Bears and ARB fridges

[alirawk]

I'm just wondering what sort of experience people have had with ARB fridges, or really fridges, and bears. Just got my fridge set up and have all sorts of plans to explore the Sierras where we are rich with bears. Do the fridges contain the smell of food well enough where I don't need to throw it all into a bear canister at night or in a bear bag over a tree limb?

Would appreciate any insights and experiences. Thanks in advance.

 

[CO-Cygnus]

I'm just wondering what sort of experience people have had with ARB fridges, or really fridges, and bears. Just got my fridge set up and have all sorts of plans to explore the Sierras where we are rich with bears. Do the fridges contain the smell of food well enough where I don't need to throw it all into a bear canister at night or in a bear bag over a tree limb?

Would appreciate any insights and experiences. Thanks in advance.

Fridge or not, black bears in the Sierra will peel your car doors off to get to stray skittle or tube of chap stick under the seat. I would not risk it.

 

[RAD4Runner]

Fridge or not, black bears in the Sierra will peel your car doors off to get to stray skittle or tube of chap stick under the seat. I would not risk it.

This^^^

If it LOOKS like there's food in there, bears will attempt to get to it. HEY!... This looks like a third-gen! LOL!

 

[Wrighter]

I'm just wondering what sort of experience people have had with ARB fridges, or really fridges, and bears. Just got my fridge set up and have all sorts of plans to explore the Sierras where we are rich with bears. Do the fridges contain the smell of food well enough where I don't need to throw it all into a bear canister at night or in a bear bag over a tree limb?

Would appreciate any insights and experiences. Thanks in advance.

Use the bear cannister and put it at least 100 yards away from you.

 

[NoLight]

LOL bears love goodies!!!

 

[RBE17]

Use the bear cannister and put it at least 100 yards away from you.

That sounds like sage advice. I wouldn't risk it.

 

[RAD4Runner]

...where I don't need to throw it all into a bear canister at night or in a bear bag over a tree limb?....

Since this implies that you would be camping at or near your truck, you should use the bear boxes provided at most car-camping areas. In Yosemite and I think the Sierras in general, hanging food bags is not recommended. In places where hanging food bags is allowed like in Yellowstone, the bags must be a certain height from the ground AND several feet away from any tree trunk. (Ask me how I know.)

Use the bear canister and put it at least 100 yards away from you.

This is sound advise to minimize the probability of an encounter. Exactly what is recommended at Yellowstone.

 

[Bumbo]

I went to Yellowstone... I ended up going with friends and stayed in their trailer, but I left the fridge in the car because there are no bear boxes in that part of the park.

We had a tent site as well just in case things didn't work out, but all of the bear boxes at my camp were shared spaces with other camp sites, very inconvenient and not enough room.

If I had to use a tent site my original plan was to just throw the entire fridge into the bear box with a small portable battery pack I made to get it though the night.

I would check with the parks before making plans because you might not be able to accomplish what you want...

 

[theesotericone]

In Yosemite and I think the Sierras in general, hanging food bags is not recommended.

Correct about the Valley. It's only required in a small part of the Sierra though. Mostly along the JMT and PCT. It's advised to carry a bear can but not needed in the rest of the range. I spend 30 days a year minimum in the Sierra climbing and only carry a can in required areas. If you know how to properly hang it's way easier then a can, I can tell you a few stories about folks who had a can that got knocked 100's of yards away. In one case it got knocked into a river never to be seen again. In all my time in the backcountry my hung sack has never been touched.

 

[bimrunner]

I've been using mine in the sierras for years without an issue. I do keep mine in the back and throw a blanket over it at night and I do have limo tinted windows. No open food items left out of the fridge. Not really any less secure than the fridge in my trailer which it totally legal. Bears do know what coolers look like. Don't let them see the fridge. We have bears most nights camping up near Tahoe and they haven't ripped open my rig yet. It's always at your own risk.

 

[greatape]

Package/seal your food in the fridge, clean up your camp well after cooking, and throw a few lighted and unlighted incents in the ground safely before sleep..

 

[MaddoxPics]

I disperse camp all over the Sierras. I have yet to run into a bear issue or any animal issue for that matter while keeping my cooler inside my vehicle along with outside of my vehicle. When inside of my vehicle I do cover it with a sheet or the cargo slider. The further away you are from campgrounds the better off you'll be, but if there are bear boxes where you are staying, use them.

The 100 yards stuff is when you are backpacking. It's not necessary to do that when car camping.

 

[Ray Dunakin]

Bears suck. Back in '73, my brother and I were backpacking/hitchhiking down the Sierras from Mt. Lassen. Got as far as Yosemite and two nights of getting hassled by bears put an early end to our trip.

Yet another reason why I prefer camping in the desert or other areas where bears aren't a problem.

 

[Drunner97]

Bears suck. Back in '73, my brother and I were backpacking/hitchhiking down the Sierras from Mt. Lassen. Got as far as Yosemite and two nights of getting hassled by bears put an early end to our trip.

Yet another reason why I prefer camping in the desert or other areas where bears aren't a problem.

Less bugs in the desert too.

 

[Bumbo]

I love spending time in the desert. I can't tell you how many times I have told friends and family that ill take desert over forest any day.

Being "bear aware" stresses me out lol. Can't even take a piss at night without having bears in the back of your mind.

 

[mrblah]

or waking up and finding the biggest pile of bear poop next to your tent will definitely make you think about your surrounding.

 

[Fergie]

Ive seen inconsistent use of "bear boxes."

We used one in Sequoia for our dry stuff, and I kept the Engel in our 80 series at the time. Put a blanket over it to break up the shape. Woke up to bear paws on the side of the TLC, and the spot across from us woke up to a car ripped open like can of sardines.

Used one in Truckee without issue.

Now, we went through Yellowstone, Glacier, provincial parks in Victoria, camped near North Thompson River, Jasper, Banff, and all over MT....never once used a bear box.

They seem to be beneficial when the local campers are idiots usually, and don't act as though bears are mildly intelligent when it comes to finding food.

 

[Trixx]

Do you guys also carry bear spray/guns?

 

[Fergie]

Do you guys also carry bear spray/guns?

Carried bear spray while in Canada. Carried a .44 mag with 320 grain WLNGC reloads when in the States, where applicable.

There is always that joke about "how do you tell Black bear scat from grizzly bear scat?"
.
.
.
.
.
"Grizzly bear scat has bells in it and smells like pepper."

 

[RAD4Runner]

or waking up and finding the biggest pile of bear poop

That^^^ was the least of our worries while camping along Sunrise Creek between Half Dome and Clouds Rest.
We were too cheap to rent another bear vault so we hung our food bags on the tree. I slept outside in my bivy sack. Around midnight, my friend called out, that a bear was behind me. Looked up and saw it rummaging through empty plastic bags we had left out. We screamed and threw all kinds of things at it but it was not bothered; not aggressive, either, it just wanted food. Finally it ran into the dark woods. We looked up and found one of our bags gone. We went back to sleep, only to wake up to watch the bear (probably same one) gracefully climb the tree for the second bag- LOL! In hindsight, instead of trying to drive it away that doesn't work anyway, we should have just taken a picture/video.
With no more bag to attract a bear, we slept soundly.
In the morning, we saw the bear searching again, around logs under which we kept our only bear vault...

After it left, we followed the trail of trash and recovered few things, including my combat-wounded pot (see bite marks) - LOL!