I've read all these posts with great interest. This is my first post ever on the Backcountry forum <applause>. Thank you! After reading them, I crossed out Bear Vault 500, $79.95, 2 lbs 9 ounces, on my list. Instead, I'm practicing the clove hitch and the Dutch Bowline for the PCT food hang. I have rope, stuff sacks, and carabiners, so i'm all set! By the way, several folks have said to put a weight in a stuff sack instead of typing rope around the rock. Why not just put the rock in the stuff sack? The nearest weight is probably somewhere in the city and costs $17.95. Before tax. Okay, I read that somewhere, about the rock in the sack, otherwise I wouldn't have figured it out either.