For those of you who cook "real food", or rehydrate in pots/pans, I'm curious if you leave the pots & dishes out in the kitchen area overnight, put them in your packs, or store them in your barrels/ursack/hanging bag.

The threads about barrels etc that mention the ability of bears to smell things, not to use the top of the barrel as a table top, etc, got me thinking about smells that might be left on dishes. It's also 430 in the morning and I've been laying here awake for an hour so the mind wanders.

I'm guessing that the amount of odor on a pan might warrant a sniff but not much else. We just put the dishes in their storage bags bags so the squirrels and mice don't run all over them. Pots are placed upside down over the stoves and left by the fire grate.

The birds just started singing so I guess there's no going back to sleep this morning.

If I think its an issue they go back in the barrel. I usually wash them up and leave them out.

I wash them up and then hang them with my food. They act as a mild, noisy alarm system in case anything gets to the bags.

I usually just leave mine out by my stove or the fire grate. I figure once they are washed, they don't have any more smell than anything else in camp that I've touched.

+1 We wash and rinse everything pretty thoroughly and just leave out. Of high winds expected, put back in stuff sack.

No sweat.........provided you wash your pans? ;-)

Just view a bears nose as a super computer. That nose can tell time elapsed, volume of edibles, etc. etc.

But bears are curious and a slight odor may warrant additional investigation. It's the reason I don't leave empty candy or bar wrappers in my pockets or tent.

FWIW.......I have never seen a fire pit destroyed via a bear. Not saying it hasn't happened only I haven't seen it. I routinely burn my fish fry grease and garbage and bet others do as well. I believe a bear can smell the fire pit and determine nothing of interest is left. Otherwise, they would be tearing fire pits apart on a routine basis.

We've never had a problem with any animals messing with our pots and pans over the 15 years we have been backpacking and canoe camping. We usually leave the pots and pans sitting out under the tarp too. Not once have we ever noticed them moved.

We wash everything and it goes back into the blue barrel.

Mike

I wash and repack and never had any problems. always keep a clean camp. I also check around every site before I set up. I have found trash "buried" under a pile of moss 30 feet from camp and fish guts on a rock less than 100 feet from the camp site. any food smell from a washed plate is nothing compared to that.

pots get stashed with the bear barrels away from camp. Never had an issue.

I don't put them in the mesh bag, because that seems like it would make it easier for an animal to carry away - just sayin'.

I wash/scrub thoroughly and leave by the fire pit. No problems yet...but that doesn't prove anything.

billconner: "+1 We wash and rinse everything pretty thoroughly and just leave out. Of high winds expected, put back in stuff sack."

Back when I would "Hang" my pack, we usually put the pots, pans, and dishes in leaving only our cups. But since I use the barrel, we leave them out.