Disperced camping in bear country with foods that need to be cool

[Jim]

Q1) How are cooled (ice box / refrigerated) foods handled when camping in bear country overnight?

Q2) I guess the question could also be opened up to the general - how is (any) food handled in bear country (or any animal that would spend time trying to get at the food)?

I'm getting the itch (next season?) to do overnight trips but am a newbie aside from tenting in established campgrounds (bear lockers and toilets provided).

Do I skip bringing foods that need to be cooled but that still leaves Q2...

[newracer]

Hoist them above the ground several feet.

[FINOCJ]

Keep it locked in car or in enclosed pick up bed...of course open top jeeps that is harder. For most Colo I don't worry too much. In dense bear and grizzly country we keep food in bear approved storage. In usfs or nps campgrounds the storage lockers are good...but if in the backcountry then we usually have both an approved dry food storage box and cooler - often these have some sort of recessed contraption to get them open. Coolers we padlock the lid to the base...or just put a bolt and nut. For backpacking in Colo we hang food in a bag from tree limb. For backpacking in a place like rmnp or grizzly country then there are lightweight containers...check out bear vault and or bear keg.

[Java]

Ive never had any problems with bears, I just have my cooler strapped to my trailer. Bluejays are the real problem! :lmao: If they get one thing to eat they'll be with you until you break camp.

[Tom]

Had a bear sitting 3 ft from tent one night. It fightened easily but didnt go far. Near West yellowstone. Never issues in CO

[Tom]

Had a bear sitting 3 ft from tent one night. It fightened easily but didnt go far. Near West yellowstone. Never issues in CO

Back country way is to hoist in the air. Not just up in a tree. Black bears climb trees. Rather string a line between two tree and suspend the items from the middle. Iirc it needs to be at least 10 up.

That said I spent my summers in the back country leading backpacking and mountaineering trip for a number of years. I never did that. When I was concerned I would put edibles 150 ft or so from camp, protected from smaller critters.

The bear in the camp was due to a group of teenagers I had just brought out of the back country and we camped at a public campground the kids left the van door open with all the food accessable. I had been ill that day and went to bed early. Had told em to close it all up.

[Spieg]

Never had a problem with bears while Jeep camping in Colorado. Backpacking is another story. As a general rule, I like to hang food (be it a cooler or bag of non perishables) from a rope tied between two trees so that the cooler/bag are at least 6-7 feet off the ground and 5-6 feet out from tree trunk/branches that could support a bear. Smaller/lighter coolers are the way to go so you don't get a hernia (100 Qt. coolers need not apply). Love my Yeti 35 for this because it has sturdy anchor points. IMO locking food in the car is probably the worst thing you can do (cars have been demolished because of a stick of gum left in the console).

[Tom]

The real problem is caused by camping in the same area spots as other campers over the summer/years. Bears get trained that the odors mean food. If I have an option I find a non used or really neglected (used long time ago) spot.

[JGRubicon]

I try and bring as little that need refrigeration as possible. If I'm car camping I have a Yeti Cooler and locks that I'll chain to a tree. The chain is not for the bears, it is for the humans. I also have a half bear can that i'll use for Alpine camping as I'll sometimes camp high enough that the trees aren't much use for hanging. Most often I use a drybag for food and a drybag for trash and string them up with some tech cordage. I'm lazy and rarely do the between two trees method.

For getting the line up, I use a weighted bag, I've had a lot of success with this, but you could easily get real stuck, luckily I learned this when I was in a position to climb out and recover it safely. https://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?category_id=284&item=1795

I'm typically far more concerned with how a campsite looks before I get there, as I find most campers to be unbelievably sloppy, based on physical evidence.

I've yet to encounter a bear while camping, not that I'd like to. I do keep spray handy, and hope to never use it.

[Tom]

I'm typically far more concerned with how a campsite looks before I get there, as I find most campers to be unbelievably sloppy, based on physical evidence.My last point exactly.

[redneck23ms]

just get a yeti (or similar) bear resistant cooler

[RockyMtRebel]

Bears are out and getting into cars again. One got stuck in my wife’s ‘16 Volvo XC90 a couple nights ago.... tore apart the inside door panels until the wife found her key fob and popped the hatch. He jumped out quick and I chased him off.... insurance adjuster is visiting tomorrow to size up the damage. I’m thinking $5-6K ..... this is a year after year struggle we have and yet Boulder county won’t allow us to build a garage. Stupid zoning rules

[FINOCJ]

Boulder county won’t allow us to build a garage

How about a 3 car garage? Or maybe its an add on to to the living quarters with a very large door.

[RockyMtRebel]

That’s what we want to build, 3 car garage/barn. Boulder county sucks!

[Jim]

How far north to the county line?

[RockyMtRebel]

A couple miles