How to Go Hiking or Backpacking In Bear Country (and Not Die) 

One thing you didn't mention when you talked about "scented" items: Laundered clothing. Most detergent is very heavily scented and some of those scents are "fruity" and bears like fruit. Best to wash clothes in "Free and Clear" detergents.

Even when I’m biking that bear spray is on my handlebars within reach. It stays with me in camp at all times. Once when hiking on a narrow trail my dog, on leash, stopped dead and refused to go further. Trusted his instinct. Thanks for all your tips.

Love seeing other channels promote bear safety. Thanks for the great vid.

Amazing thing to bring in any trip is a small motion sensor light and set it up near the camp if you are solo or a couple. Great for a light,security, and spooks most things off in the night. It did bother me at first if it went off accidentally but you get used it those times. pointing it downward-ish prevents it from going off from high winds blowing on tree limbs.

13:34 you have to knot the bag closed so if the bear gets it, it cannot open it as easily. You have your knot several cm away from the opening, which doesn't make this bag much better than any other hanging bag. 16:55 that's why you do a PCT hang.

Good stuff! Love that you stated, check with the locals. In CO, you have to use a hard sided canister in Rocky Mountain Natl Park and few other places. I opted for a carbon fiber can…while it does not fix the volume issue, it is light and very durable compared to the plastic cans (also easier to open). Anyways, love the vids you put out. Keep up the great work!

Great video, I’ve wondered about this topic before. Glad you made this video. 👍👍

This was super informative! Thanks for making this great content 💕 I hope to go on my first backpacking trip soon

My first night in bear country I slept with my bear spray next to me. I held my headlamp against the glow in the dark handle so I could find it instantly. I calmed down by day two.

When I read about the woman who sadly lost her life, the bear had been in the camp once before, and they were able to run it off. They probably should have taken other precautions after the first time. I grew up with a firearm in my hands and I have studied this problem to have the right stuff to stop a bear attack. My understanding is that Montana recommends a firearm, I think a shotgun, because the bears are less affected by bear spray. The attacks I’ve studied are very fast and violent. The first time out west I carried a 44 mag w dangerous game ammo. I now have a 45 LC with dangerous game ammo and it’s ported. It’s also lots lighter. But after talking to the real guys in Alaska I have a Glock 20 gen 4. To be frank, Im going to try a book a Ranger hike or go on a guided hike. The bear problems are serious, plus there are wolves and mountain lions in greater quantities. If you have a grizzly coming at you, I question my ability even with all my training, I’d probably crap my drawers.

Ursacks with liners have served me well for 10+ years - cooking and keeping "smellables" well away from tent is essential

Hello 👋 my outdoors friend. Thank you for sharing this informative video regarding being safe in bear County 🐻. You guys be safe out there. 🤗

Cool stuff. The dog though would be a good alarm I would think.

Very beautiful video and a really good tips 🔥

As a Brit who aspires to hike the PCT in a year or two, I'm pretty nervous about bears! That and safely crossing snowy passes (using an ice-axe to self-arrest etc) as I don't have any experience with either. River crossings make me nervous as well, but I have a bit more experience there. I can hopefully get some snowy mountain hiking/climbing experience in Scotland or Wales too, but we don't have bears! All I can do is learn all I can and ensuring I know how to use bear spray, hang my food if I'm not carrying a cannister, and how to reduce my chances of an unpleasant encounter. Thanks for the video!

It's really main issue for hiking. It was so helpful to me. Protection from bears and wilderness is the most important part of the backcountry hike. I am a also hiking bug:)

Eric- hanging the Ursack the way you depict negates most of the reason to use one over a lightweight stuff sack. It's designed to be tied to the trunk of a tree by the included cord as a retention device first and foremost. A determined bear may get the Ursack if PCT-hung and could then walk away with the food; whereas if used as directed by the manufacturer the food may only be crushed, but not taken away from camp.

The ursack bag doesn’t need to be hung from a tree - you tie it directly to the tree. Also, I put everything (food, scented items, etc.) in an OpSak odor proof bag.

I appreciate it.

One tip I always like to share is for your first-aid kit we all catty benadryl but also carry previcid (yes the heartburn medicine) it is also a histamine blocker but blocks different histamines then benadryl so take together to drematically improve your chances of getting rid of a reaction... IE bee stings etc...

Eric, how do you carry, store and do you also hang your trash? I have seen bears dumpster diving on TV!

We've been using our ursack on every trip for six years now, bears or not. They do advertise another bag for rodents, but I've found if you tie the chord tight enough. Our bear cannisters only gets use in Yosemite where they require hard sided canisters.

I once camped in the woods 15 miles south of Aspen, Colorado near Ashcroft Ghost Town from August to December 1998, and I had some items stolen from me by other campers in the area when I went for a short hike... So who's to say some hikers will not steal your food & the expensive bearbag sometime overnight or in the early morning... In my opinion, I am more concerned and weary of people, than from bears, so I learned to keep EVERYTHING in your tent... Although, I do carry 2 cans of Bear Spray as well.

And put a portable electric bear fence around your campsite. There’s one out there weighing only 2.4 lbs and it’s really capable. Passive deterrence for a good night’s sleep.

I had a bear come up on my hammock while I was sleeping at a designated campsite at a trailhead before a backpacking trip. Turns out someone else had left some food on a picnic table at a different site. It was a juvenile bear that had likely become accustomed to stealing food, which is sad in its own right. Makes for a fun story, though, since no one got hurt!

Very epic

I had a bear encounter in the Green Swamp in Florida so now I always carry bear spray the vegetation is so dense in the swamp that you sometimes cannot see what is around the next corner so I worry about the bumping into scenario

If I'm going to not hang my food I will at least put all my sunscreen soaps etc in a opsak as well as my food and trash and coldsoak jar/cook kit generally food is in its own bag and I eat before getting to camp then I put cook kit in a small opsack and my diddy's in a large opsak that I also put the small sak with the cook kit in and my trash is broken up into a zip lock for trash and one for recycling (mostly zip locks that can be reused) which both reside in an opsak I'd suggest that as a bare minimum ... while on the oregon section of the pct I didnt find anyone that used an ursack or bear can or hung food most people didn't even use opsaks it seems (I don't recommend that at all) I did hang once though and I recommend at least being able to do that if your going to skip on the ursack or bearcan granted where I was hiking most resorts left their regular trash cans out which indicates low bear activity if you in a high bear activity area I'd suggest just using the ursack or can as finding a spot to hang can be annoying and hard to find later I didn't feel fond of sleeping with my pack full of food in my tent so I kept the bag outside My dog sleeps with me in my tent or on a ruffware hands free leash if we cowboy or set up under a tarp I'm not fond of the idea of leaving him tied to a tree

Always feel better having a dog in the tent as they would theoretically smell the bear before I wake up. Giving the bear a warning bark before it was too close to camp

There are key rules but it will most likely be the elements one succumbs to

Beautiful place! Bears do choose great homes.. just curious, Has your dog ever had an accident inside your tent 😄

what about mosquito spray and sunscreen would that need to be put away?

Another potential issue with that bear bag and I have had friend that this has happened to if a bear gets a hold of it they very well might not leave it there and could carry it away for some distance...

male bears in desperate food situations do decide to hunt humans sometimes. Recent study shows this is the encounter that causes more bear deaths than even moms with cubs. Moms with cubs and surprised bears usually just bluff. They don't kill you often. A predatory male bear could have hunted that woman. I wouldn't assume she had food in the tent. It is rare for a bear to hunt a human but bear spray is the only way to protect yourself in that scenario.

Lead based bear spray is the best. There is a difference in Black vs Brown bear attacks.. Brown is usually territory, cubs, startled. A black bear attack is to eat you.

Rule #1... Make sure your hiking partner is slower than you...whomever that may be🤔 In all seriousness, all great points Eric. As much as I hate bear bells (I can't begin to tell ya) we find that they serve the purpose especially if you get tired out singing 99 bottles of beer on the wall.

Bears are generally not scary in all honesty but it's the mountain lions that have me staying alert

Besides the food packaging, is the bag mostly waterproof? If you hang it in a tree during a downpour, will you still have dry food in the morning or will you have soup?

Eric, can you move a little to the right? A little more. Just a little more. A smidge more...perfect.

Just as you said, bears are generally not interested in humans, rather I would say they do everything they can to stay away from us.. luckely bears senses are so much better then us humans so likely the bear have noticed us way before we notices them. So thinking about wind direction is one thing so the bear can smell you and leave but that is not always possible. Sound is also good, don’t sneak around hoping the bear doesn’t notice you.. do the opposite. Make sounds so the bear knows you are there. I know in US there is bear beels.. I would perhaps have one on the dog if he is running around freely? Never used one though. We have beers here where I live in Sweden but 30 years of wildlife I never ever accounted one. But if you stumble upon one (btw been sprey is illegal in Sweden) what I have learned is to do three things. Don’t run.. the bear will then turn on hunting mode. Walk slowely backwards from where you cane.. and take a detour. Make yourself as big as you can.. hold things up in the air so you look even bigger and talk loudly and firmly. And if the bear follows you, then drop something between you and the bear.. a hat or something that smells. Bears are curious and will most likely stop to smell the item for a while. That will make the gap between you and the bear bigger and chances is that the bear looses interests and goes on a different direction. We also have wolves where I live.. a little bit more tricky with them but they also tries to keep away from you. Lastly we have wild boars.. not those is what I am really scared if.. specially if they have kids as they often have. Most accidents with bears in sweden is when hunters have a dog with them.. the dig is out working trying to puah mooses ir something.. if the dog encounters a bear the dog then to bark at the bear and them run back to you to tell you that he found something and the bear follows the fog back towards you.. that is the most common thing that leads to accidents with bears here in Sweden at least.

Hello, is it safe to keep your water bottle or any containers with water with you inside your tent?

I see many backpackers cooking food inside their tent vestibule. Here if you leave cooking orders on your tent your asking for problems

Might want to change your unit of measurement from ft to yards on some of these suggestions. 200 yds from camp for your food hang , 50-100 yds being the safe distance seeing one on trail, you know all that. 50 ft rather than yds might get someone mauled

To be honest, I never seen a bear play with a bag and leave it.... In a real situation the bear will take your bag to a safe place and continue to examine and find a way in, but in the end your bag Is gone. would be nice to really examine a bears thought process and have real life situation examples. also everyone that lives is not smart or has no common sense. TRUE love everything your doing!!!! keep it up!

If you're just day hiking with a small pack in bear country, how do you wrap snacks so animals don't smell it?

When I went to Montana last summer, every employee at the backpacking/sporting goods stores I went into, told me they don’t go into the backcountry without a gun. I have never even considered that. I was fairly shocked that I was told that not just once, but numerous times.

if only there wasn't some movies on hulu about a couple camping in bear country, didn't end too well for them

I certainly won't argue with anything relating to scents and so on.. Ask ANY person who lives and works (outfitters) in brown bear territory... Bring an appropriate firearm and know how to use it. Bear Spray is human seasoning if you come across one that wants to get to you.

Tip number 1 Go hiking with someone you can run faster than...that way u can just run away and the other guy keeps the bear occupied while its mauling him

I once was camping on a beach and a wolf was 3 inches from my head on the other side of the tent sniffing me. I woke up realized it and punched it in the snout through the tent... which it quickly ran off.

So the story of the woman in Montana that was dragged from her tent. They’re blaming an aggressive bear in that case since there was no food in her tent. Bear visited them at 3am but ran away then returned soon after. Something must have smelled like food. It’s very rare but I’d lean toward the safe side and use only unscented products including deodorant, soap, shampoo, etc. Sleep with one eye open and one hand on the bear spray or a gun.

Great tips!!! Okay so if u use your deodorant and chapstick before u go to bed and put that smelly stuff in the bear bag, why won’t the bear smell it on you and eat u anyway!?! I mean it makes sense to put everything away but what if it’s on you!?! And what about cooking? U always cook before u set up camp and then walk a mile or so and then set up camp? I want to go hiking in bear country but really am scared of being pulled out of my tent like that lady in Montana!!

Not, the only eat you when they hungry or piece off or maybe whatever else …. Easy said than done, my friend

A bag is quite the innovation… also when your girlfriend cares more about the dog… I’d say say the slowest one is dinner for bear 😂

Honestly rattle snakes are my biggest fear

What happens when a mama bear passes by with her cubs while you're hanging up your food? Bad luck I guess.

So that’s exactly what happened with the woman that was killed by the bear. She and her camp mates had their tents pitched in town behind the post office where travelers were allowed to pitch tents due to the number of bears in the area. They all had food in their tents and the bear woke them up at 3am. They somehow got the bear to run off so then they removed the food and went back to sleep. The bear came back 15 minute later and yanked her out of her tent. it’s sad that she was killed but because of the negligence of these people the bear was also killed by authorities.

Girlfriend looks more like his sister. Lose dogs are a huge problem in bear country. They usually attract bears and lead them back to their owners.

I've made this comment on other channels, but I think its nuts that we would trust a can of aerosol to protect us against a grizzly bear.

Some black bears actually do actively hunt humans. Grizzlies wont.

So far all I hear is a lot of preparing for what might happen tell me what you learned from actually encountering a bear in fact talk after you had several encounters cause I'm sure each one is different and with more experience comes more knowledge

It's scary to think bear spray is your last line of defense. When momma grizzly is ten feet from tearing into your face, you pray to God you don't miss. Anyway, thanks.

I love your girlfriend! She is so cute!

I'll never understand the hate of firearms in that community. Guess who doesn't get killed by a bear or crazy person in the woods - armed people.

I would not hike in bear country without spray. No way.

She also may have done everything right with her food and scented items and still got attacked. Respect the woods people. Dont be overconfident. Grizzlies are not just imaginary. They are very big very heavy killing machines that are roaming the forest.

Even if you cook and eat away from your tent, the scent from cooking and eating will be attached to your body. Hikers are fooling themselves about how scent works.

Dog lovers are going to hate this, but if your dog is in a hot confrontation with a bear, do not try to save it. That's how dog owners get killed. Let it play out for better or worse. "Dad won't see me graduate high school, but thank goodness pookie is safe," said no one ever.

perhaps you mention it later but there is a completely different set of rules for the bears most of us see - the black bears. Way less of an issue. Further I'd make the case for a bear can every day or the week. Whats the point of saving your food...which isn't a given...if you can't eat it? If that bear gets to the bag its probably going to be gone which is one of the big benefits of a bear can. They can't carry it and walk. I've seen a bear tear a tree in half in minutes to eat a worm, so the bag hanging on a tree does nothing for me. The can fits in the bag and can be filled with other gear as the food goes. It's multi purpose where the bag isn't and though they may have addressed the situation, little critters can get into that bag and thats why I love the bear can best. It keeps everything out and I do'nt have to through things up a tree all day. Embrace the madness people bear cans rule bear bags suck! Peace

bear sprays are so outrageously overpriced and they're not even pistol grip

If the spray DOES blow back on you and startle the bear, at least you'll reduce the risk of the bear developing a taste for human flesh.

I love dogs Not in bear country though Dog runs ahead. Dog brings bear back. Will it happen? Maybe not but the chances are that much higher I will be in the Winds in August 2023. I hope no dogs will be around

Why in the hell someone goes camping in bear country? It’s like go camping in Osasco/SP thinking that you will be alright! Haha

You said you don’t know the details about the woman who was killed by a bear, but it sounds like you are blaming her for bringing it on herself. Some people do dumb things to get themselves killed, but others are just unlucky.

lol was your gf in the video just to prove you have a gf? you talked the whole time while she just stood there hahahah

Investing in crypto is the best way to earn financial freedom