Expedition trailers in bear country advice

[ace944gs]

Hi all - how do people back country camp in expedition trailer (with stoves, fridges, food, scented stuff etc. inside their trailers) in bear country? What precautions do you take? Or is the trailer (e.g. Boreas, SoCal, type tear drops etc.) considered a hard-sided vehicle enough that you don't worry?

Context for my question - we live in bear country (grizzly and black), and as a family of 4 (two young kiddos) we've been exploring ways to get out to the places we used to go before kids. In the before-kid-days, we'd just practice standard bear safety of bear bagging / containering the attractants, setting a cook site away from our sleeping area.

The teardrop trailer + RTT seems like a great option for the way we like to camp, and where we want to go with the kids.... except for the fact that all those bear attractants are in our sleeping container and we're cooking right outside.

So, any thoughts or advice you have is greatly appreciated as we plan ahead.... my kids are scared enough of fake monsters, don't need them encountering a hungry grizz at midnight in an RTT to add to the nightmare list!

 

[jadmt]

you could always string up a portable electric fence. I still would not cook inside my camper tho.

 

[4000lbsOfGoat]

I just put up a sign that says "Bears Prohibited" - so far so good!

More seriously though...You're absolutely right that there will be bear attractants in your "sleeping container" so you want to be sure that your container is solid and secure. I make sure everything is packed up and locked up before settling in. All of the gear is locked up in various aluminum boxes attached to the camper and I'm in my own locked up aluminum box. Food is stored in water-tight aluminum boxes inside a larger aluminum box (the camper) so odors are kept to a minimum. Is it all "bear proof"? I don't know, but at least it wouldn't be easy pickin's.

I feel pretty comfortable with my setup but adding a RTT to the mix would cause me some concern - you might not want the weak point of your system to contain your children...

You may want to consider some type of van setup. While a van may not get you to 100% of the places you ever might want to go, from what I hear they are surprisingly capable. I know I come across them in some pretty remote places.

 

[ace944gs]

I like the idea of the fence! One more deterrent for a few hundred bucks + a few lbs of weight seems worth the (possibly all in our head) peace of mind.

My current thinking is a more simple utility trailer (vs. teardrop) that we can pull the stove + food + attractants out and keep away from the tent (even an RTT on the utility trailer in that case, with a fence hah) might be best. That is most similar to our pre-kid sleeping situation (well, with a ground tent and without the fence...) and it never was a problem. But if there was a way to do the teardrop set up for longer road trips I'd love that if I can get it to work for the weekend get-aways....

I do agree a van would be great for the kiddos, but with the budget required, and the fact I can't garage it at my house makes me shy away from it. Plus, I've got a deposit in for a new f150 tremor so I need something to pull with it

 

[Chorky]

This just happened over the weekend in Polebridge. Of course the bears were already habituated with food rewards and the trailer pictured was 'abandoned' or left with lots of food in the fridge and rotting food in a open garbage bin inside - so not the cleanliest of people apparently. Black bears are big babies. Griz is a whole different story. If a bear want's in, its going to get in... A RTT certainly wont do any good, which is why many NP's are making hard side camping requirements, and not allowing tents unless in the back country.

I dont think even storing cooked on items near you is a good idea. Even if you cleaned everythign right after cooking with bleach, its still going to have some bit of residual smell that will be an attractant. Keeping items in bear bins if around, or the good ol 300' away from your sleeping area is probably the best method to stick to. That's if you are in known and expected bear territory though. Otherwise I probably wouldn't worry too much, but still keeping food and smelly items away from your sleeping area is a good idea.

Perhaps just make your food/cooking/cleaning removable from the teardrop and store it separately. Like a removable chuck box or something.

 

[ace944gs]

Yeah, it's wild sometimes seeing how little people care / worry about bears. It's a death sentence for the bears once they get habituated to food, and that's the "best" case if they come for a visit.

This friendly looking monster was a few miles from where we were camping this summer (tent). A rancher lost a cow at dusk and couldn't get it out before night, so put a trail cam up. A few hours later this teddy bear had a large snack.

Thanks y'all... appreciate the thoughts!

 

[Jupiter58]

If you are putting your kids in anything besides a hard shell in griz country you are insane.


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[1000arms]

If you are putting your kids in anything besides a hard shell in griz country you are insane. ...

... Hmm, would you consider it rude if I wrote that you had to be insane to call so many people insane? ...

Many people tent camp in Yellowstone NP which has grizzly bears, black bears and wolves. The National Park Service even allows it!

Unless the NPS has changed the rules, the only Yellowstone NP campground to require hard-sided units is Fishing Bridge.

Fishing Bridge RV Park - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

Camping - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Yellowstone offers 12 campgrounds with over 2,000 sites.

www.nps.gov

"There is an average of one bear attack per year in Yellowstone. In separate incidents in 2011 and 2015, three people were killed by bears inside the park. More people have died by drowning or suffering thermal burns from hot springs than aggressive bears." is from:

NPS - Page In-Progress

Glacier NP also allows tent camping.

Camping - Glacier National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

Bear Safety - Glacier National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

Bear Incidents Prompt Frequent Changes in Campground, Trail Status - Glacier National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

@ace944gs, you might find the following quote useful:

"In the Backcountry

• Be alert for bears both on the trail and in camp. Make noise and keep bear spray with you at all times (we recommend one can per person). Read more about best practices for hiking in bear country.
• Never camp in an area that has obvious evidence of bear activity such as digging, tracks, or scat.
• Avoid bringing smelly foods into the backcountry.
• When not in use, secure all food and other smelly items by hanging them from the food poles provided at backcountry campsites (you’ll need at least 35 feet of rope for this). Everything should hang 10 feet above ground and 4 feet away from tree trunks. Food storage lockers are provided at some backcountry campsites.
• Certain portable bear resistant food containers (BRFCs) may be used for food storage in lieu of hanging. BRFCs can be hung or left on the ground underneath the food pole or in the cooking area. Make sure all food and odorous items will fit into a container before starting your trip.
• Do not leave backpacks or bags containing food unattended, even for a few minutes.
• If you see a bear approaching your camp, make sure your food is secure and make noise to discourage it from entering your camp.
• If a bear enters your camp, grab packs and food that isn’t hung, then slowly back away. Do not let a bear gain access to your food. Read more about reacting to a bear encounter.
• Strain food particles from dishwater and pack out with your garbage. Scatter dishwater at least 100 yards from tent site.
• Remove any food scraps and garbage from fire pits.
• Sleep at least 100 yards (91 meters), preferably upwind, from the “core camp” area where you cook, eat, and hang your food.
• Keep your sleeping gear clean and free of food odors. Don’t cook in your tent, and don't sleep in clothes worn while cooking and eating.
• Bears & menstrual odors: data from Yellowstone does not indicate any correlation between bear attacks and menstruation.

In addition to food and garbage, some common backcountry items that you’re required to hang include beverage cans (empty or full), coolers, lip balm, sunscreen, bug spray, and lotions, toothpaste, food panniers, horse feed, some medications, clothes worn while cooking, and eating utensils that haven’t been properly cleaned. Keep all food and smelly items out of sleeping bags, tents, and their stuff sacks."

from:

NPS - Page In-Progress

 

[Chorky]

Yeah, it's wild sometimes seeing how little people care / worry about bears. It's a death sentence for the bears once they get habituated to food, and that's the "best" case if they come for a visit.

This friendly looking monster was a few miles from where we were camping this summer (tent). A rancher lost a cow at dusk and couldn't get it out before night, so put a trail cam up. A few hours later this teddy bear had a large snack.

Thanks y'all... appreciate the thoughts!

Yeah it was a sow who was already relocated once due to being problematic in another area. But...she was teaching her 3 yearlings bad things... So all 4 of them were killed. A sad day. But it's always a risk. I always was nervous about it backpacking in the back country. All I did was make sure to follow that old rule of the 300' triangle between sleeping, eating/food storage, and bathroom. The rest is up to fate I suppose, because no way is anyone going to hard side camp 40 miles in wilderness. I think the biggest thing is to bake absolutely sure your kids know and understand the dangers and dont sneak food into their tent. I know when I was a kid I did that all the time, not understanding the danger of it. Even if only a packrat. Good luck, have fun out there.

 

[ace944gs]

If you are putting your kids in anything besides a hard shell in griz country you are insane.


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Nah, not really, if you follow the right approach for cooking, food storage, etc. As 1000Arms said, look at the NP's in WY and MT...plus, the literally hundreds of thousands of out-of-towners who roll in with their crappy paper thin RVs who don't follow ANY of the bear avoidance rules parked all over the parks and nearby. The people who got attacked / killed by bears this year in our neck of the woods all were either out of towners or clearly not following best practice. Sad and avoidable for the humans and bears... but not something to panic about if you know what you're doing.

I'm not worried about bears in general, I'm just wondering if I'm missing something re: the rigs I've been interested in (e.g. boreas, socal type tear drops) with integrated food storage + cooking set up in the sleeping container in bear country.

 

[Adam_Cole]

Girlfriend being from Montana and my life basically revolving around fly fishing blue ribbon rivers, we spend most of our outside time in bear country. Started with a rooftop tent, then on to a RTT trailer, and now a SoCal teardrop.

We tend to store almost all dry goods, toiletries, and anything with a scent inside a bear proof container inside my car and then park the car away from our sleeping area. Stove is wiped down immediately as is the eating area, dishes are cleaned and stored in the vehicle and waste water is stored in a nato can and put in the vehicle. Really only food we have near us is inside our old ass metal ARB fridge locked in the back galley; this still makes me nervous.

Yeti coolers also come in handy as they are bear rated when you padlock both ends of the cooler. Of course you’d have to put this away from where you have camp set up.

I also bring a 12ga with a mix of less lethal bear deterrent shells and a few very lethal shells just in case.


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[billiebob]

Keep the vehicle between the sleeping area and the food, cooking, eating area and put the garbage up a tree.
Don't eat in the tents.

If a bear smells food he'll definitely put in a full effort to get it.

 

[ace944gs]

I ended up getting an FSR trailer with RTT for the above stated reasons - no food / fridge in the sleeping set-up. All food / smelly stuff stored in the car, parked away from the site. Bear-muda triangle, blah blah blah.

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I don't trust a stove, even immediately cleaned, etc., in the same vehicle where my kiddos are sleeping.

I want a 12ga, but can't have that around a campsite with my age kids. Bear spray + fence should suffice for now.

Thanks, ya'll... much appreciated on the thoughts here.

 

[billiebob]

I ended up getting an FSR trailer with RTT for the above stated reasons - no food / fridge in the sleeping set-up. All food / smelly stuff stored in the car, parked away from the site. Bear-muda triangle, blah blah blah.

Adventure Trailers

Freespirit Recreation reinvented the rooftop tent from the ground up, creating industry-leading designs that elevate your adventure with awesome materials, rad designs, and fast setup times. From extreme-weather Tri-layer tents, to one button push automatic setup, Freespirit has the roof top...

gofsr.com

I don't trust a stove, even immediately cleaned, etc., in the same vehicle where my kiddos are sleeping.

I want a 12ga, but can't have that around a campsite with my age kids. Bear spray + fence should suffice for now.

Thanks, ya'll... much appreciated on the thoughts here.

Love the Free Spirit tents ability to be driven around fully setup.

 

[WOODY2]

I know it sounds goofy but has anyone investigated using a battery electric fence charger?