Food storage

[Bill]

When backpacking through a forest or anywhere in the wilderness, where should one keep their food at night?

One of the first things I have learned when camping/backpacking is to never keep any kind of food inside your tent at all. If so, and one is backpacking, say through the Rockies, then where should you put your food when you are not hiking?

[jason]

I was told to always hang your food in a bag from a tall tree limb. If your sleeping bag came in a bag you can use that. Try to get it about 20 feet off the ground and away from other branches and limbs. You can also buy a canister to hang the food in. Garcia Machine Backpacker's Cache Bear Canister | SALE |

I've heard of some people hanging a rope between two trees and then hanging their food from another rope in the middle of the first rope that is in between two trees.

[calanta]

jason, I love that av pic!

Back on topic now, yes I have been one that would use the rope between trees. We starting doing this in our late teens as we would have 5-6 of us together and we were all pack rats, so more food needed to be hung. It works well, as long as someone does not forget the rope.

[Chris]

Definitely, hang it on a rope between two trees. If you put your food in your tent, you'll be a goner. Bears love food, and that includes people for food if you are foolish enough to put it in your tent. They can smell food in a locked vehicle so you know they can smell food in a tent.