walkswithblackflies
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Nov 27, 2020 7:41:20 GMT -8
How do all y'all store your sleeping bags? I had kept mine in my dry basement, laid flat on shelving. But this year has been a bumper year for rodents, and I've already caught 8 in the past few weeks (I normally catch 2/year). I'm afraid mice are going to find and destroy my sleeping bags. I use plastic storage boxes for other items in the basement, but I can't find any that are 6'long, which would let me continue to store them flat. I assume it would be acceptable to loosely crumple them in shorter but taller bins, but I wanted to get your opinions first. Thanks.
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Post by cweston on Nov 27, 2020 8:00:50 GMT -8
I hang mine in the loose cotton storage bags that came with them. I'd be pretty hesitant to seal them in a plastic container, since they wouldn't be able to "breathe" at all, but I guess if that's what I had to do to keep rodents out of them, I'd do it.
But yeah, loosely crumpled is absolutely fine, as long as you're not actually compressing the down or synthetic fill.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Nov 27, 2020 8:57:15 GMT -8
Big plastic bins would be fine when they’re bigger than the breathable storage bags the manufacturer provides. And I’ve seen huge ones at places like IKEA (SAMLA Box, clear30 ¾x22x17 "/34 gallon $14.99). For even larger there are plastic 55 gallon trash cans.
BUT I’d be leary of sealing them in as I’d think mold is more of a threat than rodents (no food residue etc.).
One possibility is drill/cut some holes in the top and glue some metal screening over them. Allow some air flow.
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Post by JRinGeorgia on Nov 27, 2020 9:35:20 GMT -8
Stored loose in the large bag each came with (or if I don't have one then a mesh laundry bag), laid out on ClosetMaid/breathable shelving.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Nov 27, 2020 11:26:48 GMT -8
I keep mine in my closet, loosely stored in oversized bags.
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walkswithblackflies
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Nov 27, 2020 11:32:29 GMT -8
One possibility is drill/cut some holes in the top and glue some metal screening over them. Allow some air flow. When cweston mentioned the problem with sealing, I immediately thought of the same solution. BTW, my concern isn't the mice searching for food, but that the mice would tear them apart for bedding, or just poop and pee on them creating a mess. They've done it with clothing before. I've lost more gear to mice (both at home and in the woods) than any other reason.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Nov 27, 2020 13:54:03 GMT -8
Mine is in the cotton storage bag it came with, sitting on an upper shelf in the gear room closet. I keep mouse traps in the gear room because I did have a mouse in there once, but I've never had anything damaged.
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bluefish
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Post by bluefish on Nov 28, 2020 2:15:53 GMT -8
I store mine in a bedroom closet in mesh bags. I have a dry, finished basement, but get the occasional mice invasion. A tub with metal screen does seem like a good solution. I have had mice chew through plastic to get in a food bin of backpacking meals. I would think the best would be a tall metal locker that you could hang them in or stack them in mesh bags.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Nov 28, 2020 8:40:05 GMT -8
Just get rid of those useless work clothes until there is room in your closet to hang them there 😜
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Post by hikerjer on Nov 30, 2020 21:11:31 GMT -8
I keep mine in my closet, loosely stored in oversized bags. Same here. No issues with rodents in my basement gear closet. It's dry, cool, clean and dark in there.
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walkswithblackflies
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Dec 1, 2020 6:29:10 GMT -8
Update: I've put them in plastic bins with lock tops. I saw a couple of dry turds on the top bag, but no pee or other damage. While organizing my other gear, I found they shredded a cheap camp towel. There were some turds and a small pee stain on one of my "cheapo" bags in the garage, but I was able to easily wash it out. It looks like a mouse tore a small hole in the foot of one of the bags. I will be able to sew that with little problem. So now those bags will get thrown in a bin as well. I'll be taking PTO around the holidays, so I'll drill holes and attach screens then.
A few weeks ago, I had noticed that a mouse had chewed a small hole in a bag of dog food (I normally keep it in a 5-gallon bucket, but we had extra). Well, a couple days ago, I took a daypack down from the hook on the ceiling joist, and dog food flew everywhere. A mouse had stuffed one of the pockets full... but with only one of the three types of kibble! LOL!
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Dec 1, 2020 7:56:23 GMT -8
You do have a mouse problem! You need to lure the neighbor’s cat into your garage and shut it in for a while :D
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almostthere
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Post by almostthere on Dec 1, 2020 8:24:09 GMT -8
Breathable suit bags, with zippers down the front and hangers to elevate them off the floor so the cats don't lay all over them. Closets are climate controlled unlike the garage and it gets to 110F here in summer some years.
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Post by autumnmist on Dec 1, 2020 9:24:52 GMT -8
Just a comment on mice....I discovered they like chocolate. I can't remember if I used Reese's pieces or Hershey's kisses, but I mixed it with D-con (yes, I had to use something strong as traps just weren't enough) and they apparently feasted on it, but fortunately went elsewhere to die. If I have to do it again, I'll find a cheaper chocolate, although dispatching them with a good chocolate sendoff may ease my conscience.
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walkswithblackflies
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Dec 2, 2020 6:03:39 GMT -8
ust a comment on mice....I discovered they like chocolate. I can't remember if I used Reese's pieces or Hershey's kisses, but I mixed it with D-con (yes, I had to use something strong as traps just weren't enough) and they apparently feasted on it, but fortunately went elsewhere to die. I tried something similar, and they died in the walls. Not good. So now I live-trap them and set them free near an abandoned junkyard in the middle of nowhere on my way into work. It's basically an upside-down glass smeared with peanut butter, balancing on a quarter... similar to this: I've made improvements, and it's kinda like a little hobby. I think it's nearly perfected. I use a wide-mouth mason jar because it's the right weight and easy to screw the top on (holes in the top). I found that they'll suffocate if the jar falls flat, so after experimenting with different solutions, I have the jar rest/fall on some doubled-over hardware cloth (i.e. - small chicken wire)... so now they get enough air under the jar. I folded up the corners of the hardware cloth so they push the jar of the wire. The hardware cloth also serves as a temporary lid when I turn the jar over. I glued a nail onto the quarter so increase the odds that the mouse trips the trap (some smaller mice don't have the weight necessary to "rock" the glass). I put a piece of cereal cardboard beneath the entire contraption to capture their turds and pee... easier to dispose than clean the floor. The only inefficient part now is retrieving the quarter/nail from the jar once the mouse is inside. I currently use needle-nose pliers, but I think if I glue a string to the quarter I'll be able to retrieve it with less chance of escape.
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