Hikers often carry cans of bears.
Bear boxes are closed containers that campers use while sleeping near bears. Because bears are smart, other methods of protecting food tend not to work as well as these boxes. For example, keeping food or a cooler in the car could mean the bear just got into the car.
An alternative to keeping food in a special box is to hang it several feet above the bear’s access, such as from a tree. Research shows that this method is not very effective and bears are perfectly capable of accessing food hanging above them. Once a bear learns to do this, a camper can run out of food, as can a potentially dangerous animal in their camp.
Some bear boxes are small enough to fit in a backpack, while others can hold several weeks’ worth of food supplies.
Some campgrounds offer set up bear cages for your use, but individual campers should generally bring padlocks to ensure the cages are properly secured. A box should contain not only food, but also anything that might smell attractive to a bear, such as soaps, detergents, soda cans, and pans used for cooking.
The purpose of a bear cage is to keep the bear out of the camp by keeping all attractive items completely out of sight and out of smell. Simply hiding food is not suggested, and campers should never store food in a tent. The bear will be able to smell the food and soap products in a tent, creating a precarious situation for the camper and the bear.
Bear boxes help keep food and other items safe, and sometimes undetectable, from bears.
Campers can check with campgrounds for the location of bear cages. If there aren’t any, sturdier ones can be purchased to use while camping. These are usually very sturdy metal boxes that often have a metal tin inside that reduces odor and contains food and scented items.
When a person is backpacking, it is generally not feasible to drag a metal box to bears. Since backpacking tends to bring people closer to bears, it’s essential to bring cans of bears, a smaller, lighter version of the crate. They are also quite resistant to opening by bears.
Even on backpacking trails, a hiker may not need to carry bear cans because many trails have bear boxes available. Again, consulting a ranger can help you decide if it’s worth the extra expense and weight to carry a can of bears. The rangers can also tell the hiker the exact location of any bear boxes, so he can plan daily hikes and pit stops accordingly.