For backpacking the Ursack is your answer Annie. Pricey but a lot of people swear by them. I haven't had too many problems with the bear hang. But, if I did I would get an Ursack.

When no suitable branch can be found we have rigged a rope between two trees. Rig a carbiner with the bear rope through it near the center of the span before hoisting the other rope up and tieing off. In essence the first rope becomes the branch. Problem is now you need to throw two ropes lol. The last couples  years my throw bag from canoe has doubled the bear rope. I load the bag with a few rocks for weight.  Has proven to be more effective then trying to tie a stick or rock to the rope on its own.

Did some research on the ursack now. I still see people hanging them as they are NOT scent proof so this may not fully remedy  your problem. There's is an alternative called Opsack? ? , that advertises  scent proof also. The last thing I would want is a hungry bear , now a pissed bear batting  an Ursack around my campsite frustrated he can't get in to it Lol! I've never had an issue with a campsite bear, yet, so I'll continue as we have for now. Bear vault may be best option IMO.

I used to be pretty good at hanging a bear bag. I had a little kit with a tiny stuff-sack that I could put a rock in or fill with dirt, special arborist dyneema line with a slick samthane coating on it to prevent the line from sticking to tree branches (eastern Hemlock is the worst for that, and yet is usually the best tree to hang from. Sad.), and a carabiner so I could do a PCT style hang (google pct bearbag hang). I studied videos on YouTube. I was a bearbag hanging nerd.

But that takes up a lot of time, and I usually go solo, so sometimes it became a race to get everything done before dark. When I arrived at a campsite, I would first identify the trees for hanging my hammock, then immediately wander 100 metres into the bush to find a bearbag tree, and hang the line in preparation for hanging the bag later after dinner. (By the way, I don’t understand people who hang the bag on a tree right in their campsite. Sure, the bear won’t get your food, but now the bear is in your face!)

But if you get to camp late in the day, it is not very much fun to try and find the perfect tree branch and then try to loop a rope around it, while the light is fading and your stomach is rumbling.

So I’ve been using an Ursack, with an odourproof bag inside it, since 2012. I actually have two, for long trips, and because they are not very big. (I see now that there is a larger size. I would buy that one if I were a new customer).

Just seal the heavy duty odourproof bag (bring an extra bag in case the bag seal delaminates.) Cinch the bag super tightly. Tie the knot tightly as written on the bag tag. Then tie the bag to a tree or better, the crotch of a tree. Then remember where you put it. Done.

Pro: simple, easy to do, no time wasting, secure, the Ursack is indestructible and so is the rope. Your food might get crushed, but not stolen. :-)

Con: heavy-ish bag, low capacity, and odour-proof bags can malfunction. Expensive! $99 for the small.  Darn USD-CAD! I paid $71 in 2012 and that hurt.

The bear vault would give you something to sit on or a little table to put a lantern on or something.

I’m happy to lend my Ursacks if our trip schedules don’t overlap. I’m going this week, so that’s out. In August I’m going the 17-19 and 24-4th.

Last edited by Methye (5/13/2018 8:38 am)

Right - I missed the post up above re: also using an Orsack.  The Ursack may be pricey but I expect it will last a long time so I don't mind getting it - it will get a fair bit of use and well worth it so I don't have to stress out over finding a good tree or being able to hang my bag properly.  

Have a great trip Uppa - kayak camping, now that is very cool! I will definitely be checking out your website at some point for camping tips - and to find out how you pack your gear in a kayak!

I have both sizes of the Ursacks and I use odour proof bags as well. Never had an issue and to my knowledge no bear has ever found and played around with either of them.

In my opinion they work well for several reasons:

1) I know we are talking about bears but honestly the bigger threat to getting into your food are squirrels and chipmunks etc. These solve that problem.

2) Yes a solid hang is always better. Which you can always do with these too. I keep rope and a pulley inside the bag as well. BUT how many times have you been at a site with really no workable spot? For me, more than I can count. So if you have to use a less then ideal hang with a non- bear proof bag and a bear gets it your food its gone. Same scenario with an ursack you still have food.

3) If a bear finds the ursack you will hear him playing with it. Just go out and scare him away. Easy Peasy

4) My wife is type 1 diabetic so losing all our food in the middle of no where is kinda a big deal. So even if the food is mashed up it is still food. A lot of our stuff is dehydrated chilli etc. Can’t really mash that up anyway. Ursack sells liners that protect your food too. I dont have one but an option if you are concerned about that.https://www.ursack.com/product/ursack-aluminum-liner/.

5) Arriving late to a camp site in the dark or any time really .. just easy to go out an hang off a branch and the food is still very safe.  Or going for a paddle in the middle of the day just quickly shove all your food in the bag and hang on a branch.

6) Easy to pack and when empty is takes up way less volume. Bear vault/ barrel always takes up the same space no matter how empty

7) How many sites have you been on with an old piece of  rope hanging from a tree that broke off on someone? Looks like crap IMO. Again not really a problem with these..

That’s my experience. Hope it helps with the decision.

Last edited by ShawnD (5/14/2018 9:20 am)

I'm sure everyone knows but its worth repeating ... whether its a ursack or not if the rangers don't consider it properly hung you always run the risk of a getting a fine.  I think they usually only apply this fine if you have more blatant issues (e.g. left food out while gone fishing) .. .but you never know. 

If in doubt at least show you made the effort to hang it on whatever you had to work with .. .between trees should suffice as long as its high enough  ...   

http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/visit/park_management/algonquin-park-rules-and-regulations.php

I think rule number 6 would apply here- seems to be worded in a way to give rangers a lot of leeway.

That's an entertaining and impressive video- they're very persistent! However, I don't think that a good 2 rope bear hang is defeated very often- I could only find one other video of a bear going for roped food on youtube for whatever that's worth. Aside from my food getting destroyed if a bear were to spend some time gnawing on a Ursack, I would be concerned that that would still be considered a 'win' for the bear- even if it wasn't fed, it did get to chew on a pretty tasty bag for a while. Therefore, bad habituation. 

As suggested, it's got to be tough to avoid ANY scent generation on a week long trip if these bears can smell as well as claimed. So I think there's more value in never rewarding the bear, rather than trying to make your food unfindable. Every single time our food is hung well away from camp at least 3m high on a rope strung between 2 trees- never off of a branch (that would be a very effective way to feed wildlife of all sorts). I do have the advantage of having a tripping partner, so we can share camp tasks, but if I were soloing I think I would still prioritize bearproofing my food. After some practice it doesn't take too long to get a good 2 rope with pulley system set up. Minimal damage to trees this way as well.