QUESTION:
What do I pack in a bear canister? Food and what else?

Mtn. Bluebird

ANSWER:

Hi Mountain Bluebird! 🙂

It sounds like you’re going to be traveling to bear country! Remember to clean out your car so nothing is visible when you park it at the trailhead. That means coolers, water bottles, and even blankets should be out of sight (so in the trunk, if it is windowless, or at the trailhead bear box). Bears have been known to see a blanket in a car and be quite intrigued…

In your bear canister, you need to store all of your scented items…which means:

• All food. Snacks, Mountain House dinners, granola bars, etc. Bears like to eat what we like to eat!
• Toilitries. Purell, Wet Wipes, deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, chapstick, sunscreen, bug spray, First Aid items like Neosporin, etc.
• Trash! Granola bar wrappers, empty Mountain House packages, used wet wipes, etc.

There is some debate as to whether or not you should store your used toilet paper in your bear canister. My view: if you do store it in the bear canister overnight, be sure that it is well wrapped in ziploc bags since it will be next to your food! Otherwise, keep your ziploc bag with your used toilet paper under a rock, well away from your tent.

Remember that when you are camping, store your bear canister at least 100 feet away from your tent. I like to find a tree or a bush so morning sun doesn’t heat up the contents.

Happy trails!
Hiking Lady

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