Want to know how to store food when camping in bear country? Well, here’s how. Food and other odors that draw bears as well as other wild animals need to be secured by all hikers and campers.
It’s no surprise that bears are drawn to anything that smells good, thanks to their highly developed sense of smell. Bears are attracted to the scents of many common household things, including food, toothpaste, soap, lotion, and insect spray, particularly those that include citronella.
The great news is that there are many simple techniques to guarantee that your campground does not become a moth’s paradise. Keeping your campsite tidy and storing your food and waste in a secure location is the simplest way to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
Consider Bear Safety When Packing
In bear territory, you must bring some things to keep bears away from your goods if you’re going camping. These are only a few examples:
Bear Spray
This bear repellent spray is so potent that if you don’t know how to apply it, it will render you helpless. Only use this if bears are knocking at your tent door. It’s like pepper spray on steroids.
Storage Boxes
Ask ahead of time whether the campground you’ll be visiting has camper storage lockers available for rent. Whether you’re bringing your box, check with the park to see if it’s okay to use it.
Airtight Bags
Biodegradable food items cannot be buried if you’re camping in bear territory As soon as bears detect it, they will pursue it. As soon as you’re done cooking and cleaning, seal the airtight bags you used to dispose of your rubbish to keep bears away.
Extra Clothes
Do not wear clothing that you used to cook in for a lengthy period, since bears may mistake you for the meal you prepared!
After preparing a meal, it is essential to remove any clothing you cooked in as quickly as possible. To keep the stench at bay, put your clothing inside an airtight bag and put on some new ones.
How To Get Your Camp Set-Up
Set your campsite far away from any bear-related objects to minimize the risk of a bear raiding it. That berry bush may appear like the ideal background for your camping photos, but it’s not worth the danger. You’re simply expanding the bear’s food store by setting up your tent beside a berry bush.
Please do not camp amid the forest in an unidentified place like the “Man Versus Wild” routine. Use your common sense to get you through this. When camping in bear territory, stay near to other campers and set your tent in a well-known area.
Your campground should be set up such that different activities may be kept distinct from one another. You’ll have separate areas for sleeping, cooking, and keeping food at your campground. Ideally, the distance between each of these locations is no more than one hundred meters (yards).
You should always keep your food away from your tent, but you should also separate your cooking area from your food storage area. Why? Because bears won’t be able to follow the scents from one of these two regions to where you’re resting.
To be on the safe side, it’s best to avoid bringing food inside your tent altogether. If you want to eat late at night, don’t do it in your tent unless you want your tent to become a bear hangout.
How To Store Food When Camping In Bear Country: Requirements For Food Storage
For this reason, there isn’t a single set of guidelines for how to properly store your food when you’re on a camping trip. Depending on the park, bear canisters or lockers may be required, however, bear bags are acceptable in other parks.
Let’s have a look at a few simple guidelines to assist you to keep your food safe.
Compressible, dense, high-calorie, and low-odor meals are the best choices. For bear country camping, tortillas, nut butter, jerky, spaghetti, nuts, rice, and protein bars are the best.
You may also avoid drawing bears to your campground by avoiding cooking. Another useful tip is to master no-cook meals appropriate for camping in bear territory.
Before embarking on your journey, remove the wrapping from your food and repack it. Reducing waste and making the most of your packing space are both aided by this method. Set up camp and obtain supplies as quickly as possible.
It’s fantastic to have bear-resistant containers, but that only works if they’re sealed uptight. Close and lock your food containers anytime you are not physically removing anything from them.
Cannister Vs. Bear Bags
Camping in places like Rocky Mountain, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone National Parks necessitates the use of bear canisters, so do your research before you go.
Bear canisters are small, lightweight food storage containers that may be carried in a bag. A bear can’t open bear canisters in the vast majority of cases. A disadvantage of bear bags is that they are rather hefty, that’s why many people prefer to use lighter bear bags instead of these.
Even though bear bags are far lighter than canisters, bears in certain locations have become so clever that putting your food in a bag is nearly impossible.
The easiest approach to find out whether you need a bag or a canister is to talk to the rangers in the area. They are well-versed in the behavior of the local bears and the best methods for storing food.
Bear Bag Hanging
To keep food from falling to hungry bears, a bear bag is an arrangement of ropes, bags, and occasionally carabiners and pulleys.
Keep food out of the reach of bears like black and grizzly, as well as other rodents and small animals. In terms of packing, this choice is the smallest, but it also doesn’t give the best moonlight walk experience in terms of setup.
A bear bag isn’t an option if there are no big trees around your tent. To hang the bag correctly, you’ll need both talent and expertise. A bear bag might be a lighter choice, but bears know how to pull the sack down and take your food supplies, making it less effective than a bear deterrent.
It’s becoming more and more common for parks to require canisters or certain methods to hang your bear bag if it is permitted at all.
Bottom Line
A basic awareness of bear-proof food storage is necessary while camping in bear country. Your trip starts as soon as you begin preparing your belongings and yourself for a bear-free holiday.
Even though bear canisters are more successful than bear bags in protecting campers, several parks continue to allow the use of bear bags, although they are less effective than canisters. Regardless of the manner, you choose to keep your food, it’s critical that you only store the proper items.
Because bears are drawn to far more than human food, you must protect whatever you bring with you while not in use. Your meals should be as simple and non-scented as possible if you’re going camping, and that’s precisely what you need to be doing.
