Bear country camping

[Funtimes]

For those of you that camp in bear country, do you store food in your hybrid's refrigerator or do you keep everything in the bear box at the campsite? We camp often in the Sierras and the convenience of using the refrigerator instead of the old ice chest is tempting.

[tedshelleykacie]

Welcome to JOF We keep ours in the refrigerator. We camp up around Tahoe all the time and have yet to have a problem. Just came back from Silver Lake and while we were there found out that a couple of bears came though the park. No one had any issues with them, they were just passing through

[RoyBraddy]

Up on the Blue Ridge most of the bear lockers are close to the Tent Sites... We always keep things either in oour truck or out of smell range in the trailer (fridge-Ice Chest etc)..

Occasionally see a bear trotting down the camp road with his nose in the air... Always lots of deer around... Have seen wild pigs one time in the Smokys near Gatlinburg...

One dude loaded up with BBQ in Gatlinburg one year and went back to the camp ground in the Natl park. Apparently had his BBQ feast and went to bed - didnt cleanup a thing... He didnt make it thru the night - bear got him... Another time in the Smokys a lady walking the trails ran into a bear and her cub and got mauled up pretty good. I think she survived...

We was at Cosby camp ground one year in the Smokys tent camping and the ranger came by telling us to stow our soft drinks... He was saying the bears liked the PEPSI's better than Cokes... More sweeter I guess... He said they would spot the ice chest real quick and get after it...

Got to take the bears seriously for sure...

Roy Ken

[I.plod]

We keep our food in a cooler in the cab of the truck. The bear lockers are only at the tent sites here in the Shenandoah.

I've seen lots and lots of bear and everytime they've quckly run away from me.

The only time I was ever nervous was a mom and two cubs crossed the road in front of me and I had a wide open, no top, no doors Jeep that day.

[Seann45]

food should be fine in your fridge... just keep a real clean campsite.. no food wrappers left outside DO NOT burn food or wrappers in your campfire.. empty bottles stored never left outside.. remember they have the SMELL of food on them and that is what attracts a bear..

[mcfarmall]

Good question. A hybrid or a pop-up is nothing more than a glorified tent for bear purposes.

[Jagiven]

We were in Yellowstone a little more than a week ago (Tower Falls). The ranger instead that EVERYTHING was put away, when you where not at camp or while sleeping. They stated all food had to be secured in the cab of a vehicle or in the lock box. They did not allow food in the frig with a PU or Hybrid ether. With our hybrid we just kept the bunk ends closed up the whole time, and they counted that as a secured vehicle.

We did see many a bear in and around camp.

When we camped in a PU we just left ALL food in the truck, and kept a clean trailer. Because of bear country, I do not like cooking in the HTT as food odors can get imbedded in the fabrics, wall coverings, etc.