Bear bags for camping are the best way to keep your food away from bears. This article will be covering TOP-10 bear bags for camping that you could find on Amazon, Etsy & eBay.
Why do you need a bear bag?
Bears are not just large and strong, they're also clever. And some of them don't mind eating your food while you sleep in your tent or enjoy camping nearby.
They can find out where you keep your food by smelling it, so be sure to protect it carefully! Even the hungriest bear will leave if there's nothing edible left for him! How do I make a bear bag? There are different bear bag systems suggested by experienced campers. But generally speaking, this is how it works:
- Find a high enough branch that overhangs a river or lake
- Tie one end of a rope to a rock or other heavy object
- Throw a rock into a tree
- Put the excess rope through the loop
- Put food into a stuff sack and tie loop on the other end of the rope
- Throw stuff sack over branch It's that simple.
These steps will help you hang bear bags for camping. Tie off your bear bag containing both food and scent items high in a tree at least 10 feet off the ground leaving plenty of slack in the system for movement.
Make sure not to tie it too close to another branch or it will be difficult to get at. Also, make sure not to place it beneath any limbs as bears can use those limbs as leverage points when climbing; they may also break branches above them if they rub against your bag.
You need to properly protect your food and clean any surface it rests on in order to conceal your scent from a bear or other animals that might come looking for an easy meal. If you don't, these animals will find your supplies and tear them apart in search of something edible.
However, even with the proper protection, you may still have animals trying to get at it once they catch wind of something tasty inside. You can add more protection by adding a mesh bag over items like granola bars; if you're using bags, be sure to secure them tightly closed and put everything possible into smell-proof containers such as plastic or waterproof bags.
How NOT to hang a bear bag?
You should avoid hanging food in late fall when bears are on the prowl for winter supplies. If you have to do it, hang your bags at least 12 feet high and 6 feet out from the trunk or branch on which they're hung.
You should also put your food on separate branches to the ones that hold the bag up; this is because a bear looking for an easy meal will climb and then drop from a branch, if there's nothing to land on, he'll move on another tree. So hopefully by doing this, you can still keep your bag without attracting any unwanted attention - unless, of course, he comes back! What type of stuff sack should I use?
The list of nice bear bags
There are many types of stuff sacks available for purchase ranging from small (2 liters) all the way up to big (5 liters).
You do not want one that is too small or it will be difficult to store anything in it. Also, you don't want one that's too large because the excess space takes away the protection by leaving an opening for an animal to exploit.
Frontiersman Bear Bag
This Frontiersman bear bag is made out of heavy-duty PVC-coated material and has water-resistant zippers. All these features help it to protect your food against the wet weather, as well as naughty grizzlies looking to steal any goodies you might have in your bag.
The dimensions are 27" x 67" (69 cm x 170 cm), which might turn out to be a bit big for a two-person tent. It also comes with a bag made from lightweight mesh, which you can use as a storage sack. The bag is light enough to take backpacking if you want to go on a long hike and avoid towns or campgrounds where bears usually live. You can choose between three colors: gray, olive green and orange.
Primitive Outfitters Bear Bag
This bear bag from Primitive Outfitters has been tested by Teton Test Laboratories and found that it meets all of the national park food storage requirements. This means your stuff will be safe from bears no matter where you camp in the USA. It has a very simple and lightweight design: just a bucket with a drawstring at the top and two straps on the sides to attach it to your tree trunk. The dimensions are 22" height x 35" diameter (56 cm height x 89 cm diameter).
If you want more of these bags, they come in 8 color combinations: orange/black, olive/green, orange/light green, red/brown, dark gray/light gray, blue/grayish blue, brown/bluish brown, and greenish-khaki with dark brown straps. These colors help you quickly identify which bag belongs to who or how many people will be sharing the campsite.
High Sierra Bear Bag
This bear bag from High Sierra is a bit different from all the others on the list, as it comes with a special arm designed to help you place it high up in a tree trunk. It's called Arm-Hang-It and works just like any other strap that allows you to secure your food bag to a tight spot. This one can fit into tight spaces very easily and quickly, which makes it perfect for small trees or thinner branches.
The material used for this bear bag is waterproof ripstop nylon, making it long-lasting and durable. The dimensions are 27" x 49" (69 cm x 124 cm), so it's a good size for almost any tent. High Sierra offers this bear bag in three colors: dark green, khaki, and light gray.
Nite Ize Figure 9 Carabiner
There are all kinds of uses for a carabiner on a camping trip, but one of them is to help you hang your food bags out of reach from bears or other animals prowling around at night or early in the morning.
This carabiner from Nite Ize comes with a rope already attached to it, meaning you can use it as soon as you get your package. It has a weight limit that would allow three people to share one bag (around 80 lbs) and can be attached to trees, poles, or any other solid surface you might find. It comes in two colors: dark green and tan.
Lintoto Bear Bag
This bear bag is a pretty simple one, nothing out of the ordinary that would set it apart from the competition. The dimensions are 27" x 60" (69 cm x 152 cm), which makes it good for almost any tent size if not more than one person's food supply will be stored inside at once.
This bag has been made using waterproof nylon material, which means it should protect your food against rain no matter what the weather forecast says in advance. It also features metal grommets that keep the bears away, along with two straps that you can use to attach it to any tree trunk. Unfortunately, this bear bag comes in only one color: bright orange.
Liberty mountain stuff sack
This bear bag from Liberty Mountain is a bit different than all the others: it doesn't come with any straps or carabiners and can only be attached to trees without them. The reason for this is that it's designed as a stuff sack, which means you can take your food out of it easily and quickly, if necessary.
It's made using polyester material that should last for years, plus you can totally wash it in your washing machine afterward. The dimensions are 20" x 38" (51 cm x 97 cm), so it's good for pretty much any tent size. This is another bright orange bear bag that will help keep wildlife away from your campsite.
GoPro Wild Series
If spending money on a bear bag is not a priority for you, then perhaps this camera from GoPro might be what you're looking for. It's a rather unusual one as it comes with a series of sensors that will take pictures if an animal crosses its path at night.
This usually happens when hikers leave their food outside overnight and wake up to find out they have been photobombed by a bear. The photos are automatically uploaded to the cloud so that you can easily access them without having to carry your bulky DSLR everywhere with you on the trail.
Lintoto Reusable
This last bear bag from Lintoto is just like all others: it's waterproof, features metal grommets and two straps for attaching it to trees or poles. It has a convenient zipper and is made out of ripstop nylon that should last for years. The dimensions are 27" x 60" (69 cm x 152 cm) so it's good for about every tent size there is, especially if you want to share one bag between three people. It comes in only one color: bright orange.
Ursack S29 AllWhite
This bear bag from Ursack is not like all other ones – this one doesn't come with straps or carabiners and can only be attached to trees without them. The reason we're including it on this list is that it uses a special material called Spectra (used also in bulletproof vests), which makes it very difficult for the bears to shred it open and steal your food.
It comes in two sizes: S29 (1,390 cubic inches or 22 liters) and S47 (2,500 cubic inches or 40 liters), which means that you might want to purchase the bigger one if you're sharing your tent with more than one person. The dimensions are 28" x 10" (71 cm x 25 cm), so it's good for pretty much any tent size and can be attached quickly and easily to any tree trunk thanks to its loops.
Sea to summit EVAC dry sack
This bear bag from Sea to Summit can be used as a stuff sack or as an ordinary dry sack. It has been made using special fabric which should protect your food against water and other weather conditions during the night, so it should keep everything safe and dry.
The dimensions are 12" x 21" (30 cm x 53 cm), so it's good for just about any tent size if you're not planning on bringing too much stuff with you into the wild. It comes in five colors: yellow, blue, orange, purple, and green.
Can you make a bear bag yourself?
Yes, it is possible to make one yourself. But beware, if you do it wrong you can get fined by the rangers (because of food leftovers for example). There are many videos on youtube showing how to make your own bear bag.
Here is a simple instruction on how you can make a bear bag. You will need such materials:
- Rope, paracord, or webbing
- Carabiner(s) and/or cord lock (for attaching a rope to tree and bear bag to rope)
And this is how you make it:
Find a sturdy branch no more than 10 feet from the ground. This will be your bear hang location, as bears cannot climb trees with limbs that small. They can, however, rip apart some badly made bags and steal your goodies. Tie off your bag using the carabiner on one end of the rope looped around the base of the limb.
You may need two ropes per individual foodstuff sack depending on its size - don't attach them all to a single line because if the branch holds the bag but breaks your rope, you'll lose all of your food. Double-check your knots, and attach the other end of the rope to the bag using another carabiner. Be sure that both carabiners are easily accessible so that you can open them up quickly.