Looking for advice about dispersed camping

[on4now4]

Hello,

I am currently planning a 3 month and 10,000-mile road trip / camping trip that will cover ~21 national parks at. Now I am not brand new to camping, however, I am brand new to dispersed camping. The draw of it for me is that I have no way of planning my schedule precisely enough to reserve camp-grounds at every park. I also love the idea of saving money as that many nights of paid camp sights can really add up.

What I am mostly worried about is bears. As I wont be in an RV and expect that nearly all of the places I camp will have no bear boxes provided I need to bring my own. I am hoping to carry at least 2 weeks of food at a time to limit my need to find stores throughout the trip.

So my thought is that I get the following two items:
For cold stuff:
http://yeticoolers.com/tundra-50-cooler/
For dry stuff:
http://robertsonenterprises.net/Bear...products_id=14

But this leaves me with the question of how do I secure these things at night? Do I just chain them to a tree?

Also, although I am planning my trip to me mostly all day hikes. I would somewhat like the idea that I can leave my site for 2 or 3 days if I find a spot I want to explore further. I clearly can't carry this much equipment with me so how do I handle that?

Finally, I have read some pretty extreme things about what bears can smell. Some sources tell you to vacuum out all the crumbs from your car or the bears could break in for them. Is that really true? Should I be looking to get my car detailed to remove any and all possible food remnants from the many years that have accumulated? Should I not be eating at all in my car on the many miles I will cover as the smells could linger with the car?

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Looking for advice about dispersed camping

Sounds like your trip will mostly be out West and I haven't been there on the ground yet.
Still you might find this link of use in determining what cold cooler to get:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/tech...r-test-are-in/

As for detailing the car.....well if I was going to be "living" in it on and off for 3 months I think that would be a good starting idea no matter the reason. I'd also keep a sachet of baking powder hanging in the car that I changed every 3-5 days to ensure the air smelled clean w/o the factory perfume odor of normal car air fresheners.

A 50 qt cooler for 2 weeks worth of cold supplies? Are you traveling alone? Make sure you ditch all extraneous food packaging and buy a perma write Sharpie to write what the contents are. Do as much food prep as possible at home and at sedentary stops to cut back on food bulk. For instance, chop/slice/mince onions and flash freeze them then store in a Ziploc bag or two. Same for peppers. Buy meats w/o bones when practical to facilitate storage and fast cooking which will cut down on fuel needs as well. You can also buy or make dehydrated aromatics, veggies and fruits and save cold space. Here's a source I rely on:

http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/...chopped-sliced

They sell dehydrated onions, shallots, and green onions all of which I've used and can say the quality is excellent.
I think when you'd like to be away from your vehicle for a few days it's time to stay in an organized campground. Your security aspect is taken care of.

[Happy Joe]

Re: Looking for advice about dispersed camping

first a word on bears black bears are (mostly) not terribly aggressive but brown bears (grizzleys) can be. I am a bit paranoid in Grizley/brown bear country but not so much in black bear country, If the bears (brown or black) have learned to associate humans with food (tourist area) all bets are off. I avoid parks like Yellowstone or Yosemite because of this. Yes, they can tear up you car/vehicle/tent pack etc. if they decide there is food inside. Don't have food in tents or cook next to them and be sure to wash you face and hands before bed (I don't know how true they are but there are stories...)
I believe the yeti cooler is bear resistant and quite spendy, the one that I looked at was built like a (fiberglass) tank (very heavy and heavy duty). I believe at least some have padlock holes so chaining to a tree is an option.
Personally I don't bother as I tend toward the wilder places where tourists have not ruined the bears.
... for years I carried a can of bear spray but eventually it lost pressure, without being used.


Enjoy!

[terasec]

Re: Looking for advice about dispersed camping

For such camping first check regs on when/where/how you can camp
Some places have 3 day limits before needing a permit, some do not allow you to leave your base camp overnight
Some require permits to park
As for bears my experience is with black bears which are like teddy bears compared to western browns
As others have said keep yourself and site free of food
Cook clean eat away from tent
Hang your food in a tree 100 yds from camp try to hang it down wind up wind and they may come through your site to get to your stash
Rectangular cooler is not bear proof
Highly recommend bear spray well worth the $40-$50
For food
Have to keep it light and dry
Meats wont last long so unless you plan on eating it first few days no point
Milk use powdered milk instead
Dry as much as you can at home in the oven
I make great beef jerky in the oven
I often reconstitue jerky in stews/soups
Beans look for beans that dont require long soaking
Like lentils
Instead of having a seperate container for each spice premix something you can dab on everything
Try to learn at least 1 safe edible plant in the area
Look to getting a hunting license and see if small game is an option
If not look to fishing as a source of food
Look at options with cornmeal or flour
Can turn flavored water into something more substantial
Can start trying things at home
As for water
Learn the water sources where you will be camping
And get a water filter
Boiling is an option but can be quite a pain when you want water now then realize have to make a fire boil the water let it cool, sometimes taking hours

[toedtoes]

Re: Looking for advice about dispersed camping

In many areas, black bears know that a cooler means food. Think Yogi Bear and the picnic basket - they know that the odds of food being in that type of container is very high. For campers, that means that putting the cooler on the backseat in the car will only encourage the bear to go through the car to get to the cooler. Chaining the cooler to the tree just means the bear won't be grabbing the cooler and dragging it away to eat at its leisure.

In a few limited areas, bears have connected other items with potential food. Cars are becoming more identifiable to bears as potential food sources, so if the area says "absolutely no food in vehicles", pay attention. Some areas with a history of problem bears may ban tent or popup camping - allowing only hardsided RV camping.

The bear canisters are the best option. If you have stuff that you can't fit into the canister, get the Opsak bags. I have used them and it is AMAZING how they can hold the smell in (just remember when you finally open the bag all that pent up smell will come rushing out). Use those inside the cooler and store the cooler inside the trunk of the car.

Hang food from trees, cook and eat away from your sleeping area.

Contact the local ranger station for the areas you want to camp and ask them for dispersed campsite recommendations - they can direct you away from any current bear problem areas and towards some really great locations. They can also provide you with any local rules for that park/area. Keep the numbers handy when you're on the trip and if you come across a great potential campsite, you can call them and get their opinion. The rangers are really a great source of information for this stuff and often get ignored for internet information.

[cunningman]

Re: Looking for advice about dispersed camping

All bears can be dangerous! But fact is that Most Attacks of humans by bears....occurs with Black Bears!!!! Not browns or grizzly.