3 of 7

Write now Article Tools

When camping under the stars, few things are more unpleasant than to wake up in the morning to discover that animals have gotten into your food. After the cleaning up, you may be able to make an emergency run to the nearest store to replace what you have lost. You may have to cut the camping trip short due to running out of food. If a bear decides to search for food in your tent, you may even end up badly injured.

With a car

If you have a car with you, guarding food from animals is simple. Keep all your food in your car trunk, and take out only what is needed for each meal. Keep all your perishables in your cooler, keeping them cool with a block of ice or dry ice, then chain the cooler to a tree and and lock it. (Both raccoons and bears can figure out how to open an unlocked cooler, and in heavily camped areas, both have also learned that coolers contain food.) Clean up after each meal, so that food odors won't linger around your campsite and attract animals. This is also part of being a courteous camper and leaving the site the way you found it, so the next person can have a good camping experience as well.

After supper, store the cooler and all other food containers in the trunk of your car, and lock the trunk. Don't forget to close the windows of the car as well, since odors from the trunk or SUV storage area often drift into the seating area. Be aware that daytime heat generated inside the trunk of a car will make ice melt more quickly.

Without a car

If you are hiking or canoeing in the back country far away from your car and other amenities, guarding your food from animals is a bit more challenging. In this case, avoiding the unwanted attention of animals begins with a few ounces of prevention. Don't bring foods with strong odors with you, or else close them tightly away in sealed containers. Waterproof all perishables by placing them into plastic containers or baggies, then tie them together into a cloth or plastic sack. Clean up immediately after each meal, so that food odors won't linger in the area.

When you are setting up camp, place all your food containers into a tarpauline. Thread a long length of 30 or 40 pound fishing twine, at least twice your height, through the eyelets of the tarpauline, tying one end to an eyelet. Pull the tarpauline closed, then throw the long end of the fishing twine over a high branch. Pull up the tarpauline containing the food so that the bundle is suspended at the edge of your reach but still a couple of feet below the branch,

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about How to guard your food from animals while backpacking?
We want to hear your view. Write now!