Hanging a Bear Bag PCT Method

Instruction on the PCT method of hanging a bear bag.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• bag
• bear
• food
• method
• PCT
• tips

[arthurjll1]

I would hang anything with a scent in the bear bag. Some hikers will even hang up their sweaty clothes that they hiked in that day in the bear bag. Anything to keep the bears from being attracted to your tent is a good thing.

[arthurjll1]

The idea is to hang the food bag a good 100-200 yards away from where you camp, so that when the bear is drawn to the smell of the food, the food is far away from you and your tent. Also, when you cook food, you should also cook a good 100-200 yards downwind from your tent, so that the smell of your cooking does not drift back to where you are sleeping. These are just extra precautions and not a guarantee that you won't be visited by a bear. I also sleep with bear pepper spray by my side :-)

[arthurjll1]

when you start to lower the bag, the dowel rod will go up and run into the carabiner and will effectively stop the bag from lowering any further.

[BlackKaweah]

This method will work great, if you can jump in a time machine and backpack in the 1980s. Today, this method will work fine if there are no bears around. otherwise, you've lost your food and helped kill a bear.

[derekmadge]

After reading non-hysterical and well researched books (can't recall the names right now, darn it!) I agree that bear spray is likely going to be more effective.If used correctly - check the instructions and note the range and duration. Typically, neither is great. But if you were in a confrontation with a bear, you may have only seconds; guns are inaccurate, you will likely panic, and fellow campers can be shot.Spray is not 100% tho.Best to avoid conflict.Plan for confrontation and avoidance

[WorldClimb]

@Failedtroothers Bear skulls too thick to rely on a headshot. A good hit in the heart will kill a bear but due to their very low heart rate, it'll take up to a minute to die. During that minute it'll mash you up if it can. A shoulder shot is effective in that it's not well protected and will prevent the bear from coming at you. Use 5 rounds of your .357 concentrated fire to one shoulder. Save the 6th for yourself, lol.

Or get a can of bear spray and live. Half the weight, twice as effective!

[blackbat1339]

if you use a prussik poop above the stick or knotles setup then you can hold the weight of the bag with that and a length of cord to your foot, never tried but it seems it might work, and seems the prussik loop without extra cord will slip through the carabiner, just an idea please give me feedback of its effectiveness.

[Failedtroothers]

@CaptainMacNasty People like to splurge info like that all the time....If you shoot a Bear in the head with a .357 its going to DIE. Period. But lol the thing is can you Hit It in the head while an 800Lb furry tank is chargeing you?

[Failedtroothers]

Im not doing this hike without a Pistol in .44caliber and hanging my barrel At least 100 yards away like what some others mentioned. If they dont let you carry a pistol by law through the parks and wildlife areas fuck this. Too many City people dont really understand what could happen....lulz.

[triggerhappy6]

I'm planning a thru hike of the AT and have never bear bagged before, so thanks for the easy-to-follow steps! I'll be trying this method on a shakedown at a state park.

[bizzarrogeorge]

Thanks for the instruction. I've only camped in bear country once, and although I hung my stuff, I wasn't completely satisfied with the method I employed. Your idea is a lot better. Thanks.

[MrEddieg54]

@FieldMarshalB.. I'm all for bear bagging and never camp without hanging my food but all this discussions of where to shoot em..bear spray, which guns to carry is ridiculous! Some of you guys have been watching way too many movies...LOL..I'm ROTFLMAO...

[phillipgaley]

@dtdude42 I use a little small pulley—because carabiner is too small, it bends the rope in too small a loop, . . .