I'm a little afraid to ask about this because the last thing I need to do right now is buy more gear! But I have seen a few threads on here about these and I don't know a thing about them. They're supposed to be critter proof? Bear resistant? How can that be? They just look like cloth to me. Couldn't a critter just crawl up it and get in the opening at the top? A bear's claws and teeth can't rip into it? I see you can get an aluminum liner for the inside. Is that supposed to stop a bear? I also read something about a scent proof liner. That works? I'm very skeptical of this thing, so sell me on it!

They are approved for most places that require bear-resistant food containers.

Two positives: they are very light, unless you add the aluminum liner, and they are only as big as they need to be to hold your food.

Two negatives for me. The first is that you have to tie them to a tree,or the bear can just carry your food off. They won't keep a bear from smashing your food, possibly mixing in a little bear saliva in the process. That's mostly a concern about rabies, and that's the reason for the aluminum liner.

Check here.

Pete

Here are a lot of the questions you have answered on their website. Ursack

Plus there are some great bear VS Ursack videos.

quote OldFingers57: "Here are a lot of the questions you have answered on their website. Ursack


Plus there are some great bear VS Ursack videos."

Wow, where is the location of all those incredible mountain photos?

The guy who started Ursack is from the San Francisco Bay area and so the mountains are probably the Sierra. But the photos could be from a trip elsewhere. BTW, Sierra bears are way more habituated than BWCA bears. So, it is a good development site for these bags.

I've been using various generations of Ursacks in the BWCA for years now. If you close them tightly then mice can not get in. I've seen them and squirrels try. They don't even bother trying to chew the cloth, which is very tough. I once had a squirrel hang out sitting on top of a first generation Ursack trying to figure out how to get in and looking really annoyed.

As for tying them to a tree: it is way easier than hanging a food pack and if a bear gets your food back then they are getting into the pack. With the Ursack, they probably aren't getting into it.

The Ursacks are so much lighter than a bear canister that it is no big deal to take more than one. Then you can split up your food and if a bear does somehow make off with one they probably won't find both. Our trips are generally 4 people for 10 days and so we need more than one anyway and put our food in 2 or 3 groups in different directions from camp.

We haven't tried the liners.

I don't know that a bear has ever tried our Ursacks. That is probably due to the liner, keeping a clean camp with no meat or fish smells (vegetarians), and vacuum sealing our food. And also due to the relative rarity of Ursacks in the BW. So, if the rest of you could just stick to hanging bear pinatas in the standard tree, and stop these mass purchases of Ursacks, it would be much appreciated.

quote caribouluvr: "

quote OldFingers57: "Here are a lot of the questions you have answered on their website. Ursack



Plus there are some great bear VS Ursack videos."

Wow, where is the location of all those incredible mountain photos?"

Looks a lot like the back side of the cirque of the towers in the wind river range looking from Shadow Lake. Not 100% sure though. :) Could be view from Lonesome Lake too... Or many of the other lakes along the continental divide. Seems like they're all amazing like that.

Anything positive that you have read about them is 100% true.
In fact, I have never read or heard a negative comment about one.
We own two and love em both!

Used one this year for the first time and loved it. Very handy for securing the breakfast items (COFFEE) for the next day and the oddball bag of group somebody finds in their pack at the last second before bed. Makes starting bkfst quick and easy until we go retrieve the barrels. I just tied it as high as I can reach off the ground near the kitchen.

even though I did the bulk buy I have yet to use mine. ill be trying it in late august. I do need to figure out that figure 8 knot though.

It really looks like a figure 8 so you will know when you have it right.

It's a common knot for sailing as it gets used as a stopper knot to prevent lines from going back through pulleys. So, I get to practice it often.

quote caribouluvr: "

quote OldFingers57: "Here are a lot of the questions you have answered on their website. Ursack



Plus there are some great bear VS Ursack videos."

Wow, where is the location of all those incredible mountain photos?"

+1 I've been very happy with my Ursack. Just purchased a second one for a 14 day trip.

Ursacks are not meant to save your food from the bears, but to save the bears from your food.

I have one and am happy with it, but I also know everything inside will probably end up smashed to bits and inedible should a bear try to get inside. The idea is that if bears are never able to get at your or anybody elses food, they eventually will give up and realize humans nearby dont necessary mean an easy snack.

quote Diego: "Ursacks are not meant to save your food from the bears, but to save the bears from your food.


I have one and am happy with it, but I also know everything inside will probably end up smashed to bits and inedible should a bear try to get inside. The idea is that if bears are never able to get at your or anybody elses food, they eventually will give up and realize humans nearby dont necessary mean an easy snack."

Excellent take, Diego!

quote kanoes: "even though I did the bulk buy I have yet to use mine. ill be trying it in late august. I do need to figure out that figure 8 knot though."

The guy sure makes that knot look easy in the video on the Ursack website!...

I have been thinking about buying a couple of these, but now I'm reconsidering. Let's see, I spend somewhere around $140 for two of these bags, and if a bear tries to get the food inside, I'm left with a pile of crushed mush mixed with bear saliva and all of my food is unusable and contaminated. But, even though I now have to end my trip, at least there's an outside chance I contributed to the bear's education and maybe he won't try that again. I'm not sure if this is a good way to go.

I would expect the bear saliva to be on the outside of an Ursack.

It is your standard food pack where the saliva is on the inside when the bear kicks it clean.

I don't like the time and effort of hanging a food pack. Plus, I'm experienced at having a bear pull my pack out of the trees and consume a weeks worth of food. Bears in the BW know where and what to look for. They smell greater than any dog but have poor vision but can still make out the shape of a pack in the usual trees where they've found them before.

What I've found that works is using an Ursack along with a Vittles Vault and lock in all food smells the best I can. You can buy great clear bags with the ursack for this. I forget their name at the moment.

All you do is walk away from camp off the trail, find a bush and hide your food. I've never heard a story of someone losing food to a bear using this method. And the best part is you never have to hang the food.

quote andym: "I would expect the bear saliva to be on the outside of an Ursack.


It is your standard food pack where the saliva is on the inside when the bear kicks it clean. "

I gave up on hanging food packs. I went to the system of 5 or 6 gallon Fleet Farm buckets with gamma seal lids, and stashing them in inconspicuous places just outside camp. Rest assured, I'm under no illusions that if a bear stumbles upon one of these containers, he will have little trouble breaching the seal and getting to the food. I am hoping that the rubber sealed lids and plastic buckets cut down enough on food odors that in most instances, the bear doesn't find the bucket. So far, so good, but just as importantly, the rodents can't get into my buckets.

The reason I was considering ursacks is because there is some weight to the buckets and lids, it's a pain fitting two buckets with lids into the biggest of portage packs, they create odd space gaps in the pack, and a couple other negatives about buckets I can't think of right now.

In researching the ursacks, there is internet reports of people having their food crushed to the point it is no good, and there are also reports of bears teeth just being able to cause enough pin prick holes, probably from the aggressive abrasion, to result in bear saliva on the inside of the bag. I guess I could make due with some crushed food, but IF the reports are true that saliva can get inside, then I can't imagine you should be eating any of that due to the bacteria transfer.

It's odd to me that their claws don't puncture the stuff. And it seems that they are best for freeze dried meals. Most of the food I take would be crushed and unusable after a bear encounter if it were in an ursack. I currently use a bear barrel. I have no illusions that a bear won't get into a barrel, but I'm hoping he'll leave the barrel alone. I'm still intrigued by the Ursacks, though. The aluminum insert is supposed to prevent crushing. How is it that a bear can't crush aluminum?

quote kanoes: "even though I did the bulk buy I have yet to use mine. ill be trying it in late august. I do need to figure out that figure 8 knot though."

what if I can only count to 7??

No deal, just options.
Hang food bag. Traditional but exposed to rodents, scavengers, bears.
Hide food bag. Non traditional yet widely practiced, still vulnerable to being discovered.
Hard side container. Plastic barrel/pail, hidden, still discover-able and unsecured, critter resistant, not proof.
Soft side, ballistic fabric food bag. With previously discussed faults.

I use an Ursack because it fits my style of packing and traveling. Small food needs that easily fit it's size, light weight, it is chew proof (personal experience mice thru raccoon).
Yup, if a bear gets to chewing it the contents will be crushed. What happens when the hung/hidden food bag is found by a bear? Ever watch a bear roll a log or other hard object, they can move it pretty far, maybe enough to not be found.
There are no perfect solutions, just some that work better, in some situations.

butthead

PS: Aluminum liners never entered my choice, adding the liner voids any packing advantage for me. bh

Yep, lots of ways to try and secure your food and each has its strengths and weaknesses. And many people are successful with each of them. And so we pick what works for us.

I do sometimes think of replacing one Ursack with a bear canister to diversify our food protection. But I still can't get myself to carry the extra weight.

I'll probably buckle and take my chances with two bags. Buckets in a pack is a pain.

quote thinblueline: "I'll probably buckle and take my chances with two bags. Buckets in a pack is a pain."

That is how I packed food pre Ursack's. Just lost a lot to rodents chewing into them, hence my reason to go with ballistic fabric soft bags.

butthead

How are people keeping food cold in these things? They also seem very small, not large enough for two people on a 5 day.

Not really designed for keeping food cold. They are about the same size as hard sided bear canisters and so more for the dehydrated food crowd than the fresh food on ice crowd. I expect that the primary market are ultralight backpackers and not canoe campers.

If you do want cold food, I expect you are better off with a larger food pack so there is room for insulation, ice (or dry ice) and the food.

quote TomT: "What I've found that works is using an Ursack along with a Vittles Vault and lock in all food smells the best I can. You can buy great clear bags with the ursack for this. I forget their name at the moment."

The clear bags that lock in odors are Loksak Opsac.

I don't use the metal liner on my Ursack, just the Opsac to keep out water and keep in odors. I have used it on 6 trips into the BWCA this year and have had no critters large or small disturb it or the food within.

I am pretty sure a bear would pulverize my food were one to find the bag but I am willing to take that chance rather than hang a pack or carry the extra weight and bulk of my bear vaults. I still use the bear vaults on trips with the kids where I need more storage but will likely invest in at least one more Ursack for my longer solo trips.

quote Kyle Mjoen: "How are people keeping food cold in these things? They also seem very small, not large enough for two people on a 5 day."

You won't keep food cold in these "things." The Ursack is for trail hikers, not glam campers.

A single Ursack holds about seven days worth of homemade dehydrated food for me. I just ordered another Ursack for my upcoming ten day BWCA solo.

Ursak's are great, packable and light. I don't use the aluminum liner as that would defeat the pack-ability point....it fits my style. I dehydrate food so if it gets crushed it's no biggie, it's crushed 100% of the time it hits my stomach anyways.

I do believe in the odor-proof Loksak Opsac's. When I fist got them I filled one with dog food and tossed it on the ground for them to investigate. They didn't bother it. This is confirmed time and time again with food when we were camping as it's typically in their access all day. Just be sure to not get food all over the outside of the bag....

I get 5 days for 2 adults pretty easily in the ursak. I tie it to a tree on the edge of camp in eyesight from the door of my tent. It's not been bothered in the 5ish years I've been using it. Nor were my food bags prior when I hung them in trees out of camp, nor were my food bags prior to that when I slept with them in my tent.....

Try it out, if you don't like it you'll probably be able to get 80% of your investment back in the classified section of this forum and you'll have an experienced opinion of your own.