Camping with a soft top jeep in bear country
Our new to us tow car is a jeep with a soft top. Heading to Colorado for the month of September and will be camping in bear country. Will be doing most of the cooking in our 30 foot motorhome. Exce...
Forum Discussion
While some if the information given here is in jest, some of it isn't exactly spot on.
Bear rules and laws can change depending on where you are camping. Many mentioned camping in National Parks. Judging from some of the bear comments here, I am guessing some folks didn't participate in the Junior Ranger program at their NP. ;)
I would not recommend firing a 44 at a bear in a NP unless you like prison. I wouldn't even leave a single frie in a soft top jeep as well as toiletries like toothpaste and deodorant. Bears have 10x the sniffer of a blood hound. They can smell through cans. They don't know the difference between beans, taco meat or shampoo. Anything with a scent left in a car or not in a bear box in a NP could potentially cause bear vandalism. I have seen bear damaged cars due to small traces of crumbs left in baby/car seats. The result is usually a bear that has to be destroyed due to campers not following the rules. I have also seen many campers receive a ticket for leaving food in their cars and tents. All that said, you may leave smelly items in your RV with the windows and doors shut.
When campers follow the rules the Bears don't have to get destroyed. Same goes for soft tops. Have a glorious time. Colorado is a beautiful place! Hopefully, you will see many bears and it will be a peaceful and wonderful experience. I was just in King's Canyon a few weeks back and had the pleasure of hiking closely past 7 bears in a few days including tiny cubs. Amazing animals!
Bear rules and laws can change depending on where you are camping. Many mentioned camping in National Parks. Judging from some of the bear comments here, I am guessing some folks didn't participate in the Junior Ranger program at their NP. ;)
I would not recommend firing a 44 at a bear in a NP unless you like prison. I wouldn't even leave a single frie in a soft top jeep as well as toiletries like toothpaste and deodorant. Bears have 10x the sniffer of a blood hound. They can smell through cans. They don't know the difference between beans, taco meat or shampoo. Anything with a scent left in a car or not in a bear box in a NP could potentially cause bear vandalism. I have seen bear damaged cars due to small traces of crumbs left in baby/car seats. The result is usually a bear that has to be destroyed due to campers not following the rules. I have also seen many campers receive a ticket for leaving food in their cars and tents. All that said, you may leave smelly items in your RV with the windows and doors shut.
When campers follow the rules the Bears don't have to get destroyed. Same goes for soft tops. Have a glorious time. Colorado is a beautiful place! Hopefully, you will see many bears and it will be a peaceful and wonderful experience. I was just in King's Canyon a few weeks back and had the pleasure of hiking closely past 7 bears in a few days including tiny cubs. Amazing animals!
