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  1. #61

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    FWIW, the bear that tried to get into my can did not play soccer with it. It got the can out of some bushes where I stashed and I found it about ten feet away. The greater fear is it rolling down the hill, off the cliff, etc. so plan accordingly. My can (bareboxer) has slightly tapered ends so it will not roll straight. In the roll test I've done with it, it will either spin of move in a large circle.

  2. #62
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    Quote Originally Posted by Five Tango View Post
    Ursacks made after April 1,2014 are IGBC certified as bear resistant.The Ursack will have a tag sewed into it which is indicative of the certification.Tom Cohen,president of company ,said some of the early generation bags did have some issues particularly with improperly stichted seams.My bag has the certification tag.Doesn't make it bear proof
    just bear resistant.I think some bears have gotten into cannisters in the past,rare though but it's happened.Nothing says a bear can't play soccer with your cannister all night to the point that you will never locate it in the morning either unless you did a good job of securing it.

    I use the 22 guage aluminum liner in my Ursack plus I cut a piece of roof flashing to put in the bottom to make it that much harder for ol Smokey to get a good grip on my breakfast.The odor barrier bag probably keeps the odor profile lower and it definitely keeps the contents dry which is just as important.

    One thing to note about Ursacks is you want a tree that is forked enough high enough off the ground so the bear can't get his back feet into the game.Personally,I think it would take a Grizzly to get past my liner and if I were in Grizzly country I would be packing a hard cannister,not a sack.
    Thank you for all the good information. I'm gonna check my Ursack for the tag you are talking about. Also, good distinction between bear proof and bear resistant. I heard that some bears learned how to open the Bear Vault containers but I do not think a bear can open those containers with the screws unless they learned how to use a screwdriver . Good advice about the tree, never thought of this. I agree that all this applied to black bears, which are not as ferocious and aggressive as Grizzlies.

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  4. #64

    :banana

    The bear that figured out how to open the BV500 is likely smarter than I am.It requires some focus and concentration on my part to find the button on that thing and get the lid off.........

  5. #65
    Registered User ldsailor's Avatar
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    Here is more proof that the Ursack is not invulnerable. Below are two links to Facebook posts, which report destruction of their Ursack bags. One poster provided pictures, which I copied below.

    Ursack destroyed -1
    Ursack destroyed -2

    Ursack-1.jpg
    Ursack-2.jpg
    Trail Name - Slapshot
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  6. #66

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    Has anyone ever made a titanium canister? I’m sure it would be Uber pricey.

  7. #67

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    The devil is in the details. Situations matter. And since I don't know these details as they apply to Quicksand's approach I'll with hold harsh judgement as to if he is wrong or right.

    First, if recalling correctly it is mandatory in some areas to hang or protect food other than sleeping with it on the AT ie; AT through GSMNP, bear canisters in a small GA AT section if sleeping in these sections.

    I mostly sleep with and hang food. The food sack can be my pillow. It definitely is not without food protection from wildlife issues! I mostly open A frame tarp, cowboy, and bivy camp. I may include OpSaks. I largely and preferably don't sleep in beaten down established CS's which wildlife may already key on based on previous problematic human food practices; this alone reduces problematic human and wildlife experiences for me. I often sleep in different clothing I cooked in. In known problematic areas I avoid taking the smelliest choicest food like like sardines, tuna, processed meats, etc. When choosing to sleep with food it is not in Grizzly territory. It will not deter persistent wildlife like mice. It may not deter black or brown bears.

    On a Hayduke Tr thru hike in Bryce Canyon NP a small black bear tried to pull my food bag out from under my head when cowboy camping. Food was stored in OpSaks inside a folded closed Sea to Summit Ultra Sil Nan Dry Sack. Awakening to this experience was alarming and enlightening. In hindsight I made the mistake of eating where I slept and may very well have had food odors and particles in and around my mouth. My poor hygiene on that occasion may be the primary cause of that experience.

    On an AT NOBO thru hike around Watauga Dam I stored food in the interior of a 1 p closed tent inside a mesh tent storage pocket. It was a half eaten trail bar, a sealed unopened one, and a closed packet of nut butter. I ignorantly left a pot of half eaten cooked food outside the tent yet hung my food bag. Duh. In the middle of the night a large black bear snorted and sniffed outside the tent directly where on the inside of the tent was the storage pocket. The large bear stepped on and tried to scratch at the tent wall to get at the food. The bear stepped on me sleeping inside the tent when it almost fully knocked the tent. When I was awakened I yelled. The bear backed off and went around to the food pot and got that. Fortunately, despite my gross neglect, laziness, and ignorance I was not hurt and got all my gear back. HOWEVER, how others may have previously behaved, and I certainly did, with problematic food protection now may have habituated a large dangerous black bear to seek human food. So, even though I was able to fight off black bears under both scenarios the reality is I may have created more of a wildlife problem for others in the future!

  8. #68
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    Quote Originally Posted by HankIV View Post
    Has anyone ever made a titanium canister? I’m sure it would be Uber pricey.
    And Uber heavy.

    Berikade (wild-ideas) makes carbon fiber canisters, pricey, but almost a pound lighter than the blue-plastic or black plastic canisters. I sprung for the $300 for my Berikade years ago when we hiked where canisters were required, and now use it quite regularly in places where it's not required, makes storing food a no-brainer and makes a nice little camp chair. That all being said, on the AT I just hang or use cables, etc, when available.

  9. #69

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    This is the negative consequence of sleeping with food that you'll rarely find others responsibly sharing about their behavior...how it affects a larger whole, humans, wildlife and the greater ecosystem.

  10. #70

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    Quote Originally Posted by colorado_rob View Post
    And Uber heavy.

    Berikade (wild-ideas) makes carbon fiber canisters, pricey, but almost a pound lighter than the blue-plastic or black plastic canisters. I sprung for the $300 for my Berikade years ago when we hiked where canisters were required, and now use it quite regularly in places where it's not required, makes storing food a no-brainer and makes a nice little camp chair. That all being said, on the AT I just hang or use cables, etc, when available.
    Just finished loading up my Blazer for three nights in the snow. Going to warm up this week and a hungry bear might wake up and be wandering around, but mostly I'm bringing it because it fits inside my winter pack and as you mention, it makes a nice seat
    “The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait until that other is ready...”~Henry David Thoreau

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  11. #71
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    I slept with my food in a light food bag about the last quarter of my trip. I was just tired of hanging it every night and nothing ever bothered me. I also rubbed olive oil all over my body like my Spartan ancestors did before sleep in case something wanted to grapple. The first two sentences are true.

  12. #72
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dogwood View Post
    On an AT NOBO thru hike around Watauga Dam.......... HOWEVER, how others may have previously behaved, and I certainly did, with problematic food protection now may have habituated a large dangerous black bear to seek human food. So, even though I was able to fight off black bears under both scenarios the reality is I may have created more of a wildlife problem for others in the future!



    that area had enough bear activity and human interaction that they had to tear
    the shelter down as a result........

  13. #73
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    and can't camp between 321 and the dam road (watauga dam)........

  14. #74
    ME => GA 19AT3 rickb's Avatar
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    Don’t smart AT hikers know where bears may be a problem — via grapevine, registers, signage etc.?

  15. #75
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    I was always in my tent so I never worried about what others did with their food figuring if a bear comes around I'm going to be one of the last things it's interested in checking out...
    I also got a bearikade and switched to the canister for convenience and cause there also, bug/rodent ect. proof, particularly flying squirrel proof.
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  16. #76

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    I’m taking Section Hiker and Surka’s lead and going Ursack, on he AT. They have new, lighter Almightys. Hanging is a pain, canisters do seem heavier and bulky. And it will give me more confidence tossing the bag into a bear box that is probably a mouse larder.

    If one of those seemingly unusual failures happens, I’ll just hike out hungry.

    And the risk/reward ratio just doesn’t seem to work for me on sleeping with your food.

    Too bad they haven’t found a scent that bears just abhor. Clearly from the bear in the privy story floating around, that must be a high bar.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rolo View Post
    i slept with my food in a light food bag about the last quarter of my trip. I was just tired of hanging it every night and nothing ever bothered me. I also rubbed olive oil all over my body like my spartan ancestors did before sleep in case something wanted to grapple. The first two sentences are true.
    :d ........

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    Quote Originally Posted by illabelle View Post
    :d ........
    that was supposed to be a big grin!
    what happened to the emojis??

  19. #79
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    Quote Originally Posted by illabelle View Post
    that was supposed to be a big grin!
    what happened to the emojis??
    , ???

  20. #80
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    Quote Originally Posted by HankIV View Post
    . . .Too bad they haven’t found a scent that bears just abhor. . .
    Abhor may not be quite the right word, but they have.

    There are at least two things widely used by hunters in bear country when one has to make multiple trips, often over a couple of days to carry out a large kill like a moose. But when backpacking, most of us don't want to carry a 1/2 lb of pepper to dump all over our tent before we pee on it and crawl in for safe night's sleep with our food.
    I'm not lost. I'm exploring.

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