How to Store Food While Backpacking and Camping
When you’re backpacking, one of the most important items in your pack is your food. You’ll be hungry after a day on the trail and need to fuel your body properly. Every meal and snack becomes incredibly precious when you’re in the midst of a strenuous trip. The last thing you want is to have that food go anywhere but your stomach. That’s why it is so important to know how to properly store food while backpacking and camping.
Though it is easily overlooked by beginner backpackers, food storage is something you’ll want a plan for. Below, we’ll go over how to store food while backpacking and camping.. the right way.
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Why Backcountry Food Storage is Important
Storing your food properly can save your snack supply, your gear, your trip, and possibly even your life.
Making sure your food doesn’t get in the hands of animals keeps it in the hands you want it in – yours. Especially after a day of intense hiking, you’re going to be hungry. Knowing how to correctly store your food while camping will help ensure that you will keep your body fueled throughout your trip.
Food storage may also keep animals from getting sick. For starters, they don’t know how to unwrap a granola bar. Most animals will chew right through the wrapper. If they get to your food, they’ll be consuming plastic, foil or other harmful material. We want to make sure our backcountry buddies are staying healthy by sticking to their typical diet.
Another, perhaps more concerning consequence of bad food storage is attracting bears. While some bears, such as black bears, are typically afraid of humans, they may still come and investigate your campsite if they smell an easy meal. This can lead to a destroyed campsite, ruined gear, and injury if you’re not careful.
The worst part – if people in the area before you were lax with food storage, bears in the area become more bold with approaching humans. So this is a group effort! If you’re not concerned about getting confronted by a bear, use the safety of others as your motivator to store your food properly.
Tips for Storing Food While Backpacking and Camping
1. Check Storage Requirements Before You Go
As you are preparing for your next backpacking trip, do some research on the forest’s rules around food. Some places may not be in a bear habitat and therefore will have light guidelines. Others, such as ones in the heart of bear country, may require you to carry a bear canister and give you a hefty fine if you’re caught without one.
Checking online or by phone allows you to prepare before you get there. While many forest headquarters will have bear canisters for rent or lease, they might not have enough for every group. It’s a good idea to bring your own so you don’t get caught without one at the trailhead. You can find our favorite bear canister for purchase here.
2. Use Bags Wisely
Bagging things within your backpack may seem excessive, but if you do it correctly it can keep you organized and safe.
Use a fabric, plastic, or garbage bag to separate your food from the other contents of your backpack. This will not only make grabbing your food more convenient, but it will prevent your food from leaving a scent on your other gear. The bag will prevent crumbs and oils from falling into the inside of your backpack. That way your tent, sleeping bag, or sleeping pad wont smell like peanuts and chocolate to nearby animals.
Utilizing odor-proof bags may also be a good idea. These bags will help mask some of the scent of your food and toiletries. You can also put used, sweaty clothes in them to keep your bag from smelling like an armpit. Just note that these are not effective at keeping bears away from your food. They are simply an extra deterrent.
3. Avoid Odorous Foods if Possible
If you’re going somewhere that is a hot spot for bears, you might want to limit the smelly food and toiletries you bring. Bears have an incredible sense of smell – they’re going to notice your food regardless of how bland it is. However, certain strong scents may make it more tempting for any animal to check you out.
Foods that contain bacon or tuna, for example, might be more appealing to animals due to their strong odor. The same goes for scented lotions, deodorants, or sunscreens. If you want to reduce your chances of attracting a bear to your campsite, leave the bacon truffle mac n’ cheese and vanilla pumpkin cupcake lotion at home.
4. Store Food Carefully Regardless of Bear Population
While bears may be the most threatening concern, you should continue to practice proper food storage when you’re far from bear habitat. Racoons, mice, squirrels, birds, and many other sneaky critters may be tempted to take your goods.
While you wont need a bear canister to keep mice or racoons out of your food, you’ll want to hang it up. Keep an eye on your food bag and don’t leave your food out for long. Little animals can sneak into your food stash without you even noticing it.
If you realize something has gotten into your food, empty your bag immediately to see if the critter is still hiding inside. Then check through your food and put anything with bite marks to the side. Don’t eat the food that was nibbled on, you never know what kind of illnesses wild animals might be carrying.
5. Don’t Keep Food or Garbage in Your Tent
Though it may be convenient to have easy access to your food without having to leave the tent, it’s best that you store your food outside of your tent. The same goes for your trash and scented toiletries.
The reason being that you don’t want animals to be attracted to where you are sleeping at night. They might scratch or bite at your tent in an effort to get inside, leaving a hole that allows water, cold air, and bugs to intrude in your sleeping space. Also, having a bear or racoon trying to get into your tent while you’re in it makes for a terrifying and unpredictable experience. Avoid this drama and keep your food and trash out of your sleeping space.
Methods for Storing Food
Bear Poles and Pulleys
Some campsites are equipped with a bear pole or pulley system for you to easily hang your food with. These are convenient, trustworthy methods of food storage that can save you the trouble of having to hang the food with a rope. You’ll need to have a separate bag for your food in order to use these methods.
Bear Pole – Bear poles are essentially a flagpole with hooks at the top for you to secure your food bag to. Nearby will be a second, unsecured pole with a hook that you use to maneuver your food bag to the top of the upright pole with. These can sometimes be difficult to work with, so you might want to consider hanging your food before it gets too dark
Bear Pulley – If your campsite has a pulley system, you will see a cable stretched between two trees with several more cables looped around it. You’ll need to clip your bag to one end of the cable, then hoist it up by pulling on the other side of the cable. It’s a similar process to rising a flag on a flag pole. Then hook the other end to a screw in the tree to keep it up there.
Downsides to Poles and Pulleys
- Some animals who live near these backpacking sites have learned how to access the food, so it is not a guarantee that it will be there in the morning.
- Mice and squirrels are sometimes able to climb the cable to get into your food.
- It can be tricky to hang your food if you’ve never done it before. If not secured properly it can fall to the ground in high winds.
Hanging Food in a Tree
If you’re backpacking and come across a site that is not equipped with any food storage, you’ll need to hang the food yourself. Be sure you always have a long and sturdy cord or rope in your pack for these purposes.
Look for a sturdy branch that will hold your bag at least 15 feet off the ground so bears can’t reach it (if you can reach it, a bear might be able to). Tie one end of your rope to your bag and toss the other end over the branch. You might need to attach something with a little weight to that end to get some height on your throw. Then hoist your bag so it is high, but not close to the branch. Then tie the other end to the tree trunk to secure it.
Downsides to Hanging Food
- It can be tricky to find a good branch to hang it from.
- Carrying long enough rope for this purpose takes up space in your backpack.
- It can be tricky and time consuming to hang it properly, especially for beginners.
Check out our favorite food hanging system here!
Bear Canisters
There are some parks in bear-dense areas that require you to carry a bear canister. A few of these will have several them available for rent or lease at the park headquarters, others will require you to bring your own.
Bear canisters are hard, cylindrical cases with lids that bears are unable to open. These may require a coin or screwdriver to unlock. They are great for keeping your food safe from animals because they can’t get to the good stuff even if they have their hands on the canister. It is one of the most secure tools to use when it comes to storing your food while backpacking.
Bear canisters are so effective that they don’t even need to be hung from a tree, you can leave it on the ground knowing that nothing can open it. However you should be sure to keep it at least 100 feet from your campground so that animals aren’t coming near your tent. Read more about bear canisters here.
Downsides to Bear Canisters
- They are bulky and heavy to carry. You’ll need to repack your bag if you get one at the last minute.
- Bear canisters can be expensive if you want to purchase your own. They run around $70-90 a pop.
- Bears or other animals may kick them around in an effort to open them. You may end up hunting around for it in the morning.
Find our favorite bear canister here!
Bear Bags
Bear bags are high density Kevlar or polyethylene sacks that bears or other animals are unable to rip into. Like a bear canister, this bag will make it more difficult for an animal to get to your food once they find your stash. However they do not fully mask the scent of your food.
These are great alternatives to bear canisters because they are more lightweight and compact, so carrying them in your backpack isn’t as much of a headache. However, since they are lightweight you won’t want to leave them sitting on the ground. A bear could easily carry the entire bag away in its mouth even if they cant open it. Hang it from a tree, out of reach of any animals.
Downsides to Bear Bags
- Aren’t always recognized as an acceptable alternative to bear canisters. You may get a fine for using these instead.
- You need to hang them up to keep animals from carrying the bag away.
Find our favorite bear bag here!
Food Lockers
Popular campsites and backpacking trails may be equipped with food lockers to keep your food safe from animals. These are large, metal containers with a special locking door that bears are unable to open. Though bears can likely smell the food inside of it, they wont be able to access it which will make them quickly lose interest in your site.
In order for these bear boxes to be effective, you need to make sure you lock or latch it completely. If you over stuff the box, it might not close all the way. So if you plan on sharing these boxes with other campers or a large group, make sure you have a backup plan for storing any food, garbage and toiletries that don’t fit.
Downsides to Food Lockers
- Relatively uncommon in backwoods campsites but are popular in large public campgrounds.
- Usually needs to be shared with several other backpackers.
- You’ll want to carry a backup food storage container in case everything doesn’t fit.
Conclusion
Knowing how to store your food while backpacking and camping is important for the well being of yourself, other backpackers, and the many animals around you. Always bring along appropriate gear for storing food. Make sure you are following any regulations and restrictions when entering a forest – they are there for a reason. Though it may be inconvenient at times, keeping your food safe will help assure you have a good and safe journey.
Cover photo by Autumn Mott Rodeheaver on Unsplash
