Bear bagging smarter

[le Voyageur 72]

Canoeing in bear country can be made a lot safer by ignoring the traditional method of bear bagging..ie. hangin stuff in the trees. My method is simply to put food and smellables in the dry bags and sink them in deep water. A recovery rope staked near shore, and kept under water completes the set up...........

[OldGreyEagle 5]

And this set up has the additional benefit of putting a chill in your food as well, if not a chill, definitely cooler than up in a tree

[eisely 13]

A interesting solution to a unique set of circumstances. What about ordinary backpacking in bear country? I assume that you are using bear bags or cannisters in those situations.

[le Voyageur 72]

When I solo backpack in Yosemite, I never bear bag. As long as I stay away from the tourist sites I've never had any problem...but with scouts, and away from the water it's back to the traditional. It also seems that dry bags tend to work a lot better since they can be sealed tighter, then say a stuff sack, or a backpack.

Sinking a dry bag of food and smellables occured to me while while canoeing in grizz country...seemed to be the better solution in dealing with these guys....

[Bob Russell 10]

Could you give us a few more details on your method? I assume you squeeze as much air out as possible. Do you weight the bag down with rocks to sink it? If in more rapid current, do you use multiple stakes? Thanks.

[le Voyageur 72]

With the dry bag, I try to get as much air out as possible. Most of the time I'll have several mesh bags on hand which are loaded with rocks for anchors. These are then clipped to the dry bags using carabiners along with one end of the recovery rope. Lacking mesh bags, then stuff sacks can serve the same purpose. By the time breakfast is over they have dried out and are ready for their intended use.

For the recovery rope, this can be any inexpensive 7mm to 9mm nylon rope found at one's local hardware store (avoid the cotton cloths line rope, it's too weak) . If you're sinking in moving water then multiple stakes would be called for to prevent any loss. Also, the rope can be secured or tied off to large rocks, or strainers along the bank, When securing to rocks, I myself like using chocks since they are slinged with bright webbing and are quick and easy to set. Other than that, it's a very simple technique, and with a little practise, quick to learn.