Food storage when backpacking

[skunk]

Hello,

I'm a backpacking newbie for the most part but I am hoping to correct that with some back country western hunting this fall.

I'll be backpacking in and camping out and I want to go reasonably ultralight and I'm wondering what others do for food storage. My food supply will consist of freeze dried packages that you add water to since I want to minimize weight and hassle. Are there particular food storage bags that folks recommend? I don't want to lug a bear-proof canister so my thought was to use a bag of some sort that I could suspend from a tree.

Do folks lightweight drybags for this or are there other options I should consider?

Thanks!

 

[mlevimadden]

I keep all my food items in their regular packaging, and store each day's worth of food in a gallon zip loc bag. I typically just leave the food in my backpack at the foot of my tarp when sleeping. That being said, I'm not typically in a super bear dense area or a grizzly area.

If I was in an area where bears were a concern, I would stuff all my zip loc bags into a sea-to summit dry sack and hang from a tree with some paracord. That whole setup would only add a few ounces to your pack. The 13L sack would prolly hold at least 4 days worth of my food and the 20L would hold over a week's worth.

 

[MikeStrong]

I have just used a dry sack in the past, but plan to get a Kuiu Boned Out Game Bag to dual purpose as an easier solution to this and for its intended use during hunting season. The handles and strap attachment points seem like it would make hanging it in a tree, or whatever else is needed, very simple.

Boned-Out Game Bag - Hunting Game Bag | KUIU

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[jmez]

Dry bag or any of the synthetic meat bags work well. I use a Stone Glacier load cell dry bag. Very light and has a roll down buckle top. I attach to the paracord with a small carabiner.

I always hang my food, keeps rodents and large mammals out of it. It doesn't take long and a bear eating all of your stuff the first couple of days would be a major PITA.

 

[doverpack12]

Even though you anticipate all freeze
Dried I would use a dry bag. Helps with smell and if it rains it’s nice when everything isn’t soaked. I wouldn’t go smaller than 20L. I use a 20 and for a few days worth of food it works for me and a friend.

 

[Akicita]

In low Bear threat areas I store my food in a Loksak plastic bag that helps keep odor away from rodents and fury bandits. When in Bear country the Loksak goes in an Ursack bear proof bag.

 

[Owenst7]

I hang my food if it's going to be unattended for any length of time to keep rodents from eating holes through stuff. Sometimes I have to get creative to stop he squirrels. I just use whatever lightweight bag I have handy that is easy to tie to. Sometimes its the stuff sack for my sleeping bag if I'm really shaving weight.

When I'm in black bear territory like Tahoe/desolation and I'm not required by law to use a canister, I tie bandannas soaked with a small amount of ammonia to my bag at night. I've been on the Rubicon where camps a few hundred yards away got raided even though nothing was left out, and we were left alone because I put ammonia on the coolers and tires of the crawlers before bed. I used to use it on our trash cans when I lived in Alaska too.

You might want to experiment with some home-assembled dehydrated meals before buying a bunch of commercial meals. The commercial ones are pretty heavy on weight and light on nutrients....not to mention expensive and hard on your digestive system. Andrew Skurka's cheese and fritos soup is one of my Staples and is super cheap and easy to make with store bought dry ingredients. My version comes out to like 125 Cal/ounce and about 20g of protein for a 600 Cal meal.

 

[amp713]

All of my food goes in a kifaru mega pull out and I can hang it if I want.... however I eat in my tent with my food in there.... probably something very dependant on your area and if you are bearanoid

 

[yeti14]

I guess it really depends on the area you are in. I know you said you don't want to carry a bear canister, and I thought the same for years. However, its all I use now. ( I used to do all my backpacking in Montana and currently I am in a high bear density area in Alaska) There is obviously a weight penalty, but I find it much more convenient. Its a pain in the ass some times to find a good bear tree, especially at higher elevation. I find the whole process of lowering and hanging a pain. With the canister, you just walk down wind from camp and throw it on the ground. plus, it doubles as a stool.

 

[larryschwartz]

I would also suggest you practice with something other than prepackaged freeze dried meals.You still need to boil water and then let it rehydrate for 10-15 minutes. You can do the same thing with the pasta and rice meals you can find in your local grocery store and they cost less, may weigh less, and will have less sodium. Get some freeze dried or dehydrated meats that you can toss in while it rehydrates and you can make some very tasty meals.

I would also very strongly suggest that your hunting trip NOT be your first journey into backpacking. You want to have experience using your gear in the field before you hit the West. Little details that you can learn this summer on weekend backpacking and camping trips will save you time, frustration, and effort when you get out West. You can also figure out how to set up your pack and frame so that it rides well. And, of course, those weekend test trips are the place to figure out your sleeping pad doesn't keep you warm or doesn't stand up to rocky ground very well.

Larry

 

[Bearded Bowhunter]

If I am camping in the same location or for more than one day, I just use the compression sack from my sleeping bag and put the food in it. Then find a tree with a good horizontal branch and throw it over using paracord.

 

[larryschwartz]

Some other good foundations for your meals, that rehydrate well include:

~ Idahoan instant mashed potatoes. They come in a variety of flavors so you can have something different each night. Add boiling water and let it sit covered for five minutes.
~ Cous Cous. If you get the precooked variety all you do is put it in a pot or bowl, add boiling water, cover it and let it sit for five minutes.
~ Instant stuffing mix. Just like the others you just add boiling water, cover it, and let it sit for as long as the directions say.

With this carbohydrate base you can then add cut up turkey, chicken, or SPAM from one of the single serving packets you can get in the grocery store. You can find dehydrated or freeze dried vegetables in the ethnic foods aisle of your grocery store or at Trader Joes if you have one in your area. Soup packages can also be used to add vegetables.

This can all be "cooked" and eaten in pots or freezer bags.

A quick Thanksgiving meal for the backcountry is instant stuffing, Idahoan mashed potatoes, for your carbs. Single packet turkey or chicken for your protein. And then add in deydrated green beans or carrots. Craisins for your cranberries and you have the full Thanksgiving meal.

Larry

 

[ssssnake529]

I use Ursack bags. Much lighter than a bear canister. They make both bear and critter proof bags.

Ursack – Lightweight, Bear Proof Bag.

 

[Ruskin]

If I am camping in the same location or for more than one day, I just use the compression sack from my sleeping bag and put the food in it. Then find a tree with a good horizontal branch and throw it over using paracord.

Bear country or not, I’m not sure I would do this and still use it for my sleeping bag. Last thing I would want is for my sleeping bag to smell like dinner.

Unless, you have just repurposed the compression sack and never plan to use it for the sleeping bag again.


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[Bearded Bowhunter]

Bear country or not, I’m not sure I would do this and still use it for my sleeping bag. Last thing I would want is for my sleeping bag to smell like dinner.

Unless, you have just repurposed the compression sack and never plan to use it for the sleeping bag again.


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Have done this in grizz and non grizz country many times with zero issues. By your logic, nobody could carry food up the mountain in their pack either because their packs would then smell like dinner in their tents too. As I am largely carrying freeze dried meals, I'm not quiet sure how you thing the smell of food is going to permeate into the compression sack and then on to the bag. Was just offering my opinion based on what has worked for me. Don't see you bringing a solution to the table.

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[KHntr]

I keep all my food items in their regular packaging, and store each day's worth of food in a gallon zip loc bag.

If I was in an area where bears were a concern, I would stuff all my zip loc bags into a sea-to summit dry sack and hang from a tree with some paracord. That whole setup would only add a few ounces to your pack. The 13L sack would prolly hold at least 4 days worth of my food and the 20L would hold over a week's worth.

This is pretty much exactly what I do, with the exception that I hunt sheep in grizzly country. A couple of weight rated carabiners are pretty handy to use for hanging a sea to summit dry bag, string the para between a couple of things to get it off the ground, and run another line from the 'biner to your dry bag. Hoist it up and away. Generally we hang something that makes a bit of noise as well, should something start trying to get at the groceries. I'm not going to let a porcupine or bear ruin a 7-10 hunt by destroying all my food.......

 

[hobbes]

I use an inexpensive dry bag from walmart. I pack all my freezedry meals and daily ziplocks in it for packing in. It may be heavier than those mentioned, but it was inexpensive and has worked well with paracord to hang while Im not at camp. If I was packing in farther or for more days, Id look for something lighter.