Where do keep cooler @ night?

[GNB]

Hello everyone. Mostly a lurker here but do have a question. My wife & I are life long campers. We are not backpackers though. We normally bring food for the week in a cooler or two. At night we put the coolers and dry goods in the car.
I'm building a Harbor Freight trailer w/car topper to do some motocamping this year. We often camp in bear country. I'm concerned with what to do with the cooler and dry goods. The car topper would provide little or no resistance to a hungry or nosey bear. I'd rather just let them have it then tear up the car topper. What do you guys do?

[Yamifj1200]

Hello everyone. Mostly a lurker here but do have a question. My wife & I are life long campers. We are not backpackers though. We normally bring food for the week in a cooler or two. At night we put the coolers and dry goods in the car.
I'm building a Harbor Freight trailer w/car topper to do some motocamping this year. We ofter camp in bear country. I'm concerned with what to do the cooler and dry goods. The car topper would provide little or no resistance to a hunger or nosey bear. I'd rather just let them have it then tear up the car topper. What do you guys do?


I usually hang my food and the clothes I'm wearing when I cook well away from my camp site in bear country. Many of the western national parks have hike and bike sites with metal bear boxes at the sites to keep your food and gear away from nosey bears. The hike and bike sites are usually less expensive as well. Or just leave your food behind some one elses camp site and they can deal with the bears......lol

Eric

[G wizz]

While in bear country we've always camped in campgrounds that had the steel bear proof boxes for your food, and yes in deed, we did use them.

G wizz

[Trailace]

GNB Welcome!

Like the other when available I use the bear box if I'm carrying food.

[swandog]

i hide my beef jerky inside my sleeping bag at night:rolleyes: so the bears wont find it

[GNB]

Thanks for the replies and sorry for the poorly typed thread. I've heard of the boxes but have not seen them anywhere here on the east coast.

[Mellow]

If there isn't a bear box around, just putting everything with ANY scent in it and hanging the bag from a tree away from the tents is a good idea.

[G wizz]

i hide my beef jerky inside my sleeping bag at night:rolleyes: so the bears wont find it

Tell me ... Does that really work ? Or are you just playing hide and seek with those friendly furry bears? :D :D

G wizz

[bigTom]

Welcome GNB

I just make sure its nearer somebodys tent than mine! I don't have to win the race, just don't be LAST.

Really, I can't always hang the food, but I do put it away from the tent. I'd rather be hungry than bait.

[G wizz]

Thanks for the replies and sorry for the poorly typed thread. I've heard of the boxes but have not seen them anywhere here on the east coast.

The reason they don't have bear boxes back east, may be becouse the bears arn't the nusance there that they are further west.

G wizz

[Ironheadziggy76]

Welcome to the site GNB!

[Trailace]

I keep my food in Joe's tent but don't let him know. :D

[swandog]

Tell me ... Does that really work ? Or are you just playing hide and seek with those friendly furry bears? :D :D

G wizz

i did read a story of a cub scout that had hidden his jerky in his sleeping bag and a bear had come in the tent to get it . once i made the mistake of leaveing some fried chicken in the cab of my friends truck . in the morning the doors were dented in from the bear standing on the mirrors , the hood was also dented , scratched and covered in drool . the windshield wipers also got messed up

[ImRubicon]

I keep my food in Joe's tent but don't let him know. :D

Can we throw DQ wrappers in there too?

[swandog]

heres a picture of the grizzly that lives in a fenced off acerage on our local ski hill . his mom was shot by hunters so he was orphaned at one year old . 2 years ago he walked out through the fence as he got the scent of near by females . so they chopped his nuts off .

[Mellow]

I keep my food in Joe's tent but don't let him know. :D

Yeah... kept wondering where the Doritos were coming from...

Just remember, bears can smell anything.. even chapstick from what they say at Yellowstone.. now, that gives you some visuals.

[VFR]

Yeah... kept wondering where the Doritos were coming from...

Just remember, bears can smell anything.. even chapstick from what they say at Yellowstone.. now, that gives you some visuals.


Good point there. I have chapstick in my pants pocket, sunscreen in my tankbag & hand lotion in my toilet kit. Better remember to put all that stuff together & far away from me. I also have antacid tabs for acute gastric distress that I usually have in my tent. Probably need to move those out too. Better to have a bad stomach than a bear in the tent..:eek:

Larry

[Mr. Guy]

Just remember, anything those "smelly" things have been in will smell too. That sunscreen in your tankbag will make your tankbag smell like sunscreen. It needs to stay out too.

It might be better to keep all the smellys in one bag that you can hang in a tree. Just hang the whole tankbag.

Just my .02

Guy

[swandog]

they even enjoy drinking motor oil , loggers dont leave oil for there chainsaws in the bush overnight as bears will consume it

[G wizz]

they even enjoy drinking motor oil , loggers dont leave oil for there chainsaws in the bush overnight as bears will consume it

Ya ... bears know a good laxitive when they see (smell) one. :D

[Scout]

When hanging your food, how far away from the tent is recommended?

[swandog]

50 yards is the recomended distance

[swandog]

heres the method they recomend

[BJFazio]

. so they chopped his nuts off .

OMG!!! :eek: I've never felt sorry for a bear before, but geez, did they have to 'chop'? I hearby swear to never again follow the smell of females wearing perfume.

[ImRubicon]

Most area's I have campedd its more racoon or pig problems so I havnt worried much yet. when I went west I just didnt keep food around the camp. though I like the idea of putting it in mellows tent

[greybeard]

When hanging your food, how far away from the tent is recommended?

how far do you want the bear to stay

[ImRubicon]

I wonder if dropping snuff around would help as it used to keep the MP protrol dogs off the scent in the army

[G wizz]

I wonder if dropping snuff around would help as it used to keep the MP protrol dogs off the scent in the army

Won't work on bears ... they were never army trained. :D :D

[swandog]

I wonder if dropping snuff around would help as it used to keep the MP protrol dogs off the scent in the army

im not sure if its a true story . i heard of some japanesse tourists who showed up at the hospital . they had perchased cans of bear repelant [bear spray] . then not understanding its use . figured it was ment too be sprayed on them selves to keep bears away

[fredric]

The best grizzly bear protection you can buy are little tinkle bells, sold at Wal-mart. You wear them on a chain around your neck.

To see if you are in grizzly territory, you can check the droppings left by the bears in the area.

The droppings left by brown and black bears contain remains of berries, small rodents, acorns and such.

The droppings of grizzly bears contain remains of berries, small rodents, acorns and tiny little bells.

[Mr. Guy]

I once heard a park ranger say that if you see a bear you should climb a tree. If the bear climbs up and eats you, that's a brown bear. If the bear knocks the tree down and eats you, that's a grizzly bear. :D

Guy

[wwells]

I once heard a park ranger say that if you see a bear you should climb a tree. If the bear climbs up and eats you, that's a brown bear. If the bear knocks the tree down and eats you, that's a grizzly bear. :D

Guy
Seems like a lot of work just to become "used food"!

[G wizz]

Seems like a lot of work just to become "used food"!

Well ... Look at it this way, with bears, there'd be no leftovers.

[Dstrickland]

Timothy Treadwell was a friend of the bears. So much so that the bears invited him over to be dinner.

I wonder if we taste like chicken to the bears? :eek:

[G wizz]

Timothy Treadwell was a friend of the bears. So much so that the bears invited him over to be dinner.

I wonder if we taste like chicken to the bears? :eek:

Na ... probably taste more like pork. :D

[HOGCDR]

Bottonline: Everything you own and travel with has smells, bears can smell you at great distance. When placing your food away from your tent, your trying to reduce the chance that the bear chooses to investigate the food vice you. Now that you have placed your food away from your tent and given yourself a false security, what do you have to protect yourself and give yourself that same false security in your tent?? Bear spray, a gun, or the beef jerky!! P^

[G wizz]

Bottonline: Everything you own and travel with has smells, bears can smell you at great distance. When placing your food away from your tent, your trying to reduce the chance that the bear chooses to investigate the food vice you. Now that you have placed your food away from your tent and given yourself a false security, what do you have to protect yourself and give yourself that same false security in your tent?? Bear spray, a gun, or the beef jerky!! P^

Make friends with 'em. Give 'em a jar of honey. That's what Winy the Poo said he likes.

[GNB]

My wife and I were camping in NW PA a few years back. We had a cooler dragged off by a bear earlier in the week. A couple of days later we left an empty cooler on the picnic table while we went for a short walk. When we came back momma bear was tring to get it open. There were 3 cubs. When she saw us she barked the command for the cubs to scatter up into the trees. That is the reason for not climbing a tree. Momma doesn't watch what cub goes up which tree. She sees you go up a tree and now she coming to protect her cub. Those cubs were being training to check out any square box!
That same week we were playing cards in the tent during a rainy afternoon. We were just laying there when we heard a pot get knocked off the table. I peaked out and sure enough it was a bear. I wisphered to my wife to just lay quiet. This happens everynight w/o a problem. That bear ended up sniffing all the way around the tent. 6" from our heads. I didn't have to use the bathroom the rest of the week.

[Dstrickland]

All kidding aside, when you wander out in the wild, regardless whether on foot, on a motorcycle or an RV, you are in their backyard. They are wild animals and will respond to people as they are conditioned to. I've seen alligators here in the everglades swim towards people for one reason. They think they'll be fed. Others will swim away or stay a safe distance away. They are not fuzzy warm sensitive animals. They have a brain that is programed for two functions, reproduction and eating. My advice is to prepare accordingly. Can I have an "Amen"?

[Ironheadziggy76]

They have a brain that is programed for two functions, reproduction and eating

I must be part bear! :p P^

[bigTom]

Amen.

I still don't have to win this race, just don't finish last:)

[Dstrickland]

Okay, this thread got me curious. I searched "Timothy Treadwell" and came across this site. Gory stuff. I tell you what, even in Black Bear country you don't want to cross paths with these critters. In my law enforcement days, I was cruising behind an abandoned prison in Copeland, Florida. About 9 miles north of Everglades City. It's around 2300hr and I got out of the car for a moment and caught a glimps of something in the edge of my head lights and it was the largest sow black bear I've seen. I'd put her at over 400 pounds. I dove back into the car and put the spot light on it. She ran off. Next day in daylight I saw it again and she was indeed big. The black bear in Florida get big because they don't hibernate. I've heard stories from locals here about bear draging off their German Shepards or other large dogs. But the point I wanted to make is that you folks are correct in that everything we contact will have an oder that they can smell, sometimes for miles. If at one time you had food in a container such as a saddle bag on your motorcycle, that smell will remain there for a long time, regardless of how well you clean it. Not only bears but wild cat, panthers, coyotes, etc will smell this stuff and be attracted to your area. When animals associate people with food, that's bad for us.

http://www.yellowstone-bearman.com/Tim_Treadwell.html

[WingnutMike]

Other than a bear box if available, I still haven't seen a answer to where to keep the cooler. OR....Maybe I'm confused. Are we supposed to hang the cooler on a rope somehow? :confused:

[ImRubicon]

Would tossing a little snuff around do any good . It used to rerally bother the police dogs in the Army

[Mr. Guy]

I think the three choises are:

1. Bear box
2. Hang in a tree
3. Stay out of bear country

Or maybe I missed something.

Guy

[bigTom]

Quote by Guy
I think the three choises are:

1. Bear box
2. Hang in a tree
3. Stay out of bear country

Or maybe I missed something.

Guy

You forgot the most important one:

Always camp with somebody slower than you....

[GNB]

You forgot the most important one:

Always camp with somebody slower than you....

Now that's good.
We never have any food in the tent, period. I also would rather let them have the cooler then have them destroy something trying to get at it. We camp in state parks or similar campgrounds. There is always plenty of food around including dumpsters. The bear generally don't try real hard because there is always easy pickin near by. My thought at this point is to take along a couple of ratchet straps and use one to keep the cooler closed and the other to strap the cooler to a tree. That should keep the small animals out and if the bear wants to work that hard then he can have it.

[WhiteWingCouch]

Other than a bear box if available, I still haven't seen a answer to where to keep the cooler. OR....Maybe I'm confused. Are we supposed to hang the cooler on a rope somehow? :confused:

When camping in California, they had pictures of cars and trucks that bears had ripped doors off so the bear could get to coolers that were inside the car. So if a bear box is not available, and you want to keep what is inside your cooler- yes. Hang the cooler from a tree. Probably very important for someone on medication like insulin that has to be kept cool.

[rbertalotto]

To answer your question......YES, use a long rope thrown over a tree branch and hang everything that has food, smells like food or had food in it. Also hang your shower kit with soaps, tooth paste, deodorent etc.

A few points to ponder............

If a Black Bear attacks, fight it off. He will eat you.........
If a Grizzly or Brown Bear attacks, play dead. He just trying to remove a threat.

When I'm camping in bear country I use scent free everything! Toothpaste, deodorant, bug spray........Nothing goes in any "non removable" area of my bike. I once had the seat of my ATV ripped off because days earlier I had put a sandwich in a plastic bag under it. The sandwich and the bag had been removed days before. the scent lingered.

I've had black bears eat the grips off my ATV because of the salt left from my sweat.

If you hang your food in a tree while remote camping, use a tree you can see from a great distance and be sure to be able to see the area around the tree. You might be leaving early in the AM when bears are very active and he might just be in the vicinity of the tree trying to get it down. Use binoculars if you have them to scout the area before you approach. Throw stones, sing etc.

I hate bears in camp. You can tie fishing line around the campsite attached to a bunch of pots and pans. If a bear hits the line, the falling pots and pans will scare him away. Scare the s--t out of you also, I might add! I read about one fellow who rigged a switch to his bikes horn that was attached to fishing line that did the same thing.........

A Grizzly attack has never been defended by a handgun. No matter the caliber. Bear Spray is a much more effective deterrent.

More info here:
http://www.udap.com/safety.htm

[okc_native]

Hey All,

I heard about this on the local news and thought I would share it. It is about a new bear proof cooler developed by a Florida company and a business in Texas, it sounds promising.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/01/grizzly-beartested-campin_n_209632.html

Okc_native

[VFR]

I'm wondering about having one of those little cannister boat horns to scare bears away. Those puppies are LOUD!!!! I'll be camping in Yosemite soon & I would just as soon not be bothered by bears.

REI has some poly bags that supposedly do not let any food odor escape. Not real sure about those.

[Yamifj1200]

Larry,
I am headed out to Wyoming and Montana this august. I did some research on some of the bear sprays... I will be taking this one with me.
http://www.udap.com/
you cant be too careful, JMO

Eric

[Hoosier]

What do you folks think about the electric fences that are available?

[ImRubicon]

What do you folks think about the electric fences that are available?

If you can talk a bear into peeing on them its funny as heck


The fence idea might work but could be more to pack and would really wake you up if you stumbled into it in the middle of the night .
Some of these guys dont go to far from the tent at night LOL

[swandog]

two nights ago i was camping and some creature dragged my some of my gear into the woods , now im reading my pocketbook with teeth holes in all the pages

[G wizz]

What do you folks think about the electric fences that are available?

I'm trying to visualize this ...
You're going to string an electric fence wire around the perimeter of your camp site ... and hook it up to an electric charger, correct?
Are you stringing barbed wire? What are you going to use for fence post? You'll then need a generator to plug the charger into. And don't forget, you'll also need a gate ...
If you can pack all this stuff on a motorcycle, I'd like for you to teach me how to pack. :D :D

G wizz

[Hoosier]

Actually its pretty slick. The little charger uses two D batteries. You can use four of those driveway marker fiberglass poles and 75 foot of wire. For some reason when a large ole bear gets hit they just go nuts an run away. Even farm livestock don't do that. Look up bear electric fences and see some of the videos. It seems they always get zapped on the nose and thats got to hurt.

[Clamper]

I don't think much of an Electric Fence. I would quit camping or not camp in an area where I had to use one. I've deer hunted in bear area. We had two deer hanging and didn't have trouble from bears. Either they had enough to eat or we smelled that bad, but just don't see the need for a fence around our camp.

[eggmandingo]

I've done some hunting and the advice given here is very good. The one thing I would add is, don't cook your meals to close to your tent. The odor from cooking can be transfered to your tent. Also washing your hands and face will help. I've seen a few pop-up campers shredded because the campers cooked thier meals right outside the camper and yogi comes a sniffin. Just be smart about it and you'll be fine.

:tent3:

[monoshock]

I throw a rope over a tree limb and houst my food up about 20-40 ft. at night. :tent1: