Pop-up TCs and Bear Boxes, etc

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

So as I've been making reservations for our trip to the Pacific Northwest, one of the sites includes a Bear Box to keep food in. I understand that is a MANDATORY USE if you're a tenter; probably a smart thing if you're a popup trailer camper; but what about popup TCs? I realize I can ask when we arrive - but I suspect the answer is that the hard and high side of a PUTC make it as bear-proof as any other RV?

I'm trying to make a case for bringing the TC, can you tell? LOL!!

Deb

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Testudo wrote:
Using the bear box might make a bear more interested in the smug hardsided camper owner's rig than in yours. Better the door torn off his camper than off yours.

And I'm ALL for that idea, too 😉

Funny story regarding bear "potential":

My first tent-camping trip with my kayaking group. As everyone starts heading off to their tents, my best friend starts reminding me to not have food in my tent; and I'm saying yup, yup, yup... About 10 minutes later, he says from his tent: "Don't have anything around like flavored Chap-Stick, either" to which I replied "crud". Yes, I had cherry lipbalm in my tent.... but before I could do anything about getting rid of it, I hear my friend say "What the heck????? Oh Sugar-pops!" (it was a lot more graphic than that) - he had brushed against a roasting fork covered with melted marshmallow and now had sticky goo on his pants. I burst out laughing, and thanked him for drawing the bears to HIS tent, because surely his offered tastier stuff than my tent did 😉

[Testudo]

Much of the advice about "having to have a hardsided camper" is _wrong_. Most of the prohibitions by campgrounds aimed at pop-up _tent_ trailers is because they are considered a "trashy bunch" (not _my_ assessment, just serving as the messenger). This attitude is sometimes visited upon truck camper owners, too. Whenever I dug into prohibitions regarding "softwalls" it proved to be the campground concessionaires trying to maximize their upscale traffic - - (read Class A's). They may say it is "because of the bears" but that is total 'BS'. Why would they restrict traffic to one campground when _all_ the campgrounds get visited by bears ??? (...Total 'BS'.)

There _are_ situations when campgrounds have acute animal problems and the managing authority might try to make special conditions for camping in those situations. That is when you should _run_ - - don't walk, in the other direction. Nobody should _want_ to camp in a place that has been the target of problem grizzlies. ...And I mean _nobody_. The only RVer on record having been killed by a bear was a healthy 25 year old man in a trailer. A desperate grizzly, late in the season, has no problem entering a hard sided camper. Their feeding instincts are very uncompromising at that point.

Fortunately, campgrounds resorting to special conditions are pretty rare. I doubt there are more than two or three campgrounds in the country at any one time that will advertise having a dangerous animal problem. And, many state parks have started to shut down such campgrounds altogether - - realizing that restricting to hard sided RVs is sending the wrong message (...that hard sided campers will make you safe).

Far more park visitors are killed and injured by bison and squirrels than by bears. Using the bear boxes can't hurt, but don't think it is something that only RVers that have soft walls should worry about. Using the bear box might make a bear more interested in the smug hardsided camper owner's rig than in yours. Better the door torn off his camper than off yours.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

LOL! Thanks 🙂

[toedtoes]

WooHoo! Way to go!

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Annnnddd, as an update to this thread: we camped over the weekend in my TC, and last night, Ed said "You know, this is a LOT roomier than I thought it would be. I think we need to take this out west" (YAY!!!!)

And the Ram 1500 managed to squeak out a 14.4 mpg for the trip. Not great - but acceptable. We had pretty strong crosswinds on the way home, and I was stunned at how nicely the truck handled it (after years of keeping a Class C in the proper lane).

I think we're officially TCers 🙂

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Well, as I said in another post - if the Dodge 1500 doesn't get better mileage with the camper on the back - we WILL be in a tent 😞 and using bear boxes and I'll be laying wide awake all night.....LOL!

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

jmcgsd wrote:
I CG hosted in a very active black bear area last summer in Sequioa N.P. We told people in pop ups to keep food in cabinets and the reefer inside the popup.

However if it were me I would have used the bear boxes.

I guess the good news was that there were so many idiots that ignored the rules that the Bears had plenty to eat if they were in to people food without bothering breaking into campers!

LOL! That's what I'm planning to keep my snack-sized dogs from getting eaten. Who wants fur between their teeth when they can have TWINKIES?! 🙂

[tonymull]

Bear proof is a relative term. When we came down the Alaska Highway at Liard Hot Springs there was a u-haul truck with a big hole in the side...that's metal, where a bear went through. Unnerving a bit since when we came back from the springs there were some paw prints on the side of OUR u-haul. Big bear wants in, he'll get in. Hey, I had squirrels chew through a tin can of peanut butter and how much better is an RV? The metal siding on RV's is very thin and I bet the fiberglass is not much tougher. Bear would be unlikely to target the canvas way up there on a pop-up truck camper when he could just go through the wall.

[MKish]

We have a popup TC and haven't encountered any beary place that treats it differently than a solid one. Don't worry about it. Just do as the local rangers direct; I doubt you'll have to turtle.

[Geewizard]

I'd be more concerned with lightning, earthquakes, locusts, and teenage girls driving while texting on a cellphone.

...especially the latter.

[jmcgsd]

I CG hosted in a very active black bear area last summer in Sequioa N.P. We told people in pop ups to keep food in cabinets and the reefer inside the popup.

However if it were me I would have used the bear boxes.

I guess the good news was that there were so many idiots that ignored the rules that the Bears had plenty to eat if they were in to people food without bothering breaking into campers!

[Peg_Leg]

We went to Alaska in a popup TC. Everyone asked if we were worried about bears coming through the canvas. I told them that most bears want fresh people and not the canned ones, they hang out around the showers.

[jimh406]

I think Yellowstone says hardside RVs only in the biggest bear campground areas. They don't distinguish between truck and pull behind. I'd call the park you are interested in.

[cmcdar]

billtex wrote:
Bear boxes do work...but it might be uncomfotable trying to sleep in one.

Everyone knows pop-ups= human tacos.
😉