Tips for Car Camping in Bear Country (and Sleeping in Your Car!)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- My thoughts and tips on car camping in bear country.
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#carcamping #camping #bears
once again I cannot stress it enough how nice is that you dont put any sh**y music over your videos. Just natural sounds and your rants. Thanks.
Ditto. With most videos my finger is hovering over the mute button. I can’t understand why folks put (usually horrible) music over their videos, it often partially drowns out their words or makes it otherwise unpleasant.
Snowflakes gonna flake.
Ten Minute Tokyo 2 - you're comment is an example of same. 😂
“Urban music” lmao wtf ^
Thumbs down for the clickbait thumbnail.
Time for my bear story from Yosemite back in the 1970's:
My room mate and I were tent camping in the North Pines CG in Yosemite. About 3 AM there was a loud ruckus about 3 sites down from us. Pot banging, yells, and loud screams. Instantly obvious it was a Bear in the camp. We got up to see a women in her night clothes and a fellow jumping in their car leaving their stuff behind. And a black bear racing off in the opposite direction. A crowd of campers milled around.
Turns out the women, wearing apricot face creme was asleep in her bag, no tent, only to wake with a bear sitting on her chest licking the apricot stuff off...heh.
No joke, I ask the rangers about it when ever I get back to Yosemite and they say the story still is being told but was assumed to be just a legend. But it happened. So add to your list, leave off the fruit flavored face creme at bedtime.
BTW they never came back for their minimal gear, rangers collected it a few days later.
🤣
That made me laugh, sure wasn't expecting that! I bet that lady never went camping again!
Yosemite is one place in the world that bears have been able to learn that humans store food in cars. The Park at one time fed the bears in a Valley dump and built bleachers so humans could watch them feed. Ive never heard of a bear breaking into a car at Yellowstone. HMMMM
LMAO did he leave his wife too :D
I'm a newbie to car camping/dispersed camping and backpacking. I feel like there's so much information and stuff I don't know. I appreciate this so much!
Gawd...where's the snake video...there must be one of those too.
7-09-21 ktla channel 9 News, Calif. Woman, 66 yrs. Old, was killed by a Grizzly Bear, dragged from her Tent, while Bicycle/ trek camping, in Montana." The Bear was Tracked Down and Killed...
BillinL.A. Calif.
@@williamwatson3567 she had food in her tent, major no no. So sad. :(
@@cristianozwife Thank You for that Reply , and Insight.... If She would have hung the Food in the air in a bag from a higher tree Limb , with a Rope.... She'd still be Alive Today.... I've seen a Bear pull the Pass. Door/ window-shattered, with its Claws....and Climb inside for Food Items left inside...in A parking Lot, at Curry Village, Yosemite National Park, @ 3pm, 10 years ago.... They are Not to be Underestimated.... Very Clever and Determined....
BillinL.A. 8/04/21.
@@cristianozwife And bear pay price for human error. These people need to stay in city parks. Clueless about nature.
Good Video. My experience with black bears had taught me that 99% of the time they want nothing to do with you and will run. But if they smell food they will find a way to get it unless they are scared off. I spent 3 years on a remote location on an island in southeast Alaska where black bears were an every day thing. Last summer I spent my time in Interior Alaska. My experience with the grizzlies there is to stay alert while cooking and keep your kitchen 100 yards away. Use bear resistant coolers with a padlock or bear canisters and you'll have no problem unless you are around a mother and cubs. Keep bear spray on your hip not in your bag in interior alaska
If you've ever been chased by a bear, you're not likely to regard bears lightly. My sister and I were on a path in the Smokey Mountains. My Aunt was at the top of a slope above us when she told us to come to where she was. We knew from her tone of voice something bad was about to occur. As we went to meet her, I looked back over my shoulder and saw a large bear quickly approaching us. We got to the top and into the car just in time. The bear even chased the car out to the main road with an angry look on its face. We were scared witless. I guess it didn't want us on its path. After that, I take bears seriously.
Travelling through bear country I ALWAYS sleep in my car and am extremely cautious about food and trash in my vehicle. I back into my escape route so I can make a quick retreat in the event I need to leave abruptly and I do not cook in the campground where I plan to spend the night. I'm a surgical nurse and when I lived in Alaska I was involved in an all-night emergency surgery with 2 surgical teams repairing the damage done when a brown bear protected its territory from a couple who were picking blueberries. It was a mess.
Please reach out to the channel "Scary Bear Attacks" he retells stories and would probably love to hear more about the episode you just mentioned. Nice guy, and great channel to watch.
I was camping in Wisconsin deep woods, and I was hiking and walked around a bend and came face to face with large bear. Honestly, I was petrified and did the worse thing by turning and running without thinking, but luckily the bear was running faster in the opposite direction. That was a lucky day for me
Wisconsin? That's a black bear, and while you should be careful when dealing with them, they are skittish creatures. Make a lot of noise and act tough and they will run away.
Don't do that you idiot!!
Good Job Forrest, happy to know you made it......🤣
Because black bears in WI are hunted. Although brown bear and grizzlies are another type of”bear”.
I use to hike as a trail scout for the forest service, the biggest problem people have is believing they won't have problems. I have hike a lot of miles in Grizzly country and have seen many. I have never had a problem with them, they are smart, I mean smart.
They don't want trouble any more than you. They will wander into your camp at night to check things out and you'll never know it. They for the most part only become a problem after you do.
Black bears that's not true. Black bears account for the vast majority of attacks and deaths from bears. As a note, you are not going to hide orders from a grizzly. They are the only predator out there that can smell calf moose, which are basically orderless. That being said, camping isn't a time for the beauty make-over. leave the perfumed item home. If the people before you have left a dirty camp, find another place to camp.
I always made people empty their backpacks for me before I allowed them to join me on hiking trips. Many times I found hand lotions and minted tubes of toothpaste, smelly soap in their pack. Leave them home, there not for bear country.
It was a good video but remember your not the only thing that uses the trails, bears know them and use them, in addition to cooking away for your camp, camp away from the trail. If possible camp away from the trail at least 50+ yards.
I live in bear country (black bears) even tho I'm in a city (just outside of Vancouver) and the bears love garbage, have no interest in hurting a human. They live alongside us and if we can manage to keep our food waste in locked bins there are no problems. But BEAR COUNTRY with grizzly bears makes me nervous! I'm always thankful I can sleep in my car where all my food/garbage/cook stove get stored. I do leave my windows down a little but keys are always beside me, I have a good panic alarm on my car to scare them away and I can always drive off if need be!! Btw such a pretty trail you're on!
Using the panic alarm, good idea. 👍👍
I do the same thing, Nancy. Keys nearby, car pointed out of the campsite so I could drive out quickly if necessary.
I started reading and thought you were Chrome Valdez....then I finished your post.
I lived in a house In Bear Country. I would get home from work at 2 a.m. and the Bears waited until after I was in the house he check out the garbage. Anything that would be stinky I would put in Ziploc bag and storage in the freezer until trash day. Then I would put it out in the trash in the morning that it was going to be picked up. Worked out well for me
I love black bears, grizzlies are a whole different ballgame...
Just a thought, leaving your window down even little bit, a bear could get his claws in and rip the window out. Stay safe, thanks for sharing.
Tristan, former 8B and 7B guy here. I heard you say that you can crack your windows if you're sleeping in your car. I agree that I often need to do so. An 8B friend of mine cracked the windows of his van, while he slept in his nearby tent. A bear got its claws in the crack and ripped the window down. It then crawled in and ripped everything apart. I enjoy your videos. Thank you.
Super useful as I've become massively more into car camping lately and I recently moved to an area known for its black bear population.
I kept turning over in my head how the forest rangers advocate a sort of unachievable perfection and then on the other end of the spectrum I see so many campsites/trailers/RVs that I just KNOW are not doing a SINGLE thing to prevent bear incursions.
This video really, really helped me understand the "Goldilocks zone" of realistic & achievable safety measures from someone who's clearly been there, done that. thanks :)
Separating the eat/cooking area from the sleep area by 100 yards is good advice. Also every camper needs to hone their bear bag skills this is something that takes more work but does provides a large amount of safety.
I would also add never go to bed in either tent or car wearing clothes that smell like fish, BBQ or spilled food.
Good point
Kodiak Bears are scary. I was sitting on the beach one morning,' August '98 or '99 about 12 miles south of Larsen Bay, on Uyuk Bay, Kodiak, , and I watched a bear swim across the bay, get out of the water about 300 meters up the beach from me, and go ambling off, up a hill and into the brush. Big one, maybe 400-500 kilos I do not ever want to get any closer. And those guys can SWIM!
From an old Montana guy I agree with you. Very excellent advice.
I have had 5+ experiences with bears while camping. I agree with you 100%! Excellent video, excellent advise!
Thanks Glenn!
@@SUVRVing what about sticking motion sensor lights on car
Great video! I host a tent camping group on FB and bear questions always come up with members who are new to camping. In response to those questions I put together a pdf guide for them to reference. Now I’ll be sharing your video as a reference as well. Nicely done, and thank you!
On another note - I was once followed by a mountain lion. I watched him and he knew I was watching him so he didn't get too close. It helped that I was packing heat at the time so I wasn't too worried about him. Bears, on the other hand, tend to run away. They want nothing to do with humans unless you surprise a mama with cubs.
The Big Cats scare me the most . They don’t run away if you are on their radar .
Great video! Answered the question in my head on whether or not it was a good idea to keep our food in our car with us while we slept. Will probably wrap everything as much possible just to be safe.
Man.. I've been in the mountains in Utah for several camping trips during the summer and have never seen a bear. What a cool encounter! Thanks for sharing! Amazing you got it on video.
like he said bears tend to hang around creeks and that was exactly what happened!
We went camping 🏕 in lake alpine in California we slept in camping ⛺️ tent, and every night we saw a bear crossing by our tent. We just used our car alarm control and turned it.....and that was it. I told my story in my channel but you have to put your translation on your settings cause I speak Spanish in my channel. But, so far in 3 years in a row we had bears in this particular camping site.
Thank you sooooo much!!! I have no experience with bears, but I have researched bear etiquette and there is a lot of conflicting info out there. After much reading, thinking, and planning, I had come to the same conclusions as you presented, except I will keep pepper gel with me at all times. Also, I decided to get the gel despite the range being only 18 feet, because I figure that if a bear is charging me, by the time I aim, the bear will be that distance or closer. Also, if I am sleeping with the windows a few inches down for ventilation and a bear decides to try to pull my window out, I can spray the gel from the smallish opening and not worry about blowback in my car.
You have put my mind at rest! Also the information was well presented. I am subscribing. Thank you again. Happy travels.
Thx for the additional info sounds like good advise to me.
@@ljaysperspective1775 I have since realized that pepper gel is illegal in some states because of its strength, and the purpose is to dissuade contact, not to do harm.
So Bear Spray is probably the only real option for most situations.
However, I read somewhere that bears do NOT like Ammonia. So I decided to keep it in a spray bottle and guess what? It works fantastically to keep mice out!!! :-D
I sprayed it behind the stove when I knew they were there, and boy, the RACKET they made all trying to get out through the same small hole was hysterical - they were bouncing off the back of the stove! I'll never forget it! I periodically spray when there is aromatic food (esp. tuna) and rarely get any more visits :-)
@@cathycotton9635 Great I've heard of the mint thing but not the ammonia. Everything is illegal in NJ.
I'm going to try and get the bear gel not that i would need it. But i will feel better knowing that i have it. Thx again
I'm about to move into my van and travel. You've eased my mind a tad. I've always had a fear of bears. Thank you.
Good luck on ur travels. Im saving now. Will be a few years though
You'll have a great time!
I live in lower bear country in the NC mountains and when traveling and car camping overnight at Dingman’s Ferry park, PA, I woke at 4am to a gigantic black bear rocking my Toyota RAV4 so much that I was rolling around like a marble. I only had the sun roof open a little with magnetic screen for ventilation and I could hear the Chewbacca breathing as it tried to get in through that way. Thankful for a loud mouth to yell at it as I managed to get into the front seat and lay on the horn and headlights. Still have the nail scratches on the passenger side door.
Loved the reminders and great idea to double or triple bag items. They like the scent of toothpaste, even from inside a storage bin .
I bought a Lifetime Cooler that is built and certified “GRIZZLY BEAR PROOF”, with a gasket around the lid - similar to a fridge\freezer.
I also refrain from taking or cooking food with me, but use prepared food, like protein bars, etc.
When it says bear-proof I think that just means they can't open it but doesn't mean they can't smell what you have in it...?
Great video. It is always the joke between my husband and I that where we sleep (tent or my CRV turned microcamper) depends upon MY "bear o' meter" reading. I hope people who are new to camping remember that many toiletries or First -Aid kits have things that smell enough to attract a bear and those should never be in the tent with sleepers. Most people think of food, but forget things like cough syrup, mints, perfumes, etc. We have camped many times in Utah in areas where bears have been and have never seen one (fine with me). Some campgrounds are right near visitor centers (places with large garbage areas and sometimes careless visitors) and we never camp at those places (if we use a campground at all). Good advice...I've always put food in plastic bags while in the cooler or plastic bin anyway so this is an added reason (mostly I cook a lot when we camp and I cannot stand food in my ice, etc.). Thanks and happy travels through Idaho!
Thanks Robin. Thanks for the tips. I always have mints with me.
thanks Robin, that's actually really good to think about! I normally have a couple of packages of gum with me in my car and use fruit scented body wash that I would never have thought would attract bears!
Thanks for the tips and video,Trystan. I have been wanting to go to a private campground in Yosemite but I am a tent camper now (more for space) and am scared crapless of doing so. I was even scared of SUV camping originally but I know they have bear lockers and feel like I could suv camp now.
Gum, shampoo. deodorants anything that is perfumed or 'scented' can be
a possible attractant. www.bearsmart.com/play/camping/
You're exactly right, you need to be careful with anything like that that smells. Thanks Robin!
@@SUVRVing Thank you for bringing this subject up.
My most exciting bear encounter was when a griz spit in my face...true story! hubby and I were hiking in Glacier Part in MT (I am a native of Montana)...griz was walking about 100 feet to our left... he turns and comes towards us...we froze... he came right up to my left side, sniffed up to my head, down to my feet, up to my head again, then snorted in my face... I had bear snot running down my face... then he simply walked away. Thankfully he did not feel threatened and he wasn't hungry!
Wow..Scary..I would had to change my underwear after he left..
You are one fortunate person to have survived
@@1jackvalley580 Very true!!
😲😳😇
--😱. O. M. G . ! ! !
Excellent advice and enjoyable wandering video!
Here in Sth Aus we are rather blessed in that it’s almost advantageous to leave small foods out. It brings in the unique and curious wildlife. Half a chocolate cake went missing one time camping.
Roos, koalas, wombats, possums, emus and many other birds but no real crazy predator. The smaller critters are the real danger but also a completely different prevention strategy compared to powerful beasts.
6 meter crocs aren’t far away though. Hazardous environments & people are my only concerns.
Cheers for the vids!
Oh man, I'd be so mad if a creature ate half of my chocolate cake 😂 But yeah, it sounds like you've got some interesting animals around!
SUV RVing Yeah, it was a slight bummer but the cunning and tastes of whatever the creature was, was easily more amusing than the loss of the cake.
Responding to your fans? That’s pretty rad dude!
Love your content and demeanour.
Thank you so much for these tips, it’s my first time car camping in bear country . You answered all the questions I had in my mind
I'm a year late...but l'm in Alaska and we have black bears and grizzlies everywhere. Saw lots in Denali Park.
Of course there are Kodak Bears on Kodak island. Let's not forget Polar Bears.
Was camping with my neighbors several years ago, two pair of adults, and two passels of kids, making a lot of noise. My neighbors wife grew up in these mountains and went everywhere without a thought, but now, any whisper she heard in the grass had her sounding alarms that could be heard 230 miles away in Phoenix. You can probably guess about how close the bears were going to get to us. I finally got her to quiet down by telling her the best way to keep bears out of camp was to not make a noise like dinner. She spent the rest of the evening trying to figure out what dinner might sound like to a bear.
Good info! Believe it or not, bears eat tobacco too. One time (in the early 80's) while camping at the Devils Postpile National Monument, we left some food and cigarettes in the cab of a small Toyota pickup. A bear was able to get a claw in between the window and frame and pulled the manual roll up window right down. The bear ate mostly peanut butter and cigarettes, then went on it's way. Go figure!?
I revisited this video looking for info on bear canisters. In one of your videos, you mentioned that you keep your food in bear canisters inside of your car. On my trip to the Appalachians last Fall, I did what you suggest in this video. I kept everything in zip top bags (double bagged usually) and kept those inside a sealed plastic container and had no problems. Still, I've ordered two large bear canisters for food and toiletries for my next trip out. Would you please consider a video showing how you pack your canisters for long trips? I have two trips tentatively planned, one to the West, one to the East back to my favorite place near Boone, NC. Thank you. Your videos have been most helpful!
I don't think it's necessary to put food in bear canisters inside your car. When I've done it in the past, it's been out of convenience (i.e., I need the bear canister for a backpacking trip and figure I might as well use it for other food while sleeping in my car too), not out of fear or necessity. I don't think I have any special tips about packing a bear canister. Just stuff your food in the best way you can! Thanks for watching.
In glacier a couple years ago, I was told to throw some coins in a can and shake it as I was walking down a trail and that would scare them.
Bear bell 🔔
Bears have a better nose that a K-9 bloodhound.
Sounds do not scare them, just gives them a heads-up that there is something up ahead that is making a VERY odd noise. Krystal Hatch is right, bells that are pinned on you/your shoes and are ringing are another way to transferring sound (up ahead to?). Boat "fog-horns" in a can are very load, bear spray in a can is better than any pistol you might bring. Remember it's their home and we're just out for the day. If a bear wants to party with you, your food and drink, never ask why until you're safely home then ask why from your favorite chair and not some hospital bed or morgue. Bikers and bears both party to hardy for me anymore, 79 and just getting a little older one day at a time, I like it!
Carry a small air horn.
Really appreciate it when guys like you share their expertise.....nicely done...impressed that you're in good enough shape to walk/talk/film at elevation...AND do a systematic, logical, easy to follow point by point on your topic. THANKS
This vid was EXACTLY what I was looking for. We’re car camping in a remote desert area with few trees, several people & a lot of food, limited space in the campsite to spread out. I think we’re in lower case bear country so this makes me feel better about staying safe overall. Thank you!!!
Really good video. Be aware, be smart (food storage), and be calm. Very unlikely to have a dangerous encounter in black bear areas like Colorado, Utah or California (Yosemite). Griz are definitely higher risk but only live in select areas in the lower 48. I was tent camping at Yosemite last August 2022 and I woke at 4am one night to rangers with large flashlights chasing a bear out of Upper pines campground (i never saw the bear, it was along the tree line across the way from our camp). Interesting, bear spray is actually not even allowed in Yosemite, though there have been bear/human encounters, there has never been anyone killed in a bear attack in yosemite.
There are about 150 000 black bears where i live in Northern British Columbia Canada and about 15 000 grizzly bears throughout the whole province. Anytime we go camping or hiking we bring a backpacking shotgun or a folding carbine something considered "non restricted" to our laws. As thats all we are allowed to bring for wildlife defense.
Great video & info, thanks. You mentioned squirrels, I remember years ago where we saw a squirrel chewing through a plastic ice type chest to get to the food.
I believe it! I've had squirrels chew through my backpacks to get at the food inside. Crafty little suckers.
James Palmer I live in Houston and the squirrels are THUGS lol they run in packs too (gangs) destroyed my garden..thought it was petty neighbors until I put up cameras lol little assholes
Lowercase bigfoot country & uppercase BIGFOOT COUNTRY.
Do lower case bigfoots have smaller feet?
My husband and I are planning a long road trip and will car camp most of it. Rocky Mountain NP, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier. Very informative! Thank you!
Thanks, glad you found it helpful!
I was on greenbelly website the Applachian Trail interactive map to see if there were more trail shelter closings. Quite a few this year due to people leaving food etc causing bear interactions in the Smokey Mountains mostly. Before long there will not be any shelters left there.
That's a shame. Yep, people just need to stop leaving their food and trash out!
Good video and tips. I was just camping last night in the mountains of North Carolina in my Subaru Crosstrek trying it out (new video out). I was laying there in bed with the windows down and started thinking about what would happen if I woke up to a bear at my car. I rolled the windows up most of the way. lol.
Glad you're still alive. Lol Will be car camping in the next few weeks at Mt. Mitchell. Hope you had a good time.✌️
@@stepheng.5623 awesome let me know how it goes...thinking of heading up that way next weekend. My closer to Blowing Rock. Wanna find somewhere that will be cooler. Hopefully rain will hold out.
Lol yep, that would be an unpleasant way to wake up, for sure!
Prevent, but deter as well with a portable electric bear fence. 2.4 lbs of kit (the best fence) that brings huge peace of mind.
Thank you Tristan! I don’t camp anymore but my grandchildren do so I will relay this information to them!❤️😀🇺🇸🌏🚙
Tristan would be willing to do a vlog about your past encounters & circumstances of the event? The short fishing clip happened pretty quick but, I am glad you shared it.
A coworker was trout fishing about a mile up a tributary (in NC mtns) & had an encounter where the 'healthy' large black bear 'interestedly " started walking towards him from about 30 yds across the stream. He moved around a bend and post haste exited the stream to his car.
Well done as usual.
They're not all that interesting. Most just involve me hiking and coming around a corner to see a bear nearby walking along a stream or something. I wave my arms and shout and the bear runs away.
@@SUVRVing How about breaking them down BEAR co vs bear country
& ty.
Will definitely keep the jambalaya off the camp recipe list 😀
Thanks for this informative video 🤗 I'm going camping next month in Yosemite for my birthday...
You'll love it!
I love Yosemite! Hope you have fun! If you have time, try to check out Mariposa Grove. It's about 45 minutes from the valley floor but so beautiful and they recently renovated that area.
That is definitely BEAR COUNTRY
I'm watching this video because I came back from Yellowstone yesterday at 11 pm. And guess what we been in yellowstone 2 full days and saw 2 times grizzly bears. We stayed 3 nights at campground and had a bear box but also we had to store some stuff in the car because it's a share box . They told us we have to store in the car or bear box but nothing in the tent beside sleeping bag, pillow and bear spray.
Thank you. I am going in a month and wasn’t sure how safe car storage was.
Very good advise and broken down into good segments .I'm no newbie but reminders can't hurt. Thanks!!
Thank you for posting this. I am getting ready to head out on a road trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone. I will be sleeping in my jeep and bought a small portable fridge to keep my food cold. I started getting nervous because I am hearing conflicting information as far as food storage. Some say do NOT leave food in your vehicle and others say that you can. I will have window covers so they will be hidden from view but the smell is what concerns me. I will do a little bit more research before deciding what I am going to do but this is a starting point for me. I value any and all information and will be doing what I feel is safest. I really enjoy your videos, thank you!
You definitely want to string your bear bag in a tree, then. It also has to be mouse-proof. The places you’re going to, the bears are the smartest. Do not have food, toothpaste, soap, perfume, or deodorant anywhere near you if you can avoid it.
Also, change and bag/seal your clothes after cooking anything.
@@AudiAddict Thank you so much for your response. I will be boondocking out side in between both parks. I definitely plan on setting up a "cook spot" about 100 feet away from the Jeep and making sure I have nothing inside it while sleeping. I will for sure put any clothes that I cook in into a separate bag also out side of the Jeep. Maybe I will bring clothes just for cooking and use those every time I cook. I truly do appreciate you responding. I have never been more serious about my safety and doing things the right way the first time as I am about this trip.
@@graydogadventures I am also a solo camping female next month and I’m looking forward to learning new things!
@@AudiAddict I hope you make videos of your trip. I just subbed to your channel and I cant wait to see your adventures.
You did an excellent job. 1K Gold Stars for you Tristan.
Great tips. I like the one about turning on your headlights and honking your horn.
Wouldn't allow me to write my own comment so I'm choosing a reply! Lol I'm excited to scroll through your videos! I've never been camping and I'm planning a 1-2 month SUV canping trip on a 3000 mile loop through the East Coast. I'm SUV RVing but I'll have an attached tent to my SUV hatch so it's sounding like I'll be hanging my food if I find myself concerned. Thanks again for the great content!
One thing that folks in Colorado told me is moth balls can be a deterrent. So I plan to string some around my tent and car. Thanks for your video
oh, fun.....camping with moth balls that stink to high heaven!
I just stumbled on this video. I've watched much of your stuff and this one is just a great reminder. I live in N. Lake Tahoe area and the surroundings are chock full of Black bears. I've had many encounters but only one one spooky one while backpacking to a remote fishing spot. It turned out OK but was a surefire wakeup call. I also had a bear tear into my car by pulling out a window. This was parked outside the house in a residential area. There were zero foodish items inside but the Ranger that took the report said that a large toolbox in the back might've been mistaken for a cooler. Bear got in, couldn't get out and destroyed the car (totaled). Thanks for all your videos, I refer to your Tenkara stuff quite a lot.
Just caught this video.....thank you for doing this, I'm a car camper, but will tent it with others
Take care and keep going, be safe
I live in Connecticut and we have bears coming into our town ( they said it one was a black bear) near Fairfield University which is a stone throw from my house.. For those who don’t know the geography I’m about 2-3 miles from the beaches on Long Island Sound. Deers are common and so is the bobcat. Like you said, more or less, you have to use best practices as you described. I enjoy your videos.
Once I was staying in a campground in grizzly bear country, Bowron Lake BC. I was the only camper there except the host. I was sleeping in my car. One afternoon I took a nap with the back hatch open. The host came by and told me not to do that. It is extremely dangerous. Obvious once he pointed it out of course.
Thank you for this. I've camped a lot but not in BEAR COUNTRY. Great, useful tips!
I learned so much from this video and the comments but one thing I didn’t see addressed in either (other than as general comment in the video) was toilet issues. I’ve been enjoying dispersed camping, with friends, for about a year now (not in bear or BEAR country) and have a potty that I put beside the car at night. I gather this is not something I should do in any type of bear/BEAR country but what is the best way to handle this human necessity. And what does one do when nature calls at 2 am?
For some reason, I pictured a bear rocking the car, then maybe slicing it open like a can with its claws. It's never that bad. Well, until it gets dark in the woods....
We were back in the Idaho wilderness. Kept seeing bears.. Turned out, it was an area where they release problem bears from the National parks.
Excellent video. Well researched and practical. How about storing food at night in the cargo box on top of the car? I will be using an SUV tent, attached to my car. I can get in the car and close the hatch easily if scared by a bear. But to me it makes sense to have the food in the cargo box, locked, on top of the car, instead of inside the car. Thanks for this video and your comments. I'm sharing this video with my women's camping group!
A bear would have no trouble getting into a cargo box. They can actually tear cars up pretty badly.
Here in Ky. there is now bear country and BEAR COUNTRY! We are in rare bear country but are headed to Glacier N.P. in two weeks car and tent camping. Your vid is one of the best on this but my wife is still .............well you know.
I was so scared when a bear came into my campsite. I was at Franconia Notch out in New hampshire but i just turned my vehicle on amd turned on all the lights and that pretty much scared it away. I was afraid because i had my two chihuahuas with me and it was a cub and did not want ro meet mama bear or papa bear but lights scare them off usually
Great channel and I’ve been subbed for a while! On this video I understand your providing your opinion based on your experiences… I just want to say a dog can smell drugs wrapped in duck tape, two layers of strong plastic, a layer of Vaseline then a trash bag lol…. A bears sense of smell is much higher times than a dog… I agree with keeping food items away from you and maybe protected in a bear bin, but that bear sniffed the goodness hundreds of yards away..wether in your car or in a plastic baggie. self protection and a way to make noise when in an area or confronted by a bear is also important.. stay alert stay alive :)
Also a good way to store food is in a dry bag
Well done sir!. Have had a handful of bear encounters while in both "bear country" & "Bear Country" none of them close thankfully. My closest encounter was in Michigan's upper peninsula which is "bear country" back in the day (1960's). At local town dumps the bears would congregate there at sundown to sample the local cuisine, like you said "quick & easy". It was thrilling to see people get out of their cars to get a better look at the bears or to get a closer photo. Risky business to say the least.
Great advice. I’ve camped frequently in Smokies and that general area. Have seen bears, but they are running away! Just don’t make it convenient for them!!!
Yep, you nailed it. Thanks for watching!
I’ve never had any experience directly with bears however, I was in bear country one time the Rangers warned us as we went into the park don’t leave any food in your car. Later on they came by we had left soda the cans in the truck and they said please take me to the track the Bears will go after the soda.The same weekend there was a group camp next to us that had a little fire outside the fire ring, and they had guns. We wasted no time, informing the Rangers, who came and told them to pack up and go!
Also concerned about camping solo as a woman I want to be in a vehicle rather than a tent . Just saw another video where a group was in a military campground and some dude was wondering around nearby but apparently not up to it a good . The Camper’s were concerned that they were going to try to steal their gear. Eventually they called the police and these people were found to have a lot of drugs with them.
My advise is stay away as I was at a condo in High in the Smokies and my son and I went down to the pool and a big black bear was in the hot tub in the pool area and I said to my son Chris the Bear is in control of the pool area and we cant go swimming now
Skunks are fun too, when they wander through your campsite 🤓
Tristan you're right about mostly bears I have the spray ready when sleeping in a car just in case
Utah Jeff ..., here .... never had a problem with a Bear .... however raccoons are a different story ...,was on Oregon Coast and the raccoon came up to my picnic table with 2 Coleman propane lanterns burning and grabbed a box of Ritz crackers right off my picnic table ... I threw a rock at him and he only took off with one small package and I could hear him crunching in the bushes
The best way to keep them away is with cayenne pepper when your done eating and have trash sprinkle cayenne pepper all over it or make a perimeter around your tent or vehicle with it and they will stay away
Good to know..Thank you..
In Lone Pine ranger station where we got our day hike permit for Mt. Whitney, there are pictures of cars and trucks on the trail head parking lot after being mangled by bears. We were warned never put scented items and food inside vehicle because the bears there could rip doors down as easily as opening a can of sardines.
Great information, Trystan! Thank you!
Thanks for watching, Marcelle!
Great camping trips, my friend. Thank you for sharing. 🤗
If you leave your car parked in bear country and there are no bear lockers, make sure things like ice chests hidden from view i.e. covered up. Bears do know ice chests=food.
I think you should carry bear spray always. If there are bears, then there's probably cougars too, right?
but you most likely will not see a cougar even less so than a bear....and if they are stalking you, you won’t know they’re there until they pounce on you....so bear spray pretty much useless for cougars
I like your channel, Dude. Not all super applicable here in Texas. Y'all seem to have all the public land in the world over there. Texas is lacking in that area. Anyway, good action, Man. Nice content.
Hi there. You now have camped wirh your dog . What suggestions would you have about dogs and bears while car camping. I have a 55 pound dog that will go with me and sleep in the car with me
I think that dogs can be great alarms for when there is a bear around. And if I were in serious bear country, I wouldn't let my dog stray very far from me.
barabra lister Found you on another site. Hope you will check us out at Roamingwithrover
@ barabralister....when living in Montana, had several bear experts say.....do NOT take dogs into bear country.....they can rile a grizzly, and make for very bad dog/human/bear interaction
@@SUVRVing I lived in Montana for 16 yrs...talked with a few bear experts.....they say do NOT take dogs into bear country. They can cause very bad outcomes for dog and human....and if they chase after a bear, can then run back to you and bring a very pissed off bear into your campsite....just fyi
I guess we fear what we don’t know. I’ve lived among gators and sharks since 86. I’ve had to run from each on 3 occasions (once in my own back yard with my kids when they were tots). Yet we still go out and adventure among them. But bears? Zero experience and I’m scared to camp outside of Florida! I actually have a distant cousin who was killed out west by a bear while tent camping. Don’t know the specifics. I’ll have to continue gathering info so I can feel comfortable going into BEAR COUNTRY one day. Thanks for these informative vids!
All of California,were I do most of my camping is “bear country”(lower case). California use to have Grizzlies (Brown Bears) everywhere in the Spanish and Gold Rush days. Today they thankfully are extinct (killed off)except on the State Flag and Zoos. Agree with all your points! Learned in Boy Scouts NEVER to eat in your tent. I carry and sleep with Bear Spray in forests where there are Black Bears (Sleeping Boy Scout was seriously mauled in 1993 near Big Bear Lake). I also have a .357 with solid shot I sleep next to when camping, more for unexpected 2 legged predator types than Bears. I will not camp in areas that have Grizzlies when I visit other States.
you sound like someone who is very afraid
I believe grizzlies are being reintroduced in California.
Exellent video. I have camped many times in Glacier, Yellowstone,etc. and had a few bear encounters. I can't swear this helps but I use a mixture of bleach and water to wipe down picnic tables and other hard surfaces after cleaning them. It is also a good idea to consider the containers you store things in. I put everything away in coolers and totes but I wash my hands and then use a larger bag or container to put the smaller containers in to reduce the food odors. Draining coolers into a container and disposing of it away from your campsite also helps. Happy camping everyone.
Those are good ideas, Gary. Thanks for watching!
A bear can't break your windows if they're cracked a few inches?
Yes they can..I lady had her windows cracked a couple of inches while she went for a short hike..Came back and one window was ripped out..All she had in her car I believe was some breath mints on the floor in a small container..
when you are in the vehicle jt shiukd give you enough reaction time to press pankc biutton and drive off I would think..
they can rip a door off, not just break out window
I'm still a novice at camping (still in campgrounds - no boondocking) and I've never had a site with 100yds away from car/tent for cooking. That's a football field! How does that work?
Ikr
Not experienced but that was my thought when you were fishing. He just wanted a drink or to go fishing his way. One concern you did not mention was mothres and cubs foraging. You really need to be aware so that you do not end up between the mother bear and the babies by accident. Some say bear bells for hiking for that reason. If mom hears you coming she will get the cobs out of the way before you get there. To me they ruin the experience as that noise gets on my last nerve defeating the whole reason to be hiking. This means be alart and see them before they see you. If you see a cub you better find momma fast.
Great info, calmed me down a bunch, we're planning a trip to BEAR COUNTRY!!!! As in even more bear country than BEAR COUNTRY (northern BC and the Yukon). And plan to sleep in a roof top tent some of the nights. Seems like the tips here should work great. Any adjustments you think are necessary when not sleeping in your car but on the roof of the car? For one it means we can't get away as quickly, but we can still use the panic alarm button.
I do have air horns installed with an emergency button located next to my bed in my truck camper to startle them away.
alot of black bears are in the swamps of Florida too!
Before going to sleep drink a lot, then pee (for guys) a circle around your tent and car. This prevented a bear from entering my car:
That night five families were car camping in King’s Canyon National Park and it was my turn to wash the dishes. When I finished, all the steel lockers were already filled, so I had to load the extra food into my car. I drank some extra wine while chatting by the camp fire then later peed a circle around my car.
Around 2 am our friend’s dog started barking and we heard a bang and shattering glass. It was a bear that easily pried opened the door of my friend’s minivan, climbed over three rows of seats to get a peanut and jelly sandwich inside a daypack that was in the back of the minivan. Meanwhile, two cars over, my station wagon packed with food.
I was told to make sounds while hiking trails as you're doing. Bears nee d a heads up to hear you're approaching to not surprise them. A bell or sing to alert them
WD 40 or Bear Spray around the vehicle works great
Love your channel
Extremely helpful tips! Thanks💚💙🚗
I live in Colorado..never leave home without your bear spray..
Good advice. We do the same.
Thanks Barry!
Fantastic advice. Thank you very much.