Comments on: Hanging A Bear Bag—The PCT Method

By: Sally

Sally — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 20:33:00 +0000

In reply to Heather H Smith. Heather you need to pull on the loose line that hangs below the toggle/stick. The bag goes up, the toggle comes down and then you remove the toggle and lower the bag.

By: Heather H Smith

Heather H Smith — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 17:19:47 +0000

Okay, I’ve spent no less than two hours watching YT videos and practicing bear bag hanging. Working on this PCT method. Just tried it in my front yard. It seems one thing that is left out of the above instructions, is: How do you get the bag down? I just tried it out front, and had to do it on a much lower than workable branch, so I was able to use a step stool to untie the bag and pull it down. But if it’s way up in a tree, held there by a stick??? I MUST be missing something, but this is just nuts…

By: Folie

Folie — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 10:29:17 +0000

Thanks for the info, very nice article.

By: Mike Lutz

Mike Lutz — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 04:09:47 +0000

In reply to Derek.

The PCT method is terrific in many areas. HOWEVER, the balanced bag method is superior for the following reasons. AND I’ve witnessed these reasons:

1-If the tree limb selected is too large – 4ish inches – the bear can get your line.
2-If the limb is smaller than 3 inches larger bears will simply break the limb.
Note: the above 2 are also a problem for balanced bag/counter balance method
3- MANY folks now use a very slick spectra/dyneema rope or some other VERY Strong rope. Bears are learning to pull these with their teeth until something breaks – the limb, the carabiner, the toggle. I’ve seen all of these failures along the Appalachian Trail in N.Carolina.
4- With the counterbalance/balanced bag method the black bear can’t reach anything -with the limb sizing caveat above.

By: Coyote

Coyote — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 18:32:54 +0000

I’ve got a bear story. Back in ’98 I’d been camping in the NF at the base of San Francisco peaks in Arizona for a few months. I cooked my food in camp and my stored was in the tent. I’d had mice and skunk periodically scavenge crumbs and owls rapture mice that were scavenging. One night fast asleep in the tent, I felt a nudge against my left shoulder and an deep inhaling. My first reaction was to inhale deeply and what a stench. As I opened my eyes to total darkness, I yelled “baaaaaar!!!” The next thing I heard was that bear’s paws pounding the ground like a shaman’s drumbeat and breaking brush and limbs as it made a beeline away. I rolled over laughing and went back to sleep. They don’t want much to do with us two-leggeds, because we’re so damn dangerous and unpredictable. Heck, our kind hunt down and kill their kind for no good reason. If I was a bear I’d be wary of humans, too. Surely you can’t blame anyone for wanting to eat, can you?

By: Coyote

Coyote — Fri, 10 Aug 2018 23:01:14 +0000

Hanging is fine, if you’re not required to use a bear canister or if you’re around bears that haven’t yet got the hang of how to drop your bag by severing the hang rope; and some have. For those needing or wanting a bear canister there are several popular models, but there’s news you may not have heard; I’ll share here. There’s a company making an IGBC CERTIFIED BEAR BAG. YEP! It’s the LocTote Flak Sack II. It costs considerably more than the BV500 I bought, but holds like 12+ liters and changes size with use, obviously. Subscribe for emails and you’ll see it on sale for 20%-25% off sale from time to time. Check the link below;
https://loctote.com/blogs/company/bear-resistant-bags

By: Derek Hansen

Derek Hansen — Fri, 13 Jul 2018 05:32:42 +0000

In reply to Peter. You’re welcome

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 06 Jul 2018 21:16:00 +0000

Wow! Two very nifty tricks: the throw bag, and loosely dangling retrieval line that can’t be slashed.
And the best part is that I might finally stop braining myself with poorly attached throw rocks. Thanks so much!