I'm camping with my family and some friends in Glacier National Park this week. Instead of new posts (or no posts) I've decided to bring back a few of my favorites that you may not have read since they are a little older. Here's one from my "Camping Skills" series. We're camping with bears right now, so I thought I'd better review.

This is part of my "Camping Skills" series. Others posts in the series are listed at the bottom.

If you are camping or backpacking in bear country it is so important to make your food unavailable to hungry bruins. Not only is it a bummer for you if your food gets chowed down, but it is a bummer for the bear.

Follow up:

Many of us have heard the expression, "a fed bear is a dead bear". Once a bear gets a taste of human food (or toothpaste or deodorant or any other stinky product) they want more. And why not? Our food has a lot more calories for a lot less work than picking grubs from the underside of a log or scraping tiny huckleberries off thin twigs.

Bears that get used to human food become a danger to people. Then, if the bear can't be relocated or if it continuously causes trouble, it is often killed. No one wants to be responsible for a bear's death.

If there isn't a bear box at your campsite, or you do not carry a Bear Resistant Food Container, then hang your food high in a tree. There are several ways to do it:

1. Put your food in 2 stuff sacks, dividing the weight evenly. Bring separate stuff sacks for this as you do not want your sleeping bag stuff sack to smell like food and transfer that smell to the sleeping bag.
2. Tie one end of the rope to a stuff sack.
3. Tie the other end of the rope around a rock.
4. Find a tree with a sturdy branch about 15 feet off the ground.
5. Throw the rock over the branch.
6. Pull your food up to the branch.
7. Remove the rock and tie the other stuff sack as high up the rope as you can.
8. Push the bag up with a stick until it is even with the other bag. Leave a length of rope hanging so you can pull the food down in the morning.

Watch a video showing how (and how not) to hang your food.

Need more skills?
How to Tie Knots
Bear Hang How-to
Build a Campfire
How to Cross a River

Want more information about camping with kids? This book--Camp Out! The Ultimate Kids' Guide is a great resource whether you're planning an over night in the backyard or a weekend in the wilderness. Kids learn about gear, choosing a campsite, building a tarp tent, how to keep a nature journal, how to explore the nighttime sky and a whole lot more. It is primarily for kids age 7 and older. Check it out.

Camp Out!: The Ultimate Kids' Guide by Lynn Brunelle