Hanging Food in the Backcountry - Bear Camping Tips

Hanging Food, Garbage, and Odorous Items

As a general rule, your food should be hung at least 10 feet off the ground and 4 feet away from the tree trunk, but check local requirements. In some parks and forests, hanging your food out of reach of bears is easy: use the cables, crossbars, or food poles generously provided by agencies such as the Park Service and Forest Service. Don't tie off your rope or cord on support poles because bears will sometimes climb those poles, bump the rope, see your food bag move, and make the connection.

If you're on your own, the counterbalance technique is the best method for hanging your food from a tree. In Yosemite, it merely forestalls the inevitable, but it will foil bears almost anywhere else. The idea is to hang two food sacks of equal weight way out on a tree branch where bears can't reach them. The main problem with the counterbalance technique is finding the right tree with the right branch. Your first requirement is a "live" branch at least 15 feet above the ground. The branch must be strong enough to support the weight of your food but not sturdy enough for a bear cub to walk on. You're looking for a branch about 4 to 5 inches in diameter at the base and only 1 inch in diameter at the point where you hang our food.

With the counterbalance method, your food must be at least 10 feet above the ground and 10 feet away from the tree trunk. You want your food sacks to hang bout 5 feet below the branch.

1. Begin by putting a rock or weight of some sort in a sock, tying a rope to it,and throwing it over the branch. Move the rope as far out toward the end of the branch as possible. Some manufacturers now make "bear bags" with a food sack on one end of the cord, and a smaller sack to hold a weight at the other end. Thick rope is less likely to tangle. Wearing gloves will prevent rope burns
2. Your food should be in two sacks or containers of equal weight. They shouldn't weigh more than 10 pounds each because an inch-thick branch won't support more than 20 pounds.
3. Tie one end of the rope around the neck of one sack, securing it firmly. Tie a loop in the rope near your sack for retrieving your food later. Hoist the sack all the way up to the branch by pulling on the free end of the rope. Now reach up and tie your second food sack as high up on the rope as you can. Again, tie a secure loop in the rope near the second sack. Put any excess rope into the sack.
4. Toss the sack into position or push it up with a stick so the sacks are balanced over the branch. Don't forget: A 6-foot-tall person will need a 5-to-6-foot-long stick to hook the loop on the food sacks when it's time to retrieve them.