Philmont Council Contingents

Bear Bags          

Each campsite in the main Philmont Scout Ranch has nearby bear bag cables permanently strung between trees.  In the Valle Vidal, crews must make their own bear "cables" for their bear bags.  Upon arriving in camp, place all "smellables" that are not immediately needed under the dining fly and place all dishes near the sump.  If you are not looking at it, hang it!  Smellable items are suspended away from people -- don't forget spilled food on clothes.  The following are bear bag items:

Hanging a Bear Bag

Each crew will be provided with bear bags and ropes to take with them on their trek.  Hanging the bear bag should be a "duty roster" duty and all participants should know how to hang the bear bag.  It is a good idea to keep a small stuff sack and light rope to hang the last minute and forgotten items just before going to bed so you don't have to take one of your bags down to put these things in it -- sometimes, this is called the "Oop's" bag (use a stuff sack and thin line with distinctive colors to make it easy to locate your oops bag line).  It is also helpful if each crew member has a small stuff sack that they keep their personal "smellables" in so they don't have to root through their packs every night.  The easier it is to locate smellables & have them ready, the more likely it is that they will be hung and not kept in the pack or tent.

• Coil rope and throw over bear cable.  Do this during the day for easier throwing.
• Be sure to get ALL smellables in the bags before hanging.
• Do not use rocks or other weights to throw the rope.  The weight of the rope should be sufficient.  Rocks or other weight could injure someone.
• Climbing trees to suspend ropes or retrieve tangled ropes is not allowed.
• Well-hung bear bags will lead bears away from camp and people.
• Do not stand under the bear bags when hanging them.  They could fall.
• Tie the bear rope to two separate trees, so if a bear should cut one rope, the bags will not fall.
• DO NOT HANG BEAR BAGS DURING A LIGHTNING STORM.

Philmont campsite bear cables are approximately 20' above the ground.  When creating your own "cable" in the Valle Vidal, you should try to get it as high as possible.  The bottom of the bear bag should be at least 10' to 12' above the ground.

A method of hanging bear bags in the Valle Vidal is shown below.  This technique is recommended by the National Forest Service as it does not damage the bark on the tree limbs since the weight is not applied until the first two ropes are pulled up.

Raise bear bag with third rope.  Tie off to a tree (a third tree if possible).  If bag is heavy, use stick to push up.

Another bear bag technique for the Valle Vidal where there are not any fixed cables is:

Marrison Haul System

This simple but effective mechanical advantage hauling system was developed by Chris Marrison for the Outdoor Action Program at Princeton University (see Figure 6.28). It's particularly helpful when you have heavy food loads. Bears are very intelligent and some bears are smart enough to know that by cutting the diagonal rope to the tree, they can bring down the food bag.

1. Find a tree with a live branch. The branch should be at least 15 feet (5 meters) from the ground with no object below the branch that could support a bear’s weight. The point at which you will toss the rope over the branch should be at least 10 feet (3 meters) from the tree. The branch should be a least 4 inches in diameter (10 centimeters) at the tree and at least 1 inch in diameter (3 centimeters) at the rope point.
2. Throw the rope over the branch. Test the branch to make sure it is strong enough to hold the weight (don't be standing directly underneath when you test). Make a Truckers Hitch about 6 feet (2 meters) from the ground and clip carabiner 1 into the bight.
3. Feed the running end of Rope End B through Carabiner 2 and then through Carabiner 1.
4. Pull the end of the Rope End A to move Carabiner 1 as close to the tree branch as possible. Tie off Rope End A to the tree.
5. Attach the food bag to Carabiner 2 and haul the bag as high up as possible. Tie off Rope End B.
6. To retrieve the bag, untie Rope End B and lower the bag to the ground.

Figure 6.28

Helpful Hauling Hints:

• Use a sturdy tree as a block around which to pull the rope. Protect the bark from friction in the rope by using a stuff sack or piece of clothing.
• Find a sturdy, dead branch on the ground and tie the end of the rope to be pulled to this branch. The branch serves as a yoke and allows more than one person to efficiently pull on the rope at once.

Another technique is:

The following technique is from Backpacker Magazine:

Brains over Bruins

Tricks for keeping your food safe from bears and other critters

So far, bears have proven smarter than backpackers.  They’ve learned to chew through the cords we use to hang food from trees; they even send cubs onto limbs to liberate counterbalanced chow.  But don’t despair.  When used together—or as part of your favorite food hanging system—the following techniques will send frustrated bears in search of an easier meal.
 

The Lagopoulos Loop

Hang food from a lone tree without large branches.

1. Select a tree where a rope can be suspended 20 feet from the ground, then toss the rope around a branch, crotch, stump, or even the trunk itself.
2. Secure a carabiner to one end of the rope.  Clip the carabiner to the food bag and over the other end of the rope.
3. Hoist the food bag 10 to 15 feet up the tree.
4. Walk away from the tree holding the rope tightly until the food bag has moved horizontally about 10 feet from the tree.
5. Tie off the end of the rope.
    

Anti-Chew Leader

Thin steel cable (1/16 inch or 1/8 inch) is surprisingly light.  It’s available at hardware stores for about $.25 per foot.

1. Make two ten-foot lengths of cable with 1-inch swaged loops (available at hardware stores) on each end.
2. After tossing your rope, attach one end of a cable to the rope and the other end to the biner on your food bag.
3. Hoist the bag until the cable doubles over the limb.
4. Girth hitch the second cable around the tie-off.
5. Tie the two cables together with the rope.
    

No-Tangle tossing

1. Stack the cord by your feet, tossing end on top.
2. Tie the top end to a sock, bandanna, or stuff sack with a rock (or sand) inside.  Throw.
3. Where there’s brush, tie the cord to the inside bottom of a sock.  Put a rock inside, then stuff the cord.  Hold the free end.  Toss.
    

John Harlin with readers Nicholas Pavlos Lagopoulos and John Kemple. 
Backpacker Magazine, May 2002