Alternatives for critter-proof food storage

On past camping trips, I’ve had good results with a BearVault, and with hanging food bags. No surprise, I’ve had good results with The bearvault. And, I’ve never had a problem with hanging, either, but I think some of the time that might really have been luck, because the hanging solutions have not always been text-book. Sometimes, I didn’t find a very good place to hang. I’m now contemplating a two-week trip. The BearVault is way too small for two weeks, and I’m not sure I’ll find hanging spots, so I need a different approach.

The trip will be in arid areas, and I’m not really expecting to run into bears. But there will still be plenty of critters.

An industry-standard solution are the blue barrels favored by many. I’m leaning towards a barrel just for the volume.

When I started canoe tripping I used to carry my “kitchen” and a small amount of food in 5-gallon buckets. Never was the bucket breached by critters, although a former p-netter showed me one that had been chewed through. Has anybody else used 5-gallon buckets for food storage, and with what results?

Currently the kitchen is carried in a small Action Packer tub. Same results, and same question. While I have had to chase off raccoons that started to attack the tub, it’s never been gnawed.

Many canoeist are wanigan enthusiasts. I’ve been at camps with friends that carried a lidded, wooden box, and while one 'coon tried to drag it off, nothing got into it. I expect I could make a wanigan.

What critter-proofing solutions have you used? I’m particularly interested to know if you used any of the solutions I’m thinking of (5-gal bucket, Action Packer, wanigan, blue barrel), and they failed.

TIA~~Chip

Shotgun? Poison?
JUST KIDDING!

At Manatee Springs State Park a raccoon was dragging the dog’ s food 5 gal bucket off to the woods when I interupted him. Going to his shop for tools?

At the Everglades the raccoons chew into your hatch covers to get fresh water. (Arid area?..salt & brackage water)

I take it this is for canoeing? Much broader range of solutions.

For kayaking (in black bear country) I’ve had much success with regular dry bags containing “tupperware” tubs with the good stuff inside. I go to great lengths to make a decent hang and keep a very, very clean camp site.

Once, to date, I had critters chew through the bottom of a dry bag. My fault entirely, as I had stuffed some food packaging garbage in the bottom. Fast forward a number of years, and that was the only incident with food.

I try to avoid well-established sites where others have done a good job luring the local wildlife while there.

@Sparky961 said:
I take it this is for canoeing? Much broader range of solutions.

I try to avoid well-established sites where others have done a good job luring the local wildlife while there.

Yes, canoeing. Although, I sea kayak, too, But for an inland, waterway, where you need to haul a hundred pounds of water, I’m canoeing.

Sparky has it right about animals learning where humans hang out. I’ve never had a problem when camped where people seldom camp. Where there is steady traffic by humans, the animals learn to cruise by our camp sites in the wee hours. They are often rewarded, and psychologists tell us that intermittent rewards are the strongest reinforcers. So, they patrol often-camped sites.

~~Chip

I have been using blue barrels for 20 + years… Though we have occasionally used five gallon buckets with gamma seals… The buckets are easy to cross thread,then they leak if immersed and you do have to put them in a pack. The barrels have been critter proof. If I am in a parky area we put it way in the bush and take flagging tape to signal where it is… Critters are habitual and cruise where they have found food before.
The gamma seals should have an o ring if you use a small bucket. The blue barrels do have an o ring and have a clamp… They are watertight… More so than buckets. The barrels are impossible to haul in your hands so years ago I invested in a good harness so we can portage ( necessary in Algonquin Quetico Woodland Caribou etc).

We used the barrel on the Green . You mentioned 100 lbs of water. We carried some water but we also filtered. Just do not leave the lid open lest night scorpions enter. We also use the barrel on the Yukon where there are often No trees and the Snake which is tundra ( no trees), Wabakimi ( spindly trees that you can’t hang from)

The nice thing about barrels or hard sided containers is that your food retains its shape and is less likely to be crumbs.

It matters less to you whether or not you keep a clean site. It matters a lot if the predecessors left messes recently… I have avoided in some fly in sites used by fishermen to clean their catch.

@kayamedic said:

We used the barrel on the Green . You mentioned 100 lbs of water. We carried some water but we also filtered. <

Good guess. Also the Upper Missouri, where the BLM wells have not been restored to service after the flooding.

I’ve paddled the Green, flocculated and filtered my water, and seem to have survived. But many folks feel the agricultural and mining runoff contain chemicals that are not removed by filtering. They say the same about the Missouri.

~~Chip

@BoozTalkin said:

@kayamedic said:

We used the barrel on the Green . You mentioned 100 lbs of water. We carried some water but we also filtered. <

Good guess. Also the Upper Missouri, where the BLM wells have not been restored to service after the flooding.

I’ve paddled the Green, flocculated and filtered my water, and seem to have survived. But many folks feel the agricultural and mining runoff contain chemicals that are not removed by filtering. They say the same about the Missouri.

~~Chip

We have done several trips on the Green and one year did both that and the back to back on the Upper Missouri and I totally understand… We all fear Giardia but the geese were breeding they were everywhere and aside from the mining and ag runoff there was goose crap everywhere including in the river of course…And cattle go wherever they stand including the river. Our trip was from Coal Banks to Kipp and was only four days. We planned for six but it had flooded. and was still running high.
We did not even touch the Missouri water…
Also take hiking poles at least one per person… Prairie rattlers are sneaky and thonking a pole on the ground ahead gives them a chance to run…
Always look down… Yes there too.

Serious pollution, goose crap, and Rattlers. What’s not to like?

Carry water, go off goose season ( we went in May) and gee String you got your share of nasties… There are no fire ants on the Missouri…
The other thing not to like is if you forget your camera. Very incredible scenery.

You guys make the critters up here seem downright pleasant…

@Sparky961 said:
You guys make the critters up here seem downright pleasant…

ha ha… they are… Every year I am subject to a review lesson on fire ants… Never learn well enough

@kayamedic said:
Carry water, go off goose season ( we went in May) and gee String…

That had me slipping a gear for a second… :smiley:

I have used the blue barrel for several years, and no critter has defeated it. The lever on the clamp ring is easily opened though, so I use a lock pin that I found in some hardware store. Kind of hard to describe, but it isn’t easy for me to remove, so I expect that it is raccoon-proof.

I’ve managed to not have bears wander through my camp as far as I know though - so I can’t make any claims there. Raccoons, yes. Wolves, yes. Skunks and various rodents, yes. But no bears.

I also use the bucket and Gamma lid for my more smelly items, and nothing has gotten into it. Again…no bears present in camp, AFAIK.

I think the key is to avoid heavily used or trashed sites and keep your food and waste smells under control.

I like the larger ammo cans. I found some like new and got them powder coated a light grey color. Excellent seal. Probably wouldn’t work for a kayak, but great for canoeing. No rodent gnawing… also a problem on the Missouri lol. I take mouse traps and ear plugs (wind) when I do the Missouri.

Is that because your don’t want to hear mousey death squeals in the dark?

Walk the Plank works great for mice…