Packing food

[doc]

Just received.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___75205

Says they've been tested by Navy divers. There are different sizes too. Anybody use these before? Do they really work? Or is it just an over priced, over sized heavy duty Zip-Lock bag? I figured, what the heck. They have other uses being water-proof so it wouldn't be a total loss anyway. It's another step for me to lighten up as I mentioned in the tent thread earlier. Going into Bping from the start last year, I actually got a good deal and bought the smaller bear food canister to carry my food. What a joke for OH! AND I KNEW THAT but didn't take packing light as seriously. Now I can stuff enough in 1 of these for 2 people and 2 nights, and it's still lighter than than an empty canister. (Which I will keep anyway because I think it's cool even though I'm kind of embarrassed I even bought it in the 1st place.)

Just curious to hear how you all pack and store food on trips.

doc 

[Andy]

I have a few small 3x5 Aloksaks. They seem pretty beat up, so I'm not sure how much I'd trust them to protect things well in a river dunking. I mostly just use Ziplock freezer bags because they're cheap and easily replaced if not in good shape.

I put these in a nylon stuffsack in my pack along with cooking pot and other stuff which smells good to bears. I put the sack under a friend's pillow. I hang the sack at night. When I get time, I'm going to sew a lighter silnylon stuffsack for food.

[Stargazer]

Edit/ note: "Opsaks" are the larger sizes of Aloksacks. I use the 12 x 20 version (I think) as a bear-bag liner and sleeping bag stuff sack/ pillow.

I use Aloksaks and Ziplocks as well (the snack and quart sizes are particularly useful, IMO. I also keep a large Aloksak in my bearbag so that when I hang my food I can put all the smelly stuff in there. I also keep my sleeping bag in a large Aloksak. I then stuff it with whatever extra stuff I have along and use it as a pillow. For the first couple of trips, it actually holds a seal with the help of a little duct tape, so I can inflate it and use it as a pillow without stuffing it! (Yes, they really are waterproof, but they eventually do wear out.

My bearbag is from backpackinglight.com. It's mostly made of noseeum netting and weighs next to nothing. A bear canister is, IMO, a bit much for Ohio conditions. The national Park Service requires them out west, where grizzlies are a problem. Our eastern critters (mostly raccoons, skunks, and squirrels, really) demand simpler, lighter measures. Even on the AT, where black bears are a real problem, folks hang their food and save their canisters for the PCT out west. A determined grizzly can crack a canister in about five minutes, so most folks out west bury them under a pile of rocks.

And I agree totally with Andy. Put everything that smells like food in your bear bag and hang it. That includes toothpaste, cooking stuff, and even deodorant (if you carry any). Critters love the smells. Also, poop a significant way from your campsite, and bury it deep. ;-) Critters love an undigested kernel of corn no matter where it comes from. (sorry to get gross, but there it is).

Aloksaks are also great for keeping your camera, cell phone, and other electronics dry. They last longer than Ziplocks and are far sturdier but they are also far more expensive.

Stargazer

[BPO]

Ditto to what Andy wrote.

[schnikel]

My wife and I bought some and use them for kayaking mostly.  They are, IMHO, hi-teck zip lock bags, nothing more.  Good for keeping things dry for awhile but i wouldn't trust them underwater for any real amount of time.  I don't know about the smellproofness.  They aren't even packed on avery BP trip we go on.
   Schnikel