Пікірлер

• 
  @joshcullen8472Күн бұрын

  I use a bear canister and have tried a couple styles and settled on the one with the tabs on the lid you push in to allow the lid to twist off. It makes a good seat at camp and my dog loves to go find it since he knows it contains all the food and is of course not scent proof. First thing he does in the morning is go check that some bear hasn’t made off with all our food.

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  @jfowler20 сағат бұрын

  Sounds like a great trail companion! 😀

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  @patrickday4206Күн бұрын

  The problem is when going back country finding a tree to hang can be impossible sometimes

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  @jfowler20 сағат бұрын

  I agree! And that’s the last thing I want to do at the end of a long day on the trail 😞

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  @patrickday4206Күн бұрын

  I just keep my food with me in my sleeping bag 😂😂😂😂

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  @jfowler20 сағат бұрын

  😮

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  @mckaypaterson2519Күн бұрын

  Have you had encounters with wild pigs/boars with or without food? Would spreading some black or cayanne pepper in or around your tent deter wildlife? How did first nations people deal with bears? I've seen vlogs showing them using some kind of whistle. Enjoyable and informative with no BS!

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  @jfowlerКүн бұрын

  Thanks! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Never had a wild boar encounter. I’m not sure that they are common in the areas where I hike. However, my guess is that the same principles apply with food handling. Spreading pepper around? I’ve heard about it but never done it myself. Personally, I don’t trust it. As for first nations people, I don’t know what they did. Perhaps they hunted bears for the meat and their useful hide? 🤷🏼‍♂️

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  @robz48253 күн бұрын

  Fairly new backpacker/camper. What do you recommend to do with leftovers/food scraps? (steak fat, bread, oils/butters, pan drippings etc) TIA

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  @jfowler2 күн бұрын

  That’s a good question! Some of the information from this video is based on guidelines provided by the National Park Service including how to handle leftovers and trash. You can find it here: www.nps.gov/articles/bearsafetyfood.htm They recommend packing out all leftovers and trash in sealable bags. I carry empty odor-proof bags for this purpose and try to have as little waste as possible. Of course these guidelines specifically apply when visiting national parks, but the principles are valuable for any visit in bear country. It’s a collective effort to protect these amazing creatures and I really appreciate your conscientious interest in what we can do to make the wild a safer place for us and the bears. ☺️

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  @robz48252 күн бұрын

  @@jfowler Thanks for the response. Great info 👍

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  @RagtimeBillyPeaches3 күн бұрын

  I still have one of the original Garcia cannisters, like the one shown being sat on, but the only ones I still use are my two Bearikades. At Miller Flat on the Lost Coast I've see bears ignore camps with cannister visible, and head for camps where cannisters are not visible.

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  @jfowler3 күн бұрын

  Those Bearikades would make a pretty comfortable seat! More so than the Garcia because they are so wide. I rented a couple of those on my first thru-hike of the Art Loeb Trail. I loved the light weight but wasn’t a fan of the bulky size and sharp edges. Thanks for sharing your observations about bears avoiding bear canister equipped sites. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was intentional behavior-bears are so smart 😄

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  @skehleben76993 күн бұрын

  Was I imagining it or did I see gobs of poison ivy?

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  @jfowler3 күн бұрын

  I know it’s out there, and I’m usually pretty alert to identifying it; but I don’t recall seeing it on this trip, nor did I get a rash. I’ve gotten it pretty bad in the past. That said, I could have totally missed seeing what was right in front of me 😂 In what scene did you think you saw it?

• 
  @butchbinion15604 күн бұрын

  Thanks. ✌🏻👊🏼

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  @jfowler3 күн бұрын

  Glad you enjoyed it! 😀

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  @oxxnarrdflame88654 күн бұрын

  Bear canisters are heavy but better than having a bear lighten your weight even more. 😊

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  @jfowler3 күн бұрын

  Agreed! 😅

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  @oxxnarrdflame88654 күн бұрын

  Reflective strips on the canister, great idea.

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  @jfowler3 күн бұрын

  Thanks, so glad you found it helpful! ☺️

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  @andrewwheelerguitar4 күн бұрын

  Odor Proof Bag. O.P. Sack. I’ll say it again. Odor proof bag. O.P. Sak. I never had a problem. The ONE time I didn’t use one, the bear found the bear can and knocked it around. My friend brought VERY AROMATIC pipe tobacco and salted meats 🤦‍♂️

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  @jfowler4 күн бұрын

  Great tips! Yeah, I agree. Been using “odor-proof” bags on my last few trips. I think they probably reduce the odors but maybe not eliminate them completely. I still think they are a great idea. 👍

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  @1wheeldrive7514 күн бұрын

  One more reminder about bears that you may not have thought about. While you are out camping and hiking, don’t leave ANY food in your car back at the trail head. I’ve come across cars with the windows smashed, door ripped out of the door frame, and the rear seat cushions ripped out and laying out on the ground by a bear. He obviously found the freeze-dried food packages that the through hikers on the AT stashed in their trunk. That car was totalled. I can’t imagine how much of a downer that would be, coming off the trail and expecting to stock up for the next week only to find that carnage.

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  @jfowler4 күн бұрын

  Thanks for mentioning it! That would be a horrible discovery. I will definitely keep that in mind and mention it to my buddies. 👍

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  @wendyphillips50025 күн бұрын

  I always carry a bear canister. I do not want to see the bears gone from the sierras. The canisters are bulky and heavy but it is worth it to save the bears and other animals in the wild. I place all of my trash and other items in the canisters as I eat the food inside. I always carry the canister inside my pack because it gets very hot in the sun cooking your food.

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  @jfowler4 күн бұрын

  Thanks for sharing your experience! I’m always glad to hear from someone that cares about the welfare of bears. They are amazing creatures and it’s tragic when they lose their lives because of careless hikers and campers. 😢

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  @jlscielo5 күн бұрын

  I agree, this video covers all the best reasons 😊

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  @jfowler5 күн бұрын

  Thanks so much! 😃

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  @alvarogaitan25296 күн бұрын

  thanks

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  @jfowler5 күн бұрын

  Sure thing! Glad you enjoyed it 😄

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  @CampfireKodiak7 күн бұрын

  I like the yellow canisters better so they don't get so hot in the sun. Electric fences work well too. I will often put one around my tent in dense Brown Bear country and another around my food or meat cache if I am hunting.

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  @jfowler6 күн бұрын

  Great points! Thanks for sharing your experience 😃

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  @seankusmc1637 күн бұрын

  I have heavy duty plastic pack panniers that were supposedly bear proof. A grizzly bear smashed them in two. Do you have a recommendation on what bear canister is best IYO? Thank you.

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  @jfowler7 күн бұрын

  Ugh, that’s frustrating 😣 I can tell you the two that I use, one of which is the same model that one of my buddies brought on a trip where a bear gave it a bit of a tumble. That’s that Garcia Backpackers Cache. It’s opaque black ABS plastic and I personally have not heard about any failures. The other one is slightly smaller and lighter but made from the same materials. It’s the UDAP No-Fed-Bear canister and it is my most used because of its size. It seems to be perfectly suited for my typical three night trips. You can find it on Amazon here: amzn.to/4dbF1TP I hope that helps ☺️

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  @seankusmc1637 күн бұрын

  @@jfowler thank you sir

• 
  @YaGottaBeKidding8 күн бұрын

  Some black bears in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park have figured out how to open some bear canisters, and it is thought that they are teaching one another. No kidding. The park now requires _all_ food and smellies to be hung, even if it is in a cannister. Per the official website: "Bear canisters are not required nor recommended in the backcountry. If you choose to carry a bear canister, it must be placed in your pack and hung in the cable system to comply with the park requirement." My cannister specifically states to _not_ hang it, as it may not take the shock of a drop. They say it's designed to be clawed and bitten, but not dropped. What to do, what to do.

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  @jfowler7 күн бұрын

  Good to know! I’m constantly amazed by bears. There’s a famous bear in the Adirondacks that figured out how to open BearVault canisters. Personally, I have a UDAP No-Fed-Bear canister and Backpackers Cache. Been good so far, but who knows? Regarding Great Smoky Mountain, thankfully they set up cables for a secure hang. It’s difficult to get it right when utilizing trees. Thanks for sharing the info 😄

• 
  @nvtruant59949 күн бұрын

  Another negative of a bear canister is there volume. On a multi day trip they hold very little. I live and hike in grizzly country of British Columbia and will continue to hang my food in an ursa bag

• 
  @jfowler8 күн бұрын

  Good point. Yeah, that can be a problem on longer trips. Personally, my trips last 3 to 4 days and my two canister sizes do fine. 5+ days would get tight and I would have to ration my food.

• 
  @NortheastHobbyfarmer10 күн бұрын

  I've had many encounters with bears all fairly friendly and I don't have to leave home to have them. I've hiked thousands of trails and never had a bear in my campsite, maybe they don't like the dogs. I can confirm that bears are acrobats and move much faster and quieter than most can imagine. I've always just hollered at them and they've run off. I have however had a harrowing experience with deer mice, thousands of them. It was at an open faced shelter in the Great Gulf, gone now for many years. This was due to the large groups of hikers wanting to climb the vertical walls of the gulf but without heavy packs. They would come in the nearly flat approach from the auto road and camp intending to summit the following day. I came in down a ladderway called the Six Husbands Trail and stayed the night then climbed the headwall to Mt. Washington the next day with a 50 pound pack. Everyone said I was crazy to do that and in retrospect they were right. Anyhow, the mice attacked after dark and chewed their way into most everyone's pack and ate whatever food they could find. I woke up multiple times with mice on my sleeping bag and they chewed a hole into my pack as well. The forest service burned the shelter a short time after that.

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  @jfowler9 күн бұрын

  Thanks for sharing your experiences! I have had the same observations about the agility and speed of bears. However, similar to your comments, I would have to say that my encounters have never felt threatening. The bears just wanted our food. However, they did come into camp. Maybe your theory about the dogs is correct because we didn't have one with us. Your mouse story is alarming! On my last trip I had just one chew a hole in my tent while I was in it. I can't imagine dealing with the numbers you’re talking about! That sounds like a plague of mice. The prevalence of smaller critters is probably one of the biggest reasons I carry a canister now. Especially when visiting popular campsites along high traffic trails.

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  @ellerybice378711 күн бұрын

  You appear to be related to boo boo bear. The resemblance is easy to see.

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  @jfowler10 күн бұрын

  Maybe, except for the fact that I don’t have ears on top of my head 🤔

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  @1xayekim11 күн бұрын

  We tested Smellyproof and Smellyproof HD on our SAR and cadaver dogs and they failed. Marketing ploy. If a dog can find a persons sock in one of those bags I would not trust them to hide smells.

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  @jfowler11 күн бұрын

  Thanks for sharing that. I suspected that they aren’t smell-proof. Personally, I aim to reduce smells as much as possible.

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  @KTLBT11 күн бұрын

  i switched to bear cannisters 20 years ago. haven't looked back.

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  @jfowler11 күн бұрын

  I’m with ya 😄

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  @gourdbox12 күн бұрын

  Hmm maybe room for a product that would be more like a 2 day canister, small enough to take 2-3 of them, and made to fold down if opened and unlocked in some way. I always stage my bear bag so the food for the last day is on the bottom, and each day has a bag within the bag. Toiletries on top. Seems like an area that could be improved for sure.

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  @jfowler11 күн бұрын

  A product like that would be great! Thanks for sharing your ideas 😃

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  @orion774112 күн бұрын

  its not "shocking" to sleep with your food.. jeez, fear monger much??? there is absolutely NO NEED to put your food away from your tent or where you are sleeping. I have hiked 2 long distance trails and over 8,000 miles and have never slept apart from my food. it is ALWAYS with me in my backpack right by my head. sure there has been a couple times bear and racoon have came up to me in the night, but a loud scream and good hard punch scared them away. stop spreading your own insecurities and your fear mongering! you are not doing anybody any good....

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  @jfowler12 күн бұрын

  Thanks for sharing your opinion 👍

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  @hologos_13 күн бұрын

  I can't believe I've just watched such an informative video that is just 4 minutes long. 🤯

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  @jfowler13 күн бұрын

  Thanks, that’s very kind of you! ☺️

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  @Oldsparkey13 күн бұрын

  Florida is my camping area and it has a large Black Bear Population. In all my years I have never had a Bear problem but Raccoons are a different story. There is a reason they have a mask and love to make hit and run ,food runs. They are the best reason to never have food or aromatic items in your tent. Had a comedy show one evening with a bandit trying his best to get into the hard sided food container. He did everything and finally gave up after about 30 minutes.

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  @jfowler13 күн бұрын

  Thanks for sharing! Great story! I feel your pain, but having everything locked up in a hard canister does offer some peace of mind. I’ll never make the mistake of luring a mouse with my carelessly placed pill container again. 😩

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  @treybargatze641913 күн бұрын

  Great video!

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  @jfowler13 күн бұрын

  Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it 😀

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  @golDroger8813 күн бұрын

  1:26 Tell that to anti-guns geniuses hahaha.

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  @jfowler13 күн бұрын

  Yeah, I’m probably going to take some heat for some of those statements 😅

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  @golDroger8813 күн бұрын

  @@jfowler It's okay, people just ignore it when it comes to certain topics.

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  @joannsmith914 күн бұрын

  Some very important information was shared in this video that could save the life of hikers! You can never be too careful!! And just because you haven’t had a bear encounter yet-doesn’t mean you won’t ever. You didn’t comment on bear spray-do you carry that?

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  @jfowler13 күн бұрын

  Thanks! I’m really glad you enjoyed it. We occasionally have bear spray but not always. It depends on what area we are visiting. 😄

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  @TheNoobHiker14 күн бұрын

  Can't count how many YT videos I have watched of AT thru hikers talking about sleeping with their food. It really isn't always the bears, it's the other critters and rodents that will destroy your food or gear getting to the food also.

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  @DollyTheLlama14 күн бұрын

  I've watched one who was woken up by a bear sniffing around his tent on the PCT. For some reason, he left his food outside on the ground. You're right about the other critters too. Even ants in some places. I learned years ago that even when just going swimming, you have to keep your clothes and shoes off the ground to keep the fire ants from finding them.

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  @jfowler13 күн бұрын

  @TheNoobHiker Thanks for sharing! I admit that sleeping with your food is very convenient and easy, so it is no surprise it’s common practice. And, yes, those other critters can do a surprising amount of damage in a short amount of time. 😩

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  @jfowler13 күн бұрын

  @DollyTheLlama Thanks for your comment! That can be a little terrifying! On one trip we had a medium size black bear come into our camp multiple times after we ran her off. She was clearly familiar with the spot and definitely not afraid of us. Fire ants? They are everywhere where I live, but haven't had to deal with them on the trail yet. They have a painful sting 😖

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  @cherylaversano488514 күн бұрын

  Well that was your best delivery yet!! Confident, engaging and perfect eye contact. Be like this always and you’ll be my number one speaker 😉

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  @jfowler13 күн бұрын

  That’s so kind of you! Thanks for all your encouragement ☺️

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  @jfowler14 күн бұрын

  Learn some expert tips on using bear canisters here 👉 kzread.info/dash/bejne/rHqJz9VqdpvYgZc.html

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  @TheNoobHiker14 күн бұрын

  Bear canister video is excellent!👍👍👍

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  @jfowler13 күн бұрын

  @TheNoobHiker much appreciated! 😃

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  @CameronVirrill14 күн бұрын

  Specific, clear, and comprehensive. Thank you.

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  @jfowler14 күн бұрын

  Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it ☺

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  @TalesFromAbroad-SJ14 күн бұрын

  What a fantastic video, Jeff! Your top 5 reasons for going backpacking are truly inspiring. The sense of discovery, accomplishment, connections, health benefits, and opportunities for sharing really resonate with my own experiences. Thanks for sharing your insights and passion for backpacking. I look forward to more of your adventures! Cheers, Simon - Tales From Abroad

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  @jfowler14 күн бұрын

  Thanks so much! I’m really glad you enjoyed it. You do beautiful work-keep it up! 😃

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  @TalesFromAbroad-SJ14 күн бұрын

  @@jfowler thank you 😊

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  @tomkirk694216 күн бұрын

  Still have that red Dana Design?

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  @jfowler16 күн бұрын

  I do! I have the Bomb Pack, too. Back in the day Dana Designs was the top tier choice 😂

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  @tomkirk694216 күн бұрын

  @@jfowler Nice! Still have my red 5800 cubic inch Terraplane. It’s heavy but built like a tank. Bought it new in ‘94 or ‘95. Got a kick out of seeing yours in your vid. Cheers!

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  @jfowler15 күн бұрын

  Yep, built to last for sure 😆

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  @johnetches974116 күн бұрын

  Another point that others may have mentioned, is that the cannister negates the need to bring ropes and pulleys to hang a bag, and hence, offsets the weight a bit more.

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  @brianc165117 күн бұрын

  I started with a BearVault. Hated it, so hung my food for years and even used an Ursack. Never had any problems, but a lot of terrible hangs. Seems like all branches are too low or too high where I camp. Picked up 2 different sized ones for the Adirondacks High peaks. Ironically, while finishing the 46, I only camped out in the backcountry once where I needed it. For short single night trips since then and canoe camping, I am always bringing it. I often use it car camping too. Still hate the weight and space. Surprised that no one has figured out how to make one just as strong, but at half the weight.

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  @Yowzoe16 күн бұрын

  I’ve carried a bear canister for decades in wilderness, and the biggest pain is fitting it in my pack. I’m just about to head off on a motocamping trip and just got an Ursack, the big one, and some odor-proof bags. Because I won’t be in wilderness areas, I think it will be allowed everywhere. I haven’t hung a bag from a tree in decades, not looking forward to that part, but definitely looking forward to not caring a big can on a motorcycle.

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  @jfowler16 күн бұрын

  Thanks for sharing your experience! I had some terrible hangs, too. No problems but the bear population has increased considerably since then. The convenience of the canister is probably the biggest plus for me. In recent years we’ve had more visits from small critters including raccoons and mice. I like how the canister works well against them, too. Yeah, there has to be a way to make them less heavy. Wild Ideas Bearikade is probably the lightest option but I don’t like the bulky shape and sharp corners. For now I'll stick with my trusty UDAP No-Fed-Bear. It’s the perfect size for my lightweight packs and holds plenty for a long weekend. Stay safe out there!

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  @jefftickleschitz126520 күн бұрын

  I tried hanging once, and raccoons cut the paracord I had used. Bear cannister after that. I had some webbing sewn up with a couple of buckles to attach the can to the bottom of my pack. Works extremely well. I carry an ursac on longer trips if the 1 can isnt big enough.

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  @jfowler20 күн бұрын

  Ugh. The small critters can really make life miserable. I had an issue with a mouse recently. It sounds like you found a workable solution for mounting the can to your pack. That can be a challenge with some of the smaller volume ultralight packs. Thanks for sharing your experience! 😄

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  @joannsmith921 күн бұрын

  Stunning scenery !

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  @jfowler20 күн бұрын

  It really is!