Bear bucket and what can stay out

[wmclemore01]

Hoping for a little clarification - I have read the parks web site on bear buckets https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bearcans.htm, but I read an older articale that said you are not required to put the first days breakfast, lunch or dinner in your bucket.

Thoughts

[balzaccom]

You can carry food in your pack outside the bear can, assuming your pack is always within an arm's reach. You'll probably eat the first day's bfast before you hike. You'll eat lunch on the trail. And you'll eat dinner before going to bed and putting everything smelly in your bear box. Just keep close to you dinner and pack before you eat dinner, and you are fine.

[AlmostThere]

You are REQUIRED to put all food and trash and anything that has a scent inside the locked bear canister when you leave it unattended. That includes anything you do not consume during the first day that you might have intended to consume. If you set up camp and day hike, put all those items you do not take along inside the bear can and lock it, and do not keep it in a tent, a pack, etc. Set it out and do not attach anything to the bear can that a bear can use to drag it off somewhere.

[Phil]

Yep, you can leave out the first day's food, but you better make sure you a) don't leave your pack unattended (out of arm's reach), b) you place all your garbage/leftovers from those meals into the can and that it will fit into the already full can at the end of the day.

[wmclemore01]

Cool - Thanks, see you'all soon

[balzaccom]

Funny that we all gave similar advice...but worded it very differently!

[Phil]

Gotta love semantics, Paul. I was just bored and thought I would rephrase for the sake of typing. It was either that or reply to some emails, and there's only so much you can say about a bear can.

[AlmostThere]

Someone has to write the Bear Can Song.

The band's name should be Badly Hung Bear Bag...