state parks in Minnesota that I swear could pick a padlock if you gave them one to practice with.

The youtube video on the PCT method was also very helpful. Thanks