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PSA: You might be hanging your bear bag completely wrong
I've been camping in the Smokies for 10 years and always just tossed a rope over a branch, tied my bag, and called it good. Last month a ranger watched me do it and said bears can knock that down in 2 minutes because I wasn't using the PCT method with a carabiner. Has anyone else been doing the basic throw-and-tie trick their whole life?
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amy_reed7918d ago
Start looking at the branch you're using more carefully next time. I watched a black bear in the Adirondacks actually snap a dead branch clean off just by pulling on the rope, bag went flying. Now I test every branch by giving it a hard yank first, no matter how thick it looks. Also switched to a rocksack with a waterproof liner instead of a regular stuff sack, keeps food smells locked in way better than any bag I ever used.
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thompson.xena18d ago
You ever had a branch that looked solid but just snapped like that? I used to think any branch thick as your arm was safe, no questions asked. But reading this makes me rethink all those times I just tossed a rope over without testing. What's the best way to check a branch without climbing up there?
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