Ursack approved in Inyo Forest?

[rlown]

you don't throw objects "near" a bear. You throw objects (rocks) at the bear. A rock on the head caused the idiot to drop the empty pack (other than the toothpaste).. it wasn't my pack..

I'm not an ursack fanatic. I like my can. I can sit on it.

[maverick]

Rlown wrote:
A rock on the head caused the idiot to drop the empty pack (other than the toothpaste).

Have read and have always been told by rangers to never throw anything hitting the bear
in the head which may make it charge or attack.

[rlown]

needed the pack back.. sorry if i didn't follow Bigfoot's rock-throwing etiquette guidelines.

[Rockchucker]

I see bears every year, I saw 3 last year. But I deer hunt and explore areas that have higher populations of bears. I've never used a ursack but the weight savings is enticing.

[longri]

I see bears every year, I saw 3 last year. But I deer hunt and explore areas that have higher populations of bears. I've never used a ursack but the weight savings is enticing.

Lucky you to see bears so often. They are wonderful animals. I hardly ever see them but relish the times that I do. Mostly, anyway. The most recent time was last year when the car in front of me hit one. It was pretty horrible and I wonder if it survived.

The Ursack isn't just lighter, it fits in the pack better since it's soft, malleable and shrinks in size as the contents are emptied out. My canister is a rigid barrel that I feel against my back unless I pack it just ever so. And it takes up a huge percentage of the pack volume for the whole trip, full or empty. I hate the thing, as I'm required to carry it in places where a bear encounter is quite unlikely. But when I'm camping in obvious bear terrain? Then I love it.

[Rockchucker]

One of the bears was a real brute, we guessed him to be 500lbs eating grass in a stringer early spring. He looked up to us and had an air of arrogance, kind of like "I'm the king here,move on". His prints were huge, displaced the dirt like a cow. He was cool. But most the time they just run from one tree line to another and are gone.
I also got to see a mother and her cubs last fall, so I guess I saw 4 bears. A guy I hike with saw a blond on the trail in front of us but I didn't catch sight of it. Bear population are on rise around here.

[AlmostThere]

An ursack, legally used.

http://giantdumpster.wordpress.com/tag/ursack-failure/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Note that the knot is still neatly tied.

[Snowtrout]

This is an interesting conversation.

I still use the PCT method to hang my food and have never had an issue....maybe I'm lucky or am doing something right, who knows and that is not the point of my message. I have never backpacked in Yosemite, SEKI or other areas that require a bear canister, so I have never used one. I have looked at both the Ursack and bear canisters to protect my food better or to use in those restricted areas. My opinion is neither is perfect and both have negatives. The Ursack is lighter and fits better in a pack but is not, as of yet, allowed in Yosemite, SEKI or restricted areas, has been shown to be more of a deterrent than absolute protection and like hanging your food in a tree, can fail to user error. Until they are approved and shown to be better than a deterrent, to me, hanging food seems to be just as effective for most areas.

As for the hard bear canisters, the weight and size are the main reasons I have not purchased one yet. I keep hoping that someone will invent/design a new canister that is lighter than what is on the market and collapses down to fit in the pack better. Maybe wishful thinking..........

[AlmostThere]

anything collapsible is not even going to slow a bear down. if the teeth can get in, it's gone - canisters succeed only when a bear can't pick it up in its mouth. tie a rope to a canister and a bear will pack it away with him.

look at the photos on the link. no pretending that was user error. a bear cub took 30 minutes to get that one torn open.

[Snowtrout]

AlmostThere, I am not disagreeing with you. As I posted, the Ursack seems more of a deterrent than protection and user error can lead to failure. Your pics and other reports/pics show both of these points to be true.

I think collapsible or pieces that break down for carrying is possible if designed right. For example, this product that has yet to be released might have potential: http://www.camp4outdoors.com/products.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;