BWCA Ursack Major 2XL Boundary Waters Gear Forum
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02/10/2020 07:18AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
FYI, Ursack has put out this new one, which is ~30L size.

2XL
 
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Minnesotian
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02/10/2020 07:25AM  

Thanks for the heads up. I really like my original one, but always thought it was just a bit too small.
 
02/10/2020 10:13AM  
A bit pricey but if I already didn't have a bear vault and reg. ursack I would get this for sure.
 
02/10/2020 10:18AM  
Not cheap but on the other hand, it's twice the capacity of the MajorXL at only $20 more, and almost 3X the capacity of the Major at only $30 more. And slightly less than twice the weight, so if you're in the market for one, but need more capacity than the Major or MajorXL . . . it's a good deal.

There are less expensive options, of course, with their own advantages and disadvantages.Yeah, I have two bear canisters and an Ursack Major and MajorXL, so I'm not buying one right now either.
 
02/10/2020 10:37AM  
How do you carry one of these things? Do people just put them in a gear pack? I never really understood the whole Ursack idea.
 
mschi772
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02/10/2020 11:35AM  
A1t2o: "How do you carry one of these things? Do people just put them in a gear pack? I never really understood the whole Ursack idea."


Yes, you just carry it in your pack and overnight you tie the Ursack to a tree away from camp. The "whole idea" is a bear-proof food container that is lighter and more flexible than canisters and doesn't require hyper-specific hanging conditions like traditional packs hung to PCT standards.
 
02/10/2020 11:50AM  
Yes, like he said, I just put mine in my pack with the other stuff, although the one I posted is about the same volume as a small blue barrel and would almost half fill a 65L pack to begin, although it does shrink as food comes out. There are advantages and disadvantages to each of the options for food storage and no 100% guarantee you won't have a problem.
 
02/10/2020 01:38PM  
I have a 6 qt sterlite plastic storage box that will fit inside my ursack. I like to take some things that do not survive a squeeze and a bit more protection from moisture, etc. I like the idea of the larger ursack for longer or group trips, thanks for the post.
 
Bulldogge62
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02/10/2020 06:39PM  
This is one year too late for me as I bought 4 ursacks last year for my month long solo. Would have considered at least one this size
 
andym
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02/10/2020 08:54PM  
Interesting. It is good to have choices but I like having multiple small ones so that they can be spread out around camp. Then if one is broken into the rest may be safe. It also provides organization. My wife keeps good notes of what is in each Ursack.

And yes, they just go in our gear pack.
 
Chicagored
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02/11/2020 08:15AM  
In June, 2017, I was by myself on the south end of Loon Lake when a good sized bear came into my campsite while I was cooking dinner .I chased him away, but about 10 minutes later, I turned around and there he was again, standing a few feet away from where my Ursack was hanging. The bear did not recognize it as food and everything in it was separately vac sealed. I later ran into conservation officers who were chasing the bear and they told me that it got to 5 conventional hanging bags in the area.

 
02/11/2020 10:10PM  
Yup, they definitely work. On a trip in Alaska where we had bears around the camp one evening, I woke up the next morning and found I could just not untie the ursack knot for some reason . . . on closer inspection of obvious tooth marks on the bag, it was clear that a furry friend had tried and failed to pull it off the small tree where it was anchored. Eventually we got the knot out :)
 
andym
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02/11/2020 11:28PM  
Great to have two stories of the bags working. I count the bear not noticing the bag as it working.
 
jillpine
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02/12/2020 06:10AM  
Thanks, Boonie. I'm going to consider this for the summer's longer trips. I don't have a food storage system for trips longer than a week. I'm mulling over the options, especially since the extended solo appears to morphing into an extended tandem with my 20 yr old son and his associated appetite.

For shorter trips, I have the Allmitey bag that prevents bears and rodents. For BWCA trips, I find rodent teeth more of an issue than bear claws. The bag is and performs exactly as described by the manufacturer. It is heavy, collapsible to an extent, and it works best with odor-barrier bag. Only holds about five days of food for one person, and that means dehydrated / freeze-dried food and maybe some snacks.



 
02/12/2020 07:51AM  
Bulldogge62: "This is one year too late for me as I bought 4 ursacks last year for my month long solo. Would have considered at least one this size"
I have two sacks and I am considering buying a third. I like having the two right now as it helps me be more organized. With everything in one sack I'd end up dumping everything out just to find something.
 
luft
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02/13/2020 05:28AM  
andym: "Interesting. It is good to have choices but I like having multiple small ones so that they can be spread out around camp. Then if one is broken into the rest may be safe. It also provides organization."


I use the small Ursack as well since I mostly solo. I like having my food split up into several caches.

If I was traveling with a larger group I would definitely look at those larger versions of the Ursack!
 
MidwestFirecraft
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02/13/2020 06:35AM  
jillpine: "

For shorter trips, I have the Allmitey bag that prevents bears and rodents. For BWCA trips, I find rodent teeth more of an issue than bear claws."


This was my reasoning as well. I have never had a problem with a bear, but some bad run-ins with mice and the dreaded red squirrel. Thought the smaller size would be a problem, but like andym noted, having two allows for separating meals, and redundancy.
 
02/13/2020 08:31AM  
It would be nice if they were waterproof as well. I put my food in a drybag and then an Ursack. I may look at the larger sized one.
 
mschi772
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02/13/2020 11:59AM  
I'll be honest. It's great to see a larger bear-resistant food container, but what I really want is a 30-60 liter barrel or otherwise rigid container with some certified bear resistance. I'd pay for that. I'm tired of our biggest, best rigid option being an $80 11 liter BV500 (or renting a larger Bearikade, but not all their sizes have passed tests, and rentals add-up over time). Ursack is great, but it's not waterproof and is more vulnerable to rodents which are easily the greater threat.
 
andym
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02/13/2020 08:43PM  
Having used Ursacks since 2001, I've never encountered any problems with rain. First the opening on the top is really small when you close it well. Second the food is inside an Opsack. Plus we tie them to trees near the trunk and so they have some protection from above. I'm pretty over the top on keeping things dry. Our main packs are dry bags and clothes and sleeping bags are in dry bags inside the dry packs. But it never occurred to me to worry about the Ursacks and ours have been fine through some pretty big rains.
 
billconner
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02/14/2020 05:33AM  
mschi772: "I'll be honest. It's great to see a larger bear-resistant food container, but what I really want is a 30-60 liter barrel or otherwise rigid container with some certified bear resistance. I'd pay for that. I'm tired of our biggest, best rigid option being an $80 11 liter BV500 (or renting a larger Bearikade, but not all their sizes have passed tests, and rentals add-up over time). Ursack is great, but it's not waterproof and is more vulnerable to rodents which are easily the greater threat."


This might do it. 60 liters.
 
MidwestFirecraft
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02/14/2020 06:23AM  
Bill,
Your close, but I think you would need to add this to make it certified:
Electric fence
 
billconner
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02/14/2020 06:37PM  
I wonder if the metal lockers you find in some parks or wilderness areas are "certified". Of course Philmont relies on bear bags.
 
02/14/2020 09:29PM  
My REI dividend is as good as spent.

I have a 15 liter that has been ok, but now with 2 dogs food to haul (they eat a lot) plus my own this 30 liter is going to be spot on.
 
Birdknowsbest
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02/15/2020 01:33AM  
How do Ursacks work against rodents and squirrels etc? I find them to be more bothersome than bears.
 
02/15/2020 06:15AM  
Birdknowsbest: "How do Ursacks work against rodents and squirrels etc? I find them to be more bothersome than bears. "


I've found that as long as you can get the opening shut tight they seem to keep the mice out. Brought one along for a Mt Baker climb where the mice are notorious at camp sites and I never had one get into my ursack.

I think the odor proof bags help a lot too. I've had mice chew right through a heavy dry bag once in the exact spot where I had some trailmix in the bottom of the bag, but I still haven't had any issues with the Ursacks. Either because they try to chew through it and give up or they just don't smell the food (it would be interesting to know which).
 
02/15/2020 10:00AM  
Bird,

You can get answers at the website
 
02/15/2020 01:49PM  
Birdknowsbest: "How do Ursacks work against rodents and squirrels etc? I find them to be more bothersome than bears. "


I have been using Ursacks for a good 5 years now (2-4 trips per year), and I have never had an issue with any critters.

No issues with them not being waterproof either; if they get wet, I pack them on the outside of the liner bags in my portage packs on travel days.

When they have gotten wet, the food in them never does as everything I pack is first in a ziplock and then inside the liner that goes in the Ursack.
 
Inmyelement
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02/15/2020 02:41PM  
For those using sacks at ground level, do you keep your garbage separate? I'm new to this and most of our food was fairly scent free, i.e pre packaged or vac sealed dehydrated food that we made. Our biggest scent issue was the trash we made. We kept the food and trash in the same bag that we hung, but it didn't make sense in my head to mix the strongest smelling stuff we had with our food. Seems like a recipe for attracting animals to our food. I'm open to suggestions for a better way to manage our food/trash.
 
andym
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02/15/2020 06:48PM  
Pretty early in the trip our garbage is in a separate Ursack inside an opsack. Before that it is in an opsack with food in a separate opsack and both inside an Ursack.

For a short trip where we don’t need all of our Ursacks for food we will start the trip with one devoted to garbage.

We generally use our 1st gen one for the garbage and keep the food in newer ones.
 
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