Can bears smell food inside dry sacks?

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I like to do long hikes in black bear country. I don't really go on multiday trekking trips, just day trips but often need to bring food along. I know that backpackers often keep their food in bear vaults but since I don't spend the night, I am only really interested in not smelling to the bear, not keeping them from getting to my food while I'm sleeping. I was wondering if a dry sack, like this enter image description here

would seal the contents so they don't smell outside, just like they keep water from getting in. The advantage of this vs. a bear vault is that the extra air can be bled out for a minimal size of the cargo in the backpack.

food bears black-bears

posted almost 10 years ago

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amphibient‭

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No, it will not. A bear will smell your food regardless of what container you put it in. A dry bag may reduce the distance from which a bear can smell your food, but will not make it impossible to smell your food.

It's extremely uncommon – especially for black bears – for a bear to attack a person to try to steal their food. Unattended food is a big risk, but if the food is in your pack, it's not a significant problem. The bear may smell it, but it'll also smell you and hopefully hear you, and generally decide it's not worth the risk.

For day hikes I don't think special food protection against bears is necessary. Being aware of your surroundings and making sure bears hear you coming will be much more effective.

posted almost 10 years ago

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nhinkle‭

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Bears have a seriously sensitive nose. I can't remember the correct values, but they have magnitudes more smell receptors than a bloodhound (I just looked it up, a bear's nose is estimated to be 7 times more sensitive than a bloodhound.

You can minimize what can be smelled by using ziplock bags and placing those in uncoated stainless steel containers. Stainless steel electrochemically absorbs many food smells.

posted almost 10 years ago

CC BY-SA 3.0