A Better Bear Bag

To keep those pesky bruins at bay, hang your food pack high and dry. When Smokey comes around, convince him he needs to swagger to the next campsite where those kooks just put their food pack under the canoes.

The Problem

The biggest problem with hanging a pack is that it's so darn heavy and needs two guys to hoist it into the air. The traditional food pack hanging guidelines supported by the Forestry Services has two short comings.

• The pack is usually pretty heavy to muscle in the air
• By pulling down on the horizontal line you reduce the height of the food pack

The Solution

The following instructions solves the two biggest short comings of the traditional bear hanging method. It reduces the force needed to lift the pack and doesn't pull down on your horizontal line.

The Gear Required

• 3 Carabiners
• 30' of rope
• 100' of rope

You can use two pulleys and one carabiner and the friction will be reduced, but carabiners are useful for other things so we'll put up with the friction.

Step One - Find Some Trees

Select two trees that stand 15' - 20' apart with branches that are about 12' - 15' high. The trees should be solid. When you raise the pack in the air, the force will be horizontal, pulling the trees toward each other. Can you reach all the way around the trees with your arms? You may need to find thicker trees.

Step Two - Start Pitching

Tie a carabiner to one end of the 100' rope and toss it over a branch. Sometimes this is the most time consuming part of hanging a bear bag, but with practice you'll improve your pitching skills.

Step Three - Keep On Truckin'

Now tie a version of the Trucker's Hitch in the same rope and slip on the second carabiner (B). Notice that we have not secured the end of the rope to the tree yet (A).

Step Four - Up And Over

Now take the 30' rope, tie a carabiner to it and pitch it over the second tree (C). Getting better at pitching yet? Notice also that we are not securing the outside ends of the ropes to the trees just yet.

Step Five - The Rabbit Goes Through The Hole

Pay attention! This is most confusing part. Take the slack end of the 100' rope and clip it onto the carabiner on the left. Now bring it back to the right and clip it in the middle carabiner.

Step Six - Tie The Knot

First, remove carabiner (A) from the 100' rope and use it to secure your food pack to both ropes. Center the food pack between the two trees. Now pull the ends of the two sides down, tie both outside ends to their trees. Use a form of the Timber Hitch to wrap it around the tree, it will hold by constricting friction.

You'll want the carabiners as close as possible to the trees (see illustration).

Step Seven - Pulley Time

Hoist your pack into the air. It's lighter but you will feel the friction from the two carabiners. The pack will want to move towards one side, tie a rope to the pack to move it back to the middle OR hook it with a paddle and pull it towards the middle.

I don't think the average bear knows how to hook the food pack and pull it towards him, but then again the average bear can some times outsmart the average human.

You're Done!

Advantages

• Cuts the weight of the pack in half thanks to the law of movable pulleys.
• Lifts the pack higher in the air because the the pulling force is horizontal, not vertical. You're pulling across instead of down.
• Makes you look like an experienced camper (even if it's your first time out)

The Better Bear Bag in Action