New safer & easier bear-bag hanging method

[nsherry61]

The Puzzler’s Tree-safe Bear-bag Hang


This morning (7/23/15), I was reading the forums on WhiteBlaze.net and came across a thread about Florida’s state parks requiring 2” wide straps for protecting trees when hanging hamocks.


That got me thinking. The damage done to trees from a standard 1” hammock suspension strap pales in comparison the the damage done to tree branches when we hang bear bags using the PCT method.


Using the popular PCT bear-bag hanging method, the cord saws through the bark of a tree branch over and over again with two times the food-bag weight pulling down on it every time it is raised. NOT GOOD!


I propose the following bear-bag hanging method as an advantageous alternative to the PCT method. The method I describe below eliminates the weighted sawing of the tree bark when raising the bear-bag while reducing the effort required to lift the bag by a factor of two. Also, you can use smaller cord for hanging because it is not increasing damage to the tree nor cutting up your hands because the bag is raised with a 2:1 leverage advantage.


The Puzzler’s Tree-safe Bear-bag Hang


Supplies needed:

1. 50’ or more of small cordage
   
2. 2 carabiners - They can be small as they only need to support twice the weight of your bag.
   
3. 2 feet of webbing material - 1 inch wide should be ample
   
4. Tube of seam sealant or contact cement
   
5. The bear-bag of your choosing

Assembling the haul system:

1. Tie a loop in both ends of the strap - the loops only have to be big enough to put the carabiner through.
   
2. Put a series of sealant or glue drops across both sides of the strap and let them dry to creating rubbery dots to provide friction between the strap and the tree branch
   
3. Put one of the carabines through the loop on one end of the strap
   
4. Tie one end of your haul line through the loop on the other end of the strap
   Haul system on table.jpghaul system in hand.jpg
   
5. Close your bear-bag and attach the second carabiner to it like in the PCT method
   
6. Throw your cord over the tree branch of your choice, just like the PCT method
   strap above bag.jpg
   
7. Slip a loop of the cord through the carabiner on the bag and hook it into the carabiner attached to the strap
   cord through bag biner.jpgcord through bag and strap.jpg
   
8. Leaving the bag on the ground, pull on the haul cord to raise the strap end of the haul system (with the cord looped through the carabiner) up to and across the tree branch.
   strap on tree branch.jpg
   
9. Now, pull the loose end of the cord to raise the bear-bag up to the branch.
   hoisting bag.jpg
   
10. Secure a stick to the haul cord exactly like the PCT method
    
11. Lower the bear-bag back down until the stick contacts and holds against the carabiner on the bear-bag.
    hoisted bag.jpg
    
12. Sleep peacefully
    
13. When lowering the bear-bag, pull the cord until you can reach and remove the stick, then lower the bag. It’s done exactly like the PCT method.

In building this system this afternoon, I found that very small cord is fine from the standpoint of hand damage when hauling, but the mason’s twine was not strong enough to lift my 25 lb bag without eventually breaking.
I was also surprised at how easy this was to rig up and use. It's great having only half the weight pulling on you while you are trying to tie in the stick or remove it.

[Captain Blue]

Why the tiny photos? It would be easier to understand your new method if the photos were a bit larger.

[nsherry61]

I'm so sorry about the images. Here, I'll try again.

Haul system on table.jpghaul system in hand.jpg
These are images of the complete bag hoist system although the mason's twine broke when trying to hoist my 25 lb bag, so I am now using slightly stronger cord.

strap above bag.jpg
Just like the PCT hang, you start by throwing the cord over the tree branch.
I didn't have to use a rock, the webbing and carabiner were heavy enough to work in this case.

cord through bag biner.jpg
With the strap end dangling, nearby, pull a loop of cord through the carabiner on the bag.

cord through bag and strap.jpg
And hook the loop you just pulled through the carabiner on the bag onto the carabiner on the strap.
In this photo, I am holding the cord that is running between the top of the tree branch and the carabiner on the bag. If you were to follow the cord going up from the strap, at this point, you would see it go up over the branch, down to my hand, through the carabiner on the bag, up through the carabiner on the strap, back through the carabiner on the bag and then onto a pile on the ground.

strap on tree branch.jpghoisting bag.jpg
In this photo, I have now pulled down on the cord I am holding in the previous image and thus lifted the strap up and across the tree branch.
In the second photo, I have moved my hand to the tail of the cord that I will pull on to hoist the pack.
The hoist is rigged and ready to lift. Now, if you follow the cord from the loose end I am holding, which is the end you will pull on to lift the bag, the cord goes through the bag carabiner (just like the PCT method) up to the carabiner on the strap at the branch, back down through the bag carabiner and back up to the other side of the strap on the branch.

hoisted bag.jpg
Here is the bag hoisted and locked into place with the little stick, just like the PCT method.
Not, the blue cord because the mason's twine broke during the first lift of the 25 lb bag.
It's really nice having the 2:1 leverage of this hoist when lifting heaver bags. This 25 lbs was really quite easy.

Again, I'm sorry about the pictures.
This really needs a diagram and a video.
Trying to describe it is terribly complicated.
The diagram I have sketched is frankly confusing, BUT, the actually process is really very simple.

[nsherry61]

Here is a diagram of the bear-bag hoist system in case that makes it a bit more clear.
hoist diagram.jpg

[Another Kevin]

If I understand what you're saying, this seems like a very nice method to avoid chafing the tree branch. (550 paracord doesn't seem to do that much damage, but the UHMWPE cord that a lot of hikers are switching to is like a saw blade!) It also gives a 2:1 mechanincal advantage when hoisting the bag because the second 'biner functions as a moving pulley.

The disadvantage is that it needs half again the length of cordage. I know that one night a couple of weeks ago I would up finding a perfect branch that was a little bit higher up than I'd usually have used. (And amzed myself by hooking the branch on the first cast - that never happens!) Starting a conventional PCT hang needed virtually every inch of my 50 feet of paracord - that is, the branch was roughly 25 feet up. If I were to use your method, I'd need 75 feet of cord for the same branch, right? 25 feet from hand to the 'biner on the strap, 25 feet from the 'biner on the strap to the 'biner on the bag, and 25 feet from the 'biner on the bag back up to the strap again. That's not a showstopper, but you really should point it out. Life is full of tradeoffs.

[Captain Blue]

This looks very useful for group hikes where you are hanging multiple food bags on one line. There tends to be a lot of rope-on-tree friction with multiple food bags even with 550 paracord. Thanks for the higher res photos and diagram. It is much easier to understand now. Does the strap tend to stay in place?

[nsherry61]

Excellent points and all spot on.

Yes, it has the downside of needing 30% more cord length for the same height hang - only an issue when hanging at maximum height of course.
And yes, the strap has more weight on the carabiner side when being hauled up, so it will tend to pull off the branch if the bark is smooth and there is no added friction material on the strap. With the glue or other rubbery spots on the strap is stays put just fine. And, once the bag is hoisted, the strap stays put fine. I've used a similar method without the strap in the past and found that a series of knots in the para cord where it went over the tree worked just fine also for added friction.

There are also a couple other points worth making.
1) Since the hoist ratio is 2:1, the bag only drops back down from the branch 1/2 as far after tying in the stick, so you don't have to reach as aukwardly high to tie the stick in when you are worried about the bag comming back down too close to the ground with the PCT method.
2) As noted above, it is also a lot easier to tie the stick in and get it out again with only 1/2 the food bag weight pulling against you in the process.

3) If you promise not to get confused with yet more details, there is another really cool trick that can be used with this method.
There is a less-than-ideal "alternate PCT method" that enables a bag to be pulled away from a tree horizontally.
Using this method, you can pull the bag away from the tree without any less-than-idea sacrifices.
You do everything else exactly the same as above, but then tie the loose end of the line to the carabiner on the bag, before the bag is hoisted up.
After the bag is hoisted up and the stick locked against the bag carabiner, you can now grab the excess cord (the part tied to the bag carabiner, not the part tied to the stick), and use it to pull the bag away from the tree. Here the extra 30% of cord length can come in handy.

[shakey_snake]

Bear here.

*Taking notes*

[nsherry61]

Incidentally, because I've always carried 50' of para cord, I've never used more than 50' of cord when using this type of hanging method in the past. It would certainly open up more really high branches as options for hangs if I added some more length to my system. Hmm.

[nsherry61]

I found the closest I could get, so far, to the original source of the underlying bear-bag hanging method. Maybe the method I describe above would best be described as the "Tree-safe Modified Skilman Method", although I think the person's last name may really me Skillman with two els instead of one.

The primary differences between the Skilman method and what I am promoting above are:

1) I use a strap where the cord goes over the tree branch.
2) I am rigging the hoist by simply passing a loop through the bag carabiner and over the strap carabiner instead of trying to figure it out in a more analytical way.
3) The tail (loose) end of the cord my hoist passes back through the bag carabiner providing less drop-back on the bag after tying in the stick.
4) I am suggesting that the loose tail of the hoist can be attached to the bag carabiner before hoisting to enable pulling the bag away from the tree.

[Malto]

hauling a heavy bag up a hang can be next to I possible with something like the MLD Bear hang system. This system could be rather interesting. I love getting the perfect hang. this is a photo of one of my best in the Sierra. I was actually hoping to see a bear make an attempt at this.

[Malto]

What about two small pullies?

[nsherry61]

Pullies would work better than carabines, but they weigh more and carabines work quite well. Pullies are also cord diameter specific, and I don't know what pullies might be available for the size cord most of us use.

[texasmufflerman]

nsherry61, your method is a great idea. Thank you for sharing it.

I was playing with it a little bit and I came up with what I feel is a viable alternative to the webbing. By tying an extra cord to the top carabiner before tossing it over the limb, you have something that can be used to stop the carabiner from slipping down, even on the smoothest of bark. Easy way if you are solo would be to just step on the extra cord just before hoisting the bag, (maybe wrap it once around your foot and then step on it). The extra cord doesn't even need to be a separate piece. A single piece of cord could be tied to the carabiner such that 2/3 to 3/4 of the cord would serve as the existing system in yoru method and the remaining 1/3 to 1/4 of the cord would serve as the extra piece.

I realize this means there is even more cord to carry, but if zing-it 1.75mm is used, you have a breaking strength of 500 lbs and this stuff weighs just under 2 oz per 100 ft. This means an extra .5 oz would be needed. I'll bet any of us are carrying more weight than that in sweat on the trail. And with the elimination of the webbing, I'd be willing to bet that there was a net savings in weight.

Attachment 33264

[Kaptainkriz]

I'm a sailor as well as a hiker. Lightweight and low friction, there are plenty of blocks to choose from. Annapolis Performance Sailing has a superior selection of lightweight high tech line as well as block hardware:
http://www.apsltd.com/micro-single.html

Pullies would work better than carabines, but they weigh more and carabines work quite well. Pullies are also cord diameter specific, and I don't know what pullies might be available for the size cord most of us use.

[Kaptainkriz]

http://www.apsltd.com/amsteel-blue-7-64-in-2-75mm.html

I'm a sailor as well as a hiker. Lightweight and low friction, there are plenty of blocks to choose from. Annapolis Performance Sailing has a superior selection of lightweight high tech line as well as block hardware:
http://www.apsltd.com/micro-single.html

[ChuckT]

Interesting. Sheave + Amsteel + 2' strap + carabiner + found stick.
And isn't there some heavier cord that's hollow? So you could weave the Amsteel through a short length (would it stay in place?) and not need the glue buttons?

[texasmufflerman]

It seems that my attachment did not make it. I'll try again.
img-160114220458-0001.jpg

[texasmufflerman]

http://www.apsltd.com/amsteel-blue-7-64-in-2-75mm.html

Amsteel 7/64 is very popular for hanging a hammock, but I understand there is concern for the added weight of extra length of cord in The Puzzler’s Tree-safe Bear-bag Hang. That is where the 1.75mm comes in. 550 Type III cord weighs 7 oz per 100 ft, Amsteel 7/16 weighs 6.5 oz per 100 ft, but the Zing-It 1.75mm weighs only 2 oz per 100 ft.

Here is the Zing-It:
http://www.samsonrope.com/Pages/Prod...?ProductID=811
http://www.reddenmarine.com/samson-rope-zing-it.html

Interesting. Sheave + Amsteel + 2' strap + carabiner + found stick.
And isn't there some heavier cord that's hollow? So you could weave the Amsteel through a short length (would it stay in place?) and not need the glue buttons?

the sheath of 550 cord might work but I might be concerned that it would bind like a chinese finger cuff and . Maybe 1/2 inch tubular webbing might be a better candidate for that, but then again, I am trying to eliminate the webbing altogether.

I'm a sailor as well as a hiker. Lightweight and low friction, there are plenty of blocks to choose from. Annapolis Performance Sailing has a superior selection of lightweight high tech line as well as block hardware:
http://www.apsltd.com/micro-single.html

1/2 oz block with 1200 lb breaking strength for about $10. Very nice!

[ChuckT]

"Eliminate the webbing" would be ideal hence my suggestion of using hollow cord as a sheath.