If you absolutely can't fit all your smelly things in a Bear box (because you're hiking too many days), what are some alternatives? (Besides leaving them at home and/or resupplying.) Would it be safe(r) to leave frz dried meals out, etc? Is there another packing method that could leave them less susceptible for attracting bears?

At least for a few days until you consume the overflow...

Thanks for any suggestions!

Aaron

Hang it. And a bear box is too heavy anyway. Try this:

http://www.ursack.com/

Ursacks suck.

We had a bear bite through one and we had to throw out half of our cheese on the first night out. At least with bear canisters the bears can't bite through them and you get a nice seat/table/drum.

+1 for the ursack.

I put sealed freeze-dried food bags and other non-smelly food items in an ursack, and keep the rest in the bear can.

JasonH wrote:Ursacks suck.

We had a bear bite through one and we had to throw out half of our cheese on the first night out. At least with bear canisters the bears can't bite through them and you get a nice seat/table/drum.

Don't get why you had to throw out half of your cheese, if an Ursack is properly closed they are very effective.

Even so I would still rather loose 1/2 my cheese on occasion than always carry a 2+ pound seat.

Ursack wrote:Have there been any failures?
We have sold bags in 50 states, Canada and assorted foreign countries.
So far, there have been no reports of a bear compromising a S29 AllWhite Hybrid. There have been 2 reported incidents of torn fabric where the aluminum liner was not used. The S29 (green, no ripstop, heavier fabric) introduced June 1, 2004 had double the breaking strength of earlier models. It was the model tested by SIBBG, and the fabric has been nearly perfect. User error (not cinching and knotting Ursack tight) has resulted in a few bear incidents. That's why we changed the design in the AllWhite: to make the cinching and knotting easier.
There is no such thing as a bear proof container.
Rangers have reported to us that even the hard sided canisters are broken by bears on occasion.

mrchad9 wrote:

JasonH wrote:Ursacks suck.

We had a bear bite through one and we had to throw out half of our cheese on the first night out. At least with bear canisters the bears can't bite through them and you get a nice seat/table/drum.

Don't get why you had to throw out half of your cheese, if an Ursack is properly closed they are very effective.

Even so I would still rather loose 1/2 my cheese on occasion than always carry a 2+ pound seat.

Ursack wrote:Have there been any failures?
We have sold bags in 50 states, Canada and assorted foreign countries.
So far, there have been no reports of a bear compromising a S29 AllWhite Hybrid. There have been 2 reported incidents of torn fabric where the aluminum liner was not used. The S29 (green, no ripstop, heavier fabric) introduced June 1, 2004 had double the breaking strength of earlier models. It was the model tested by SIBBG, and the fabric has been nearly perfect. User error (not cinching and knotting Ursack tight) has resulted in a few bear incidents. That's why we changed the design in the AllWhite: to make the cinching and knotting easier.
There is no such thing as a bear proof container.
Rangers have reported to us that even the hard sided canisters are broken by bears on occasion.

It was one of the earlier models and it was sealed per their instructions. My friend emailed them when we got done with our trip to let then know about the bags failure he was ignored. That kind of company that won't get a cent out of me. I would rather carry the extra 2 pounds and have some peace of mind.

Something to think about when buying a Ursack.

Ursack is not approved for use in Yosemite N.P. or in three areas of Sequoia-Kings Canyon N.P.

JasonH wrote:Ursack is not approved for use in Yosemite N.P. or in three areas of Sequoia-Kings Canyon N.P.

That's true, but it doesn't mean you can't use it there if you want too. I've successfully taken an Ursack in both parks several times. And it is approved for everywhere else in CA.

And no cannister is bear proof. When I was in Mammoth I was told a bear there learned to open the BearVault. And this...

BearVault wrote:In 2007 one or more bears at Marcy Dam in the Adirondacks learned how to open BearVault models. The bear(s) opened the lids by pressing in the snap on the lid with its canine tooth, unscrewing the lid past the housing lock and then opening the unit. There were no problems with BearVaults outside of this area.

If a bear can learn to open it there, others can too.

It's a free market, they are all similar cost, have different advantages and disadvantages. Folks can decide the factors important to them and buy what they wish.

mrchad9 wrote:

JasonH wrote:Ursack is not approved for use in Yosemite N.P. or in three areas of Sequoia-Kings Canyon N.P.

That's true, but it doesn't mean you can't use it there if you want too. I've successfully taken an Ursack in both parks several times. And it is approved for everywhere else in CA.

And no cannister is bear proof. When I was in Mammoth I was told a bear there learned to open the BearVault. And this...

BearVault wrote:In 2007 one or more bears at Marcy Dam in the Adirondacks learned how to open BearVault models. The bear(s) opened the lids by pressing in the snap on the lid with its canine tooth, unscrewing the lid past the housing lock and then opening the unit. There were no problems with BearVaults outside of this area.

If a bear can learn to open it there, others can too.

It's a free market, they are all similar cost, have different advantages and disadvantages. Folks can decide the factors important to them and buy what they wish.

I wouldn't use a BearVault either. I'll stick with the Garcia.

I just use my pockets or my sleeping bag. I figure that with cooking, sunscreen, and soap, I already smell a whole lot to a bear, so how much worse can a sealed cliff bar or something make it?

I can get 9 days food & toiletries in my BearVault (full size).

It takes some real organization to pack it. Mainly I repackage all the freeze dried food into light ziplock bags. I write the amount of water to add on the outside of the bag with a sharpie.

Next I carefully layer the food into the bear canister in the sequence I might want to eat it. That way I don't have to repack on the trail. I keep a large ziplock for trash in the top.

The transparent plastic BearVault is nice because I can see the food in it thus avoiding digging around.

The foil pouches that backpacking food comes in are not very practical for long trips. They don't pack well and create a large amount of waste. I use a Nalgene jar to cook the food in. Put the food in and measure the right amount of boiling water, screw the lid on, shake, let it sit. Any plastic container with a sealable lid, that does not melt with boiling water, would work.

Garcia's are great. But you can't see through the sides and I think I could only get 7-8 days worth of food in one. (Not tested) If I was going to have a real bear encounter, I'd like that one.

Ursack's are good for a back-up because they are so light. But they are far from fool proof. Even if the bear can't chew or tear through the kevlar fabric he could mash up the contents and sprinkle it out through the hole. I'd use one in National Forest where bears are hunted and naturally avoid humans.

Don't own one, never used one, don't plan on getting one. For 7 years and many mountains, we've never had animal issues in our food.

Once, on talking with a hiker on the benefits of an Ursack I expressed my reservations about it's durability. His response, "Dude, it's made out of Kevlar. It's bullet-proof."
Wow.

Fur crying out loud ...!

Where's that beer? Bob Sihler said he would leave me one!

I'm interested to see stats of people encountering bears in the Sierra Nevada outside of Whitney Portal and Yosemite Valley. In my six years of heavy travel in the Sierra, I've never seen a bear. Marmots/small critters and birds are bigger problems than bears from what I have seen and experienced.

kevin trieu wrote:I'm interested to see stats of people encountering bears in the Sierra Nevada outside of Whitney Portal and Yosemite Valley. In my six years of heavy travel in the Sierra, I've never seen a bear. Marmots/small critters and birds are bigger problems than bears from what I have seen and experienced.

I agree Kevin (and Deb). I've been out in the Sierra heavily for 6-7 years. I've seen lots of bears in that time, several each year, but never had an issue with one bothering food. When I did the JMT we had to keep the stove pot a ways away from the tent, because mice kept rattling it and waking us up.

Sometimes I bring an Ursack (if my food is crushed, so what) and sometimes nothing (usually camp higher than bear territory). Worst case scenario I lose my food once a decade or so. No big deal. But its never happened yet.

I understand the statement about protecting a bear from your food, but mine is stored well enough that any bear who seeks it is already after people's food, and as a result needs to be taken down anyway.

I own a Garcia, BearVault, Ursack, and a 50 ft piece of cord. Switched and progressed from one to the other as considered the pros and cons of each and which was optimal for my situation. I usually just hang food off a rock to protect it from marmots, the rest of the time hang to protect from bears, and just once in the past year felt the justification to break the BearVault back out (but it remained untouched by bears).