I just bought my first ursack last night with the last bit of REI dividend. I've not used one before. I assume I put a plastic liner bag in it, put my food in it, and then what? Hang it from a branch? On the ground? Hoisting it high overhead seems to defeat its purpose.

I dont own one but here is the link to ursack how to :

Ursack how-to

Yea get the plastic bags they offer. They work for keeping food smells in and helps you keep your food organized. There's a video they have which shows you some correct knots to use. The main thing is totally closing up the hole. Mainly for mice. I just tie mine to the base of a small tree so the bear can't runoff with it.

Thanks. Guess I should get the opsak

Yes, get the opsaks to keep odors down. Sort of surprised that REI sells them without the opsak. They were always included when I bought them directly from Ursack (been a while, though, as even our newest one is 10 years old).

I tie ours around a tree trunk and usually can do that just above a branch so that they can't be pulled down to the ground (at least without breaking the branch). Sometimes they are just around a tree trunk and using the cord on a diagonal so that it doesn't slide down on its own. Sometimes its just around a big branch.

I see that they no longer come with opsaks, even when buying directly. I'm guessing that the reason is the switch to fulfilling orders through Amazon and selling through many retailers. It was a much smaller operation when I bought ours.

I have put a small sterlite plastic box inside to give some rigidity to flat bread and eggs and not used this on other trips. I tie it to a branch or tree to prevent it getting dragged off. If a bear finds it there will be no food reward for the bear, but the food likely will be mauled reducing my food reward. Clean camp and oder proof bags.

On the Ursack blog, it sounds like some campers have had mashed food inside bear canisters from bears slamming the canisters around. But those are Yosemite and Sierra bears and they are much more aggressive about going after human food than in the BW.

I don't use the Opsak. I find it too difficult to get all the air out and the top closed securely. I am not worried about food smell as all my meals are dehydrated and then sealed in vacuum packed bags.

I also take my Ursack and put it in a larger, like 20 liter, dry sack. This I do so that no rain water leaks in the top though the tiny hole.

And I still hang it from a branch 20' above my head and 10' away from a tree trunk. My thinking is, just because I have a bear resistant container, why make it convenient for the bear to get to the sack?

Tough call.........I have 2 Ursaks and employed them on lengthy backpacking trips and they worked very satisfactorily with Oats and freeze dried food stuffs. Both were packed odor free.

But I would be reluctant to put regular food in them and not expect everything to be smushed to beyond recognition after a bear went to work for a while.

You can try and contain the odors but I am no fan of Opsaks and find them a hassle and eventually some small amount of debris intrudes upon the seal and they are useless and a pain. I tend to go with ordinary Zip locks and double bag them.

I do not understand the point of hanging an Ursak either. If they get it down they will run off with it and you will still be out your food and an Ursak bag.

A bears world is its nose. Highly developed. No odors, no problems.

Go to Utube and learn the correct method of tying your Ursak to a tree so even if a bear pulls on it for an hour or two you can still untie it. And you can go to the actual Ursak website where they offer a rounded piece of metal sheeting to help prevent the bear from destroying the contents.

rpike: "I just bought my first ursack last night with the last bit of REI dividend. I've not used one before. I assume I put a plastic liner bag in it, put my food in it, and then what? Hang it from a branch? On the ground? Hoisting it high overhead seems to defeat its purpose."

Have been using an Ursack for 9 years now, posted many threads on packing food supplies. Bought it because of the damage caused by small toothy vermin to the food bags I had used, not for bear proof food storage. Never used the Opsack with it, instead a roll-top- sil-nylon 13L bag. I do not believe a BWCA visitor can odor proof their camp, too many other folks have already cooked meals there, and how do you prevent food odor from spreading during prep and consumption? My thoughts on this stem from experience hunting bears (baiting in WI and MN), old smells draw in bears as quickly as fresh, and a habit to re-visit areas where food had been found.
I follow the Ursack directions on securing the bag. Read the tag and pamphlet,

Head high on a 4-6 inch tree trunk outside of the camp.

butthead

butthead
I do not believe a BWCA visitor can odor proof their camp, too many other folks have already cooked meals there, and how do you prevent food odor from spreading during prep and consumption?
butthead"

I totally agree. You can reduce, but not eliminate the smells.

"Bear Proofing" turns out to be a moving target. Once upon a time hanging was enough to foil bears just about anywhere. Then some bears learned "the ropes" (yuck, yuck) and taught their friends and now hanging is ineffective in the areas with bears in the know.

Bear canisters came along to save the day, but then yellow-yellow learned to open a specific brand and taught her friends, and now those ones aren't useful in parts of the Adirondack Mountains in NY. And some bears out west have learned if you drop a canister off a high enough cliff you can amble on down and eat the goods. And you know those bears are telling their friends about this cool new past time.

And Ursack has become a player over time, making for easier carrying but possibly crushed food if a bear takes interest. A woman in a Facebook group I am in posted yesterday about her Ursack being breached by a very persistent bear in Panthertown NC. Took a couple of hours and the bear was unphased by the rocks and yelling and harassment, but she was able to finally bite through it. Wow!

And other bears can open car doors and break windshields.

I think it comes down to learning as much as you can about the area you are going into and following best practices for that area.

What Ursack are you guys using? My concern is nice chewing through the bag. Will either bag work for this? I like the idea of the Silnylon liner.

GearJunkie: "What Ursack are you guys using? My concern is nice chewing through the bag. Will either bag work for this? I like the idea of the Silnylon liner."

Have 2, old TKO 2.0 Vectra version (bought in2009), and newer S29.3 AllWhite in Spectra(bought 2014). Have watched mice, voles, chipmunks, squirrels, and raccoons chewing on both, without penetrating anything.
Far as crushing the contents, I pack ingredients mostly (pantry style packing), it's all powdered and dehydrated to begin with, not much to crush.

butthead

I’ve got three discontinued models of Ursacks. We’ve had no problems with mice or other small critters. I even watched a red squirrel sit on one once trying to figure out how to get inside. He gave up. I do not know if a bear has ever noticed them.

I’m glad for the guy that developed them that they have finally taken off. But I wish I was still pretty much the only person using them in the BW. I’m hoping the bears don’t start looking for them.

butthead: "

GearJunkie: "What Ursack are you guys using? My concern is nice chewing through the bag. Will either bag work for this? I like the idea of the Silnylon liner."

Have 2, old TKO 2.0 Vectra version (bought in2009), and newer S29.3 AllWhite in Spectra(bought 2014). Have watched mice, voles, chipmunks, squirrels, and raccoons chewing on both, without penetrating anything.
Far as crushing the contents, I pack ingredients mostly (pantry style packing), it's all powdered and dehydrated to begin with, not much to crush.


butthead"

Thanks! So the Spectra version is preferred over the less expensive Kevlar one. Easy enough.

Yes, for the BW I would go with the Ursack Major made of spectra. I think all of mine are various versions of spectra except maybe a really early one that might have been thicker Kevlar fabric. I’m not sure and it is generally becomes our garbage bag a couple of days into a trip. If raccoons ever move in then I would consider the allmitey but not until then.

BTW, we vacuum freeze most of our food. I have thought of dropping the OPsaks for those meals. They should be fairly low on smell as is.

I love mine. Not sure which version and do not know if mine has ever been tested. I use it for bkfst items for next day and the odd snack pack that magically appears once the food pack is hung and barrel stashed.

GearJunkie: "What Ursack are you guys using? My concern is nice chewing through the bag. Will either bag work for this? I like the idea of the Silnylon liner."

The lighter Kevlar version ( Ursack ) is designed for "critters", i.e. non-bear wildlife. I've tested it on red foxes, and it works. The white Ursack Major (reg, XL, or allmitey) is designed for bears. Something to consider when buying one is that only the Major series is accepted as bear resistant food storage in many national parks and national forests, at least out west. I have no idea of the food storage regulations back east.

I just recently purchased two of the Ursack AllMiteys. The claim is that they are bear and rodent proof. They are pretty stiff but after playing with one for about 20 minutes it softened up nicely. Do the other models have a heavy duty velcro enclosure a few inches inside the opening? The capacity is about 10% less than my BV500's but each weigh two lbs. less. I figure that by losing those 2 lbs. each that we can bring our Helinox chairs now.

I've got an older model that has many trips on it with nary a problem. I hadn't heard about any of the new models...I might have to check them out.

I think the velcro is just for the AllMitey and the Usack Minor as part of their protection against little beasts. It is not on any of the models I own or the current Ursack Major.

As far as tying it to a tree... I'd use a rope a bear can't bite off or whatever. The OP sack is an important part of it. A bit pricey, but worth it. Thanks to kanoes I enjoy a couple of these.

As far as tying it to a tree... I'd use a rope a bear can't bite off or whatever. The OP sack is an important part of it. A bit pricey, but worth it. Thanks to kanoes I enjoy a couple of these.

I think the cords that come with them are also spectra or something like that. Currently the web site doesn't specify but it does say they have 2500 lbs of tensile strength. I just tie them on with that cord.

Ursack has a blog post about canister failures in either Yosemite or the Sierra. Over 5 years there were 85 failures, 30 broken open and 55 just couldn't be found later. So, I think tying the Ursacks to something makes sense.

BTW, in the same time period 2 Ursacks failed but we don't know how many canisters versus Ursacks were used. Both Ursacks were the older, unapproved models. Which is what I have, unlike the many of you that got them through Jan's big purchase. Now you can get them on 1-day shipping with Amazon prime.

"What is the difference between an Ursack TKO or V27 or S29 and the current model? Why did you change the color from green to white?
In order to avoid confusion, we have renamed Ursack models by reference to the specific fabric they are made with. The original TKOs were made with a lighter Spectra (Green with white ripstop) and then replaced with heavier Spectra (Green–no ripstop–gusseted bottom)in 2004. That fabric became available again and the green Ursack made with that fabric is called S29 (Spectra 29 yarns per inch). Our (yellow) Vectran models were called the TKO 2.0; it is now called the V27 (Vectran 27 yarns per inch). The S29 AllWhite is Spectra, but there is no green coating. Spectra cannot be dyed. Its native color is white. We used to coat it green, but that added weight and made it harder to cinch tight. Ursack is washable."

"Can a bear chew through the cord?
No. We have never had a confirmed report of a bear chewing through or breaking the cord"

"Should I buy an Ursack S29 AllWhite or an Ursack Minor?
The AllMitey resists both bears and critters. If you choose not to purchase an AllMitey, then if you will be camping in bear territory, buy an AllWhite. If not, save money and weight and buy a Minor. The new AllWhite, made since about April 1, 2015, has increased tear strength and a tighter weave compared to previous models. It is highly critter resistant."

All quoted from, Ursack FAQ page

butthead

I disliked the OPSAK right from the start - poor closure - envelope shape - expensive etc. I switched to the Base CampSource Odor-Barrier Bag . Twist the top and clamp shut with the provided clip. Different sizes available. I use them in my bucket with the Gamma Seal Lid.

I was part of the group purchase and have always just tried to follow the instructions on the Ursack website. I use the Opsacks - adds another layer of protection at the price of some small inconvenience.

PortageKeeper: "I disliked the OPSAK right from the start - poor closure - envelope shape - expensive etc. I switched to the Base CampSource Odor-Barrier Bag . Twist the top and clamp shut with the provided clip. Different sizes available. I use them in my bucket with the Gamma Seal Lid."

I like the look of that. Thanks for sharing the link!

PortageKeeper: "I disliked the OPSAK right from the start - poor closure - envelope shape - expensive etc. I switched to the Base CampSource Odor-Barrier Bag . Twist the top and clamp shut with the provided clip. Different sizes available. I use them in my bucket with the Gamma Seal Lid."

+1 on the Base Camp odor bags.

I used them on my last 4 trips and they worked great. You do need to keep track of the clips but they are a hi-vis yellow.

I found the Opsacks were more easily punctured by sharp edges on some of the food packaging when I was stuffing things into a full Ursack.