T@bbing in Bear Country

jkjenn

This is probably best directed to my friends who T@b in the Rocky Mountain and West Coast regions, but tell me what you do when T@bbing in bear country? I am well acquainted with tent camping in bear country, but what is different in a T@b?

• Do you keep your food in the T@b or a bear box?
• Do you still cook in the T@b?
• Do you make sure all trash containing food is removed immediately?

I am camping at Difficult Campground, outside of Aspen this summer, which is famous for visits from our favorite quadrupeds and I want to make sure I am practicing bear-smart camping. I understand at Difficult, each spot has a nice sized bear box, where I would keep my camp stove/grill, for sure, but I am wondering whether it is safe to cook inside and keep my food inside?

Wanderoo

Jenn -- Generally (there are always exceptions), it is safe to keep food inside a cooler, inside your tow vehicle, with a blanket thrown over the cooler to disguise it.  Therefore, I'm fairly certain that if you keep food inside your refrigerator, inside the T@B, you will be safe.  If a bear box is provided, I would use that, too, for non-perishables that are okay without refrigeration.  I would not leave any food on the counter inside your T@B, (like a candy bar) just to be on the safe side. I have not heard of people being afraid to cook inside their trailers in Colorado's High Country, but use some common sense, like washing down your cooking area and keeping your "cooking" clothes inside your tow vehicle. 

I keep a small spray bottle of cleaning solution in T@B and spray down the countertop, the aluminum backsplash, and the stove after cooking. 

I also carry bear spray and bear bells. 

Michigan_Mike

I've camped many times in bear country (in my Little Guy trailers owned) through Montana, Wyoming, the Rockies, Yellowstone, Glacier, etc. and basically adhere to the restrictions therein.   I was camped in Two Medicine Campground and there was a 400 pound black bear canvassing the area and I had no problems at all.  Kept all food secured in my vehicle, Coleman stove put away in my trailer tool box after meals, no trash left outdoors, no tooth paste residue on the ground or any food scent as garbage was always disposed of after the day and all food was either secure in my vehicle or locked in the bear box on site.  I do like the bear box storage containers as I also place my stove in there if need be and other camp site articles such as lawn chairs or other items that could be blown in the wind or carted off by a pesky bear.  

DurangoTaB

Since pretty much everywhere we go is bear country (we even see them sauntering down the street by our house), I can echo all the previous comments. We keep trash in a plastic lined 13gal trash "can", use it during cooking and cleanup, then close it and either put it in a bear proof dumpster, or in the back of the truck (which has a lockable shell). Any loose non refrigerated food usually goes in a Tupperware box in the back of the truck, and cold stuff is in the T@B fridge or the cooler in the truck...all well before dusk if we can. We also keep noise makers and bear spray nearby while sleeping. With your tent camping experience and savvy you'll be fine...

jkjenn

Thanks, everyone. I will likely be doing most of my cooking after dusk since I am usually out photographing the sunset somewhere. I aw a lot of bear activity at Yellowstone last fall (they were getting ready for hibernation) which made me a little nervous to crank out dinner in the dark. The weather was poor and everyone was in the RV by the time I made it back to my cozy tent for the evening. I keep meaning to get a noisemaker, of sorts, and have yet to do it. It seems like a caned air horn would be a good choice and also be good for security. I don't camp with my dog (he doesn't travel well) but I am always happy to see a little dog (in the campground to serve as a noisemaker.

I don't cook elaborate meals, but would like to not eat every meal, out. Sandwiches and hot dogs are often my mainstay to save time as I am gone before dawn and back after sundown in most places.

Michigan_Mike

They make some decent freeze dried meals and I carry a few for those late night arrivals as it beats doing a bunch of dishes and you only have to heat water up to make them.

Wanderoo

Jenn -- I know you're a backpacker -- do you have a JetBoil?  I love mine. You could buy a couple of those single serve meals and have something hot for those late night arrivals.  No set up of the campstove and you could eat inside T@B.

Gosh, gone at dawn and back after dusk?  When do you SLEEP, girl?   

@-)

jkjenn

Michigan_Mike said:

They make some decent freeze dried meals and I carry a few for those late night arrivals as it beats doing a bunch of dishes and you only have to heat water up to make them.

Thanks, Mike. I have looked at the Mountain House products, but been hesitant to pull the trigger.

Wanderoo said:

Jenn -- I know you're a backpacker -- do you have a JetBoil?  I love mine. You could buy a couple of those single serve meals and have something hot for those late night arrivals.  No set up of the campstove and you could eat inside T@B.

Gosh, gone at dawn and back after dusk?  When do you SLEEP, girl?   

@-)

I actually only do day hikes, but I think I am working my way up to backpacking. I will sometimes come back during the middle of the day to nap. I am a landscape photographer, so I really need the light at the beginning and end of the day. The mid-day light is good for napping. Last year when I went to Wyoming, however, there was no mid-day napping. It is easier to get by with no napping in the fall as the days are much shorter, but summer days are so long, a nap is usually in order. So, I can cook a good lunch, before heading out for the second part of the afternoon.

I don't have a JetBoil, but boiling water on the stove is not a big deal and not really much clean up. For that matter, it would be easy enough to boil a hot dog.

The primary reason I travel alone so often is because not many people want to spend their vacation keeping the hours and schedule I do. I really try to make the most of my trips west. I used to run even more aggressive schedules, going to more locations, but have dialed it back significantly.

Lisa33

We've done lots of camping in bear country over the last few years. California parks have the most strict rules about food storage. You can't even leave a cooler in your car, it must go in the bear box. In other bear areas (US and Canadian Rockies, especially), you basically just keep everything in a hard-sided vehicle. I had a black bear saunter through an adjacent campsite in Banff while I was cooking dinner. I had a momentary panic as I decided whether I should abandon the food I was cooking over the fire or somehow grab it and take it with me inside. I'm sure I looked funny. As it turned out, the bear had an agenda and just kept going too fast for me to even point him out to my son who was in the trailer at the time. I spent a few weeks in the Colorado Rockies last year and didn't see a single bear. Just keep a clean campsite, and you'll be fine. Lisa

jkjenn

Thanks, everyone. I saw a lot of bears in MT/WY last year so I am probably a bit more aware. Plus, I tend to err on the side of being uber-vigilant and cautious about almost everything.

Michigan_Mike

How to stay safe from bears in Sequoia and Yosemite

Food Storage Tips

Bears breaking into cars in Yosemite

Bear tales from Yosemite

Clingman's Dome out on the Blue Ridge Parkway.....  Proof that people are really foolish and take too many risks.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBnGe9HDGBI#t=235

Nnbricco

Well! If I'm ever in bear country, I'm gonna use the bear box! Imagine E@rles Street demolished by a bear!

Michigan_Mike

Interesting stuff for sure, but everyone will be fine if the food is stored properly as that is all that Yogi and his buddies want anyway, just a free lunch!  

jkjenn

The recommendations were different every where I camped in Colorado this summer. Only at Difficult, near Aspen did they recommend everything not in the fridge be removed.

XPADREX

Scary stuff, I'll admit it. I guess this also would mean hanging my portable grill far away as well, because short of a solid cleaning when I get home, that baby retains a "grillin' and chillin'" aroma I'm sure is irresistable to our earstwhile ursine visitors.

jkjenn

In the serious bear areas, they have you store your grill in the bear no or you car.