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Re: beginner's questions: toothpaste and how many butane

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:50 am
by Wandering Daisy
I repack all my food so my garbage only contains plastic bags and TP. I see no need to hover over the fire and breath plastic fumes. When the fire is out, if there are any globs of plastic remaining, I fish them out and put them in a bag. This reduces the trash. When you are out for 15 days straight, the amount of trash becomes significant and really starts to smell. For shorter trips (less than 5 days) then I carry it all out. Burning trash is one trash handling option. It is all a matter of judgement. I do not think there is a single answer. A hot fire actually will do a pretty good job of getting rid of trash.

Re: beginner's questions: toothpaste and how many butane

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:44 pm
by quentinc
yosehiker wrote:Plus I think there is a reason we don't incinerate our trash in the 'real world'/front country as it pollutes.
That's true, but I think burning wood is almost as bad. I never have a fire when I solo backpack. It's bad enough trying to inflate the Big Agnes; so nice not to have the wood gathering chore when I get into camp!

Re: beginner's questions: toothpaste and how many butane

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 5:01 pm
by guyd
Mike M. wrote:What brand/model stove are you planning on taking on your trip? Do you plan to heat water for one meal each day, or for more?
Thinking of having two stoves to speed overall preparation time: one Pocket Rocket and one Brunton Raptor (11,000 BTU)

Oatmeal +coffee/hot chocolate at breakfeast for five.
Breezer Bag Cooking recipies at supper +coffee/hot chocolate for five.

Thanks

Re: beginner's questions: toothpaste and how many butane

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 5:46 pm
by Snow Nymph
I use Arm & Hammer Tooth Powder in the backcountry. Its light and doesn't leave a mess. Its been about 6 years since I backpacked, and I haven't seen the Tooth Powder around lately, but maybe online?

Re: beginner's questions: toothpaste and how many butane

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:31 pm
by bheiser1
markskor wrote: 1) Methinks perchance you have some un-necessary fear of the bear. Respect is one thing, paranoia another. Think of brown bears as big , hungry, timid, sneaky dogs, hiding in the shadows, not as predatory ferocious beasts, and act/treat them accordingly. They are not after you/ will not bother you (unless provoked), in fact, you will be lucky/privileged, just to lay eyes on one, They generally fear man, are just looking to bag a quick meal, and from the easiest source available - could be you or could be the next campground up as they travel on their nightly rounds.
Keep all stored food in bear cans or bear boxes, open all pockets of your backpacks at night, and just spit the toothpaste out behind any convenient rock, just not close to the water. The bear is looking for thousands of calories, not spit. Do not worry about it.
Markskor, though that wasn't my post, I'll jump in here anyway. Speaking for myself :), I'd say "we" (oops, "I", lol) have been pretty well trained by the mass media, the Park Service,and various others. We've been trained to believe that bears will open car doors with can-opener like paws, even for as little as a gum wrapper left inside.

With this in mind, it's not a big leap to imagine a bear being attracted to a spit of tasty minty-fresh toothpaste behind that rock near our tent...

Maybe it's only YV where this happens, but those images persist in our minds anyway ...

Re: beginner's questions: toothpaste and how many butane

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:45 pm
by rlown
Yeah.. It doesn't happen just in the Valley. The HSC backpacker camps were notorious for prowling bears. It's been better lately, but.. Just spit your toothpaste down a gopher hole a little distance from camp.. works fine. Best bet is to be far away from larger established, smelly human infestations..

I snore like a chainsaw (or so i've been told. :\ ) Maybe that combined with an empty pack at night keeps them away.. Still, I don't sleep, but that's not the bears' fault..

Re: beginner's questions: toothpaste and how many butane

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 8:03 pm
by AlmostThere
bheiser1 wrote:
Markskor, though that wasn't my post, I'll jump in here anyway. Speaking for myself :), I'd say "we" (oops, "I", lol) have been pretty well trained by the mass media, the Park Service,and various others. We've been trained to believe that bears will open car doors with can-opener like paws, even for as little as a gum wrapper left inside.
You're talking to different people than I do. Some of the old timers I've talked to remember the days when bears would jump out of trees, not just to snag a hanging bag, but to fall through the tops of the old ragtop cars.

Bears do open car doors. Not just in Yosemite, either. Folks have told me about their parents' cabin in this or that east side location, where they had bear break ins. Bears have caused problems outside the national parks - more rarely, true. But they can make a significant amount of damage when they have a mind to. I visited a boy scout camp last weekend where the staff were setting up for the (late) camping season - they were working on fixing a window that a bear tore into, on the kitchen side of the mess hall - the bear had made himself to home, rummaging through everything, tho they had left very little in the way of food (cans in the pantry). Just a forgotten bag of trash.

Bears are smart critters, curious enough to spend a little time and energy getting into something to investigate if it shows promise. The California bears are timid enough that it's relatively easy to deal with them, fortunately. Just keep a clean camp, use the bear canisters where they are recommended, and respect their wildness and observe them from a safe distance.

Re: beginner's questions: toothpaste and how many butane

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 9:13 pm
by gary c.
I think that if a bear is close enough to come into my camp because of the smell of spit tooth paste he is probably close enough to smell the whole tube and everything else in camp.

I tell everyone it smells like roses in my solo tent by the third morning but now you guys got me worried that I might wake up to a bear french kissing me for the taste of my minty fresh breath.
:p :-#

Re: beginner's questions: toothpaste and how many butane

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:41 pm
by Mike M.
GuyD wrote:
Thinking of having two stoves to speed overall preparation time: one Pocket Rocket and one Brunton Raptor (11,000 BTU)

Oatmeal +coffee/hot chocolate at breakfeast for five.
Breezer Bag Cooking recipies at supper +coffee/hot chocolate for five.

Thanks
Here's what I would do in your situation (cooking for five): have each member of your party pack one fuel cartridge for every four nights you plan to be on the trail. This should give you plenty of fuel for preparing two meals a day (breakfast and dinner). I assume both stove models use the same type of fuel cartridge.

One trick I use is to label (with a Sharpie pen) each cartridge so I can tell them apart. I like to completely use up one cartridge before using another. I always end up with extra fuel.

About bears: the best way to advertise that there are humans around is to light a campfire. It is a bear siren song, a far more effective lure than toothpaste spittle. Don't worry too much about your toothpaste spit. I like to brush my teeth a little ways from my bedpad, near the creek or lake. Bears are smart. If they happen to notice a little toothpaste spittle, they will have noticed other human smells well before that. They know you're there. They're not interested in a little toothpaste spit. It's your food stash they're after and they are smart enough to know the difference. Store your food wisely and you will have a good night's sleep.

Have a great hike!

Mike

Re: beginner's questions: toothpaste and how many butane

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 4:39 am
by AlmostThere
gary c. wrote:
I tell everyone it smells like roses in my solo tent by the third morning but now you guys got me worried that I might wake up to a bear french kissing me for the taste of my minty fresh breath.
:p :-#
A friend of mine who used to do trail work in the Whitney area told me a story like that - one of the girls got a care package from home and stashed the candy bars mom sent her under her pillow instead of where they stored the food normally, thinking the other workers would steal them. She woke up to a bear sniffing and breathing on her face.