IT'S IN THE BAG

3 WAYS TO HANG A BEAR BAG

- HILARY WHITE

Bear canisters suck. They're heavy, awkward to pack, obnoxious to open and close, and usually expensive. There certainly are many places that require them, even if it's just to thwart clever critters such as raccoons and the like, but most of the time there's a better option available for you to protect your vittles. This option is lighter to carry, easier to pack and more cost-effective.

Behold, the bear bag! Also called a food bag, this is exactly what it sounds like: a bag that stores all your food and scented items while you're out traipsing through the forest. When used in conjunction with a few different hanging methods, your bear bag will keep your tasties out of an animal's reach, both keeping you from going hungry on your trip, and keeping the animal safe from human intervention.

If a bear is able to get into your food, it's being encouraged to keep raiding campsites, which leads to possibly dangerous encounters for both the animal and the humans involved. The more often this happens, the worse the "bear problem" becomes, which can lead to agencies having to put these creatures down. Not cool.

And it's not just bears that should worry you. Even mice can wreak havoc, and not only by eating or contaminating your food with droppings. If mice are enticed to your campsite with the promise of a meal, they could chew through all sorts of your gear to get at the food, which may sound harmless... until you're in a survival scenario and they chew through something important (Biko Wright, a Season 8 contestant on an episode of "Alone," suffered this fate, which contributed to his tapping out).

The takeaway here? Keep every variety of paw away from your campsite! Read on to learn three ways you can hang a bear bag to keep your food safe.