Hanging food bag
Has anyone tried using a section of monofilament line, instead of the tuna can method? I have been doing this on several hikes, with good luck. Maybe just lucky
I'm assuming you use a section of monafilament in place of the Tuna can above the bag to keep mice from shinnying down the rope to your food bag? That sounds like a great idea to me and you don't have to carry the Tuna can around. Personally, I believe in food hanging. So far though I've never used anything to keep mice from rope shinnying and have never had my food bag stolen or chewed into. I think I'll add a section of mono to my rope though. How long do you make it?
Last edited by Alligator; 03-29-2011 at 11:48. Reason: see TOS #15
I agree that some posters are "belligerent and downright offensive". That certainly includes LRR. Hanging food in a shelter to avoid mice damage at least doesn't contribute to dangerous animals becoming acclimated to looking for free food. As far as mice go, they will quickly swarm to heavily used camping areas no matter what you do. And if you are hanging in a shelter full of humans it is not likely to attract black bears to the point that they will actually get your food and become "problem bears".Originally Posted by LoneRidgeRunner
I've always hung my food, and from a tree. I hammock, so don't stay at shelters. Never had a mouse, or other problem.
I understand the tuna can approach though. As for the monofilament, sounds like it'd work. Only one way to know... test it out.
I also have come to the realization that hammocks are great for a variety of reasons. And being able to find places away from heavily used camping spots is also great for a variety of reasons.
I have thought about using some mono and now will go for it but wood like to know how long of section you used. I suspect about 15-18 inches.
The real test would be in Maine where mice have super powers!
I use a 2-3 ft section of 40# test. Before using the mono I had one case that a mouse got end wile hanging. None since.
No not really an opened can of worms, because I think most, at least I do, associate this question with shelters. The need to hang food in shelters to keep from mice is a completely different issue. I've never seen anyone hang food from a tree using cans (I suppose someone out there does it). Cans are only used (and for good reason) in rodent infested shelters, btw all shelters are to be assumed as rodent infested.
In other words the issue of sleeping with food while tenting out is a totally different subject than sleeping with food in a shelter. And it is why more people fear the mouse more than the bear.
Another option is to make your food bag from Spectra cloth like an Ursack. If all the tuna can hangers were full, I would hang my bag from a nail or peg in the shelter wall with no problems. The cheapest place to get Spectra cloth is from exploded air bags at the junk yard. You need to use some Spectra tent line for the drawsting too, so the little buggers can't chew through that either.
That's not a bad idea, but spectra has a limited lifetime against rodents. It will slow them down, but they can chew through it. Unfortunately I can't tell you what rodent or how long it takes, but I found tiny holes in my Ursack after leaving it on a small tree for a week. Fortunately the holes were small enough that the rodents didn't get in and was in a place that didn't allow it to bite into my freezer bags. The easiest way to prevent this problem is to combine your food bad with an odor proof bag, which I wasn't using.
I used the top of the 1 liter bottle method. Cut the top off. Drill the cap with a small hole, use a washer tied to your cord below the cap to stop the slippage. cord goes through whole up to rafter or branch...cord goes down to food bag.
The slippery domed bottle top seems to keep the varmint off.
sounds good on the bottle top. I packed an old CD. read that adding one shiny side up to the cord makes it difficult for them. Yours makes a lot of sense bus.
Those that danced were thought mad by those who could not hear the music. George Carlin
Leaftye- RevLee and I used the "Exploded Airbag" Ursack lookalikes last year and did use the OPsacks inside. To the best of my knowledge I never had a rodent touch mine (although they were everywhere in the shelters). The only problems that I had was them chewing into my pack when I forget a nut stash one night- and waking up two different times to hikers screaming when mice were all over their "pillow" food bags.
Yeah, I should use an odor proof bag. It surely would have prevented the rodents from touching my Ursack. What's worse is that I had several OPSak's at home long before that happened.
Haha, that's awesome about mice on their "pillows"! So many hikers believe that mice won't come close to them, but that's not true at all.
The hard part is not to start laughing at the guy in a crowded shelter after he had given us the "I always do that" speech earlier. He had his cook kit in the bag and I swear the mice were playing drums.....
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