Hi allWe are taking our first trip to northern Canada and Alaska this year. We plan on doing some boondocking, not sure how much but we want to be prepared. I’ve seen and thought of several different contraptions to deter Yogie and his buddies but not sure what to use. One of the more intriguing was soaking a rag or something in pine-sol to help deter them from your garbage. I will either build a box or buy an aluminum tool box for storage that will be kept in the bed of the truck. Also thought about spraying it around the door and large windows of the camper. Am I on the right track or are you rolling your eyes and shaking your head? Need a little help please. Thanks!

Just dont leave any garbage or organic waste outside your rv or anywhere a bear could get to. There is no such thing as a bear proof container!If any bears show up take pictures and enjoy the opportunity to see nature up close. Enjoy your trip!

Ava wrote:Just dont leave any garbage or organic waste outside your rv or anywhere a bear could get to. There is no such thing as a bear proof container!If any bears show up take pictures and enjoy the opportunity to see nature up close. Enjoy your trip!Well of course there is such a thing, but thin aluminum sheet isn't it.

Keep the garbage inside the trailer until you're at a gas station or somewhere with a dumpster. Yosemite bears peel cars open to get at food - a lightweight aluminium thing in the bed of your truck will not work.

“or are you rolling your eyes and shaking your head?”No, but I’m laughing real hard.

Yep, rolling eyes. Keep a clean campsite, don't leave trash, coolers, camp stove or anything food related outside. If the RV is too small put it in the tow vehicle.

Bears and garbage | Good Sam Community

Ava
Explorer
Feb 21, 2018
Just dont leave any garbage or organic waste outside your rv or anywhere a bear could get to. There is no such thing as a bear proof container!

If any bears show up take pictures and enjoy the opportunity to see nature up close. Enjoy your trip!
agesilaus
Explorer III
Feb 21, 2018
Ava wrote:
Just dont leave any garbage or organic waste outside your rv or anywhere a bear could get to. There is no such thing as a bear proof container!

If any bears show up take pictures and enjoy the opportunity to see nature up close. Enjoy your trip!

Well of course there is such a thing, but thin aluminum sheet isn't it.
BizmarksMom
Explorer
Feb 21, 2018
Keep the garbage inside the trailer until you're at a gas station or somewhere with a dumpster. Yosemite bears peel cars open to get at food - a lightweight aluminium thing in the bed of your truck will not work.
Lwiddis
Explorer II
Feb 21, 2018
“or are you rolling your eyes and shaking your head?”

No, but I’m laughing real hard.
beemerphile1
Explorer
Feb 21, 2018
Yep, rolling eyes. Keep a clean campsite, don't leave trash, coolers, camp stove or anything food related outside. If the RV is too small put it in the tow vehicle.
2gypsies1
Explorer III
Feb 21, 2018
... another eye roller. :) We never even thought about it. The garbage stayed in our wastecan until finding a place to dispose of it. Save up some empty coffee cans beforehand for putting really smelly stuff in before putting it in the wastecan. I really have never heard of a problem with bears getting into normal household garbage as long as you don't keep it outside and keep a clean campsite.
agesilaus
Explorer III
Feb 21, 2018
At one point, before the rangers got serious about the bear problem, Yosemite bears would -look- in vehicle windows for goodies and smash the window if they spotted some. They were PhD Bears. They liked apricot face creme too.

The current generation may not be that knowledgeable. Bear sensory capabilities are far beyond anything we can imagine, they can smell what's inside a sealed can for example, and they can bite thru a cast iron skillet. Saw that on a National Geographic show where the bears chased the rangers into the bear trap and them ransacked the camp at their leisure, including biting holes in the cast iron pan used to cook bacon.
profdant139
Explorer II
Feb 21, 2018
When boondocking for several days in bear country, this method has worked for us -- suspend a bag of garbage far above ground, and far from the tree trunk, and far from the branch:

Click For Full-Size Image.

If we did not do that, we'd have a big bag of garbage inside the trailer. Not a great aroma. And we can't put it into the truck bed -- the bears would tear up the truck.
Ralph_Cramden
Explorer II
Feb 21, 2018
BizmarksMom wrote:
Keep the garbage inside the trailer until you're at a gas station or somewhere with a dumpster. Yosemite bears peel cars open to get at food - a lightweight aluminium thing in the bed of your truck will not work.

If the Yosemite bears peel cars open, I imagine they can have a real field day with some thin fiberglass, two pieces of 1/8" luan plywood, and styrofoam, or .024 or thinner aluminum siding and luan.
Hondavalk
Explorer II
Feb 21, 2018
Ralph Cramden wrote:
BizmarksMom wrote:
Keep the garbage inside the trailer until you're at a gas station or somewhere with a dumpster. Yosemite bears peel cars open to get at food - a lightweight aluminium thing in the bed of your truck will not work.

If the Yosemite bears peel cars open, I imagine they can have a real field day with some thin fiberglass, two pieces of 1/8" luan plywood, and styrofoam, or .024 or thinner aluminum siding and luan.

:B :E ;)

Forum Discussion

Bears and garbage

About Campground 101

Related Content

Wheel bearing repacking

Compounding Garbage Exponentially

Garbage disposal?

Bearings packed

Wheel Bearings