Store your camping food incorrectly鈥攚hile car camping聽or deep in the backcountry鈥攁nd wild animals will eat it. A stolen package of bacon sucks for you, but it鈥檚 potentially deadly for the animals because they become accustomed to handouts and familiar with humans. Follow these five simple tips to keep your food, and the critters, safe.聽
1. Bring a Bear Canister
Sure, bear canisters are expensive (from $60 to聽$80) and heavy (up to four pounds), but they鈥檙e damn effective. Lock your food in the airtight, durable container to protect it from critters during the day, then move it at least 100 feet away from your tent at night鈥攋ust in case.聽
2. Use Established Storage Solutions
Many national park campsites feature permanent bear canisters. Call ahead and reserve one if you don鈥檛 have your own portable canister.
3. Hang Your Food in a Tree聽
We recommend you use parachute cord鈥攁t least 100聽feet. Attach a rock to one end and your food bag to the other. Throw the rock over a branch that鈥檚 at least 20聽feet high, and then raise your stash. Tie off the p-cord around the tree. Pro tip: Practice a few聽knots beforehand to ensure that your food comes down when it鈥檚 time to eat.
4. Stash Anything That Smells
All scented products attract animals. This means you need to store your toothpaste, sunscreen,聽and soap in your food bag or bear canister at night. You might not want to eat your bottle of Dr. Bronner鈥檚, but a bear might think otherwise.
5. Always Keep Your Food off the Ground
I shove my pack in a tree when I take a breather on the trail and never leave food lying around on the dirt at my campsite. This protects everything from opportunistic animals. The practiced diligence also helps me remember to hang my food or place it in a bear canister at night.聽