Protecting your food from bears and other critters.

Here's another video, but doesn't show the aftermath, just the bear trying to get at it. In the video description they say the bear tried to get it from 2am till 8:30am.

I always would hang my stuff. Got pretty good at it, but I live near Shenadnoah NP and they STRONGLY urge hikers to use a bear cannister.
Just bought my first one - a Bare Boxer that should be fine for my solo ventures. Will be testing it out this spring. After I wrap it in reflective tape because knowing me, I'll lose it.

But didn't realize he was not coming for dinner. He was dinner.














































Not really. I shooed him away.

Sort of a different take on Ursacks...don't like them much in the Sierra.
They are required here (some places maybe not so, but in more and more wilderness areas they are strictly required) for the protection of the bear, not for the hiker's convenience. "A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear."

Too many times have seen Ursacks users - bags clawed/ mangled but like stated above, "The bear was not successful in actually opening them up...just crumbs". Unfortunately, now the bear, even though unsuccessful, managed maybe a slobber taste...at a minimum, got a good feel and smell of what's inside. Being a soft-sided challenge, the bear obviously deemed it worthy of further exploration. The fact that the bear above spent considerable time working on the bag indicates to the bear that there is a greater promise of food here....probably to return again for another round later too.  You come through once - many will follow after you. I live here.
Bears are pretty smart. A returning bear increasingly loses fear of human interaction...more incidents...eventually having to be put down.

Where as our Yosemite bear has long ago learned a hard sided canister (99.9% anyway) is impossible to breach if used/closed correctly...and subsequently, after spotting a bear can, will just walk on by.

"A bear can is too heavy...I know how to hang...Ursack is lighter...Never had a problem...Works just as well...Just passing through...bla bla bla." Respectfully, this is a selfish attitude. If you are backpacking and using an Ursack in a required hard-sided, bear can area, this increasingly invites future bear-hiker interactions. 

Hang it, sleep with your food, Ursack it...who cares - do whatever in areas where this type of food storage is allowed, but in restricted areas, use a bear can.

Me too...my well-used Weekender -

Sorry to take this off topic, but it reminds me of an attorney for whom I once worked. He was always on a diet, tried to go w/o lunch, couldn't and would hungry.   Then he'd steal the staff's lunches when the lunchroom was empty. We didn't have any "attorney proof" boxes or canisters, and many of us missed our lunches when he was on the prowl.   

At least there are canisters to keep bears out; we never did figure out how to keep an attorney out of our food.