Date: Sat, 4 Aug 2007 06:08:06 -0700
Reply-To: Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: food in the van or not in bear country?
In-Reply-To: <016701c7d66b$0f9d24b0$3300a8c0@morgan>
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Our habit is to bring our cooler inside the van at night and lock the
doors. I've had plenty of nocturnal encounters with acquisitive bears
while backpacking and know the drill. If Mr or Mrs Bear decides to
investigate we are prepared to discourage him or her with loud noises,
bad jokes, religious tracts, etc.
I don't like having a cooler underfoot during the day so it moves right
outside the sliding door and we stay close enough so we can get between
the food and a curious bear (bears following the `possession is ten
tenths of the law' philosophy of food ownership). We keep all our
grocery receipts in case the bear has any questions.
If we leave camp for a hike or to fetch water, the cooler moves back
inside, windows up, and the sliding door gets locked, it being too easy
for a bear to open. Beyond that, there's nothing else that could
reasonably be done. You do what you can without getting crazy about it.
There were bear boxes at all campgrounds but Highland Lakes, but they
were invariably in direct sun and were probably over 100F inside. Poor
location for food storage, but for the folk that like to lock their SUVs
and cars as soon as they get more than a dozen feet away, the boxes are
probably a comfort. Boxes don't honk loudly whenever they are opened or
closed, though. But they're probably working on that.
Hanging food from trees is ineffectual unless you know exactly what you
are doing and find that perfect tree. Knowing that few folk know how to
do this properly, that such trees are remarkably rare in the coniferous
forests of the Sierra, and that bears have long figured out how to chew
through the end of the rope that you thoughtfully tied withing reach so
you could lower your food in the morning, many National Forests and
wilderness areas in the Sierra require that all backpackers carry tested
and approved brands of bear canisters for food.
A comparison of techniques is here:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/bear_bag_hanging_technique.html
--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
KG6RCR
pete typed:
> BA <oddstray@ODDSTRAY.COM> posed the subject question.
>
> Having been "beared" once in the Sierras I've researched this a bit. The bears learn early what coolers are and if they are outside they'll get em open. The bear boxes at some campgrounds are good but the bears have learned how to open some of them also.
>
> Short of hanging food from a tree limb 15' off the ground I prefer putting the coolers inside the Westy and covering them with a tarp or blanket for visual and odor containment - has worked for us for several years. They've never hurt our camp stoves or box wine left on the table.
>
> Pete
> 80 Westy
>
