Proper food storage is the most consequential preventive action available to backcountry travellers in bear country. A bear that successfully accesses human food becomes food-conditioned — a status that dramatically increases the probability of future conflict and, ultimately, management removal. The obligation to store food correctly is not merely self-protective; it protects every subsequent visitor to that area and the bear itself.
What Counts as “Food and Scented Items”
The category of items requiring bear-safe storage is broader than many travellers anticipate:
Always store:
- All food, including freeze-dried meals in sealed packaging
- Cooking equipment (pots, utensils, stove)
- Water filter and hydration containers that have held food or drink
- All garbage (including biodegradable organic matter)
- Empty food packaging and wrappers
- All beverages except plain water
Frequently overlooked:
- Toothpaste, toothbrush, floss
- Sunscreen and lip balm
- Insect repellent
- All toiletries including soap, shampoo, and deodorant
- Menstrual products
- Anything that has had contact with food or cooking
The evidence on whether menstrual products attract bears specifically is mixed and inconclusive, but the general principle of storing all scented items applies without exception.
Storage Methods: A Hierarchy
Hard-sided bear canister: The gold standard and the only option that works reliably regardless of terrain. Required in many designated backcountry areas in US national parks (Yosemite, Sequoia, portions of Yellowstone). Bears cannot open them, they cannot roll away easily, and they require no suitable trees.
Recommended canisters: BearVault BV500, Garcia Backpacker’s Cache, Ursack AllMitey (soft-sided but bear-resistant for hanging). A standard canister holds approximately 3.5–4.5 litres — enough for 4–7 days of food for one person.
Place the canister at least 60 m from your sleeping area, on flat ground, away from cliff edges or rivers (bears roll them). Do not attach it to your pack when storing overnight.
PCT hang (proper bear hang): Required where canisters are not mandatory and no bear boxes are available. The standard requires:
- Food bag suspended at least 4 m above ground
- At least 3 m from the nearest tree trunk
- At least 3 m below the branch used for suspension
- From a branch at least 15 m from your sleeping area
Executing a proper PCT hang in dark, dense conifer forest with numb fingers at elevation is considerably more difficult than it sounds. Practice the technique before your trip. A throw bag and 50 m of 2mm cord are the minimum equipment.
Park-supplied bear boxes: Fixed metal food storage boxes at many established campsites in US and Canadian national parks. Reliable and simple to use. Do not overfill — bears have accessed boxes left inadequately latched.
Camp Layout
The “triangle” principle for camp layout is widely taught: establish your sleeping, cooking, and food-storage areas at three points of a triangle, each at least 60 m apart and 60 m from any water source.
In practice, on established trails in busy parks, this ideal is not always achievable. Where designated campsites constrain options, prioritize distance between sleeping and cooking/storage. Do not cook in or near your sleeping area under any circumstances.
Cooking Hygiene
- Cook and eat at least 60 m from sleeping area
- Use a windscreen and cook efficiently — dispersed cooking smells attract more than concentrated ones
- Pack out all garbage; do not bury food waste (bears excavate buried food with ease)
- Do not wash dishes in streams or lakes near camp; use a grey water site at least 30 m from water
- Change clothes after cooking; treat cooking clothes as scented items and store with food
What Bears Can Actually Open
Bears are physically capable of:
- Opening vehicle doors (common in Yosemite and Jasper)
- Pulling out car windows
- Opening tents with food inside in under 10 seconds
- Pulling down improperly executed bear hangs
- Accessing anything left in a daypack on the ground
Bears are physically incapable of (under normal conditions):
- Opening a properly secured hard-sided bear canister
- Operating a correctly closed and undamaged metal bear box
Overnight Bear Encounters
If a bear enters your camp at night, make noise immediately from within your tent. Do not exit to confront the bear. A bear raiding food-storage areas at night is almost always food-conditioned; noise may cause it to leave. If the bear contacts your tent, fight back aggressively — this is the one scenario in which defensive strategies do not apply.
For the complete encounter response framework, see the Bear Safety guide. For park-specific food storage requirements and camping regulations, see the National Parks guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are bear canisters required in all national parks? Not universally, but requirements are expanding. Hard-sided bear canisters are mandatory in designated backcountry areas of Yosemite, Sequoia/Kings Canyon, and portions of Yellowstone. In Canada, Parks Canada recommends them for all backcountry travel but does not currently mandate them in most parks — bear boxes are typically provided at designated campsites. Always check the specific park’s current regulations before your trip.
How far from my tent should food be stored? At minimum 60 m (200 ft) from your sleeping area in all directions. Store food, cooking gear, and all scented items in a triangle pattern — sleep site, cooking area, and storage site — each at least 60 m apart. This reduces the chance that a food-seeking bear approaches your tent. In dense terrain without suitable trees, a hard-sided bear canister placed on flat ground is the reliable alternative.
Does commercially marketed “bear-proof” packaging replace a canister? No. Products labelled “bear-resistant packaging” or “odour-barrier bags” reduce scent transmission but do not physically prevent a bear from accessing the contents once it locates them. Only hard-sided canisters, metal bear boxes, and correctly executed PCT hangs (in trees) meet the physical standard required in mandatory-canister areas.
What happens to a bear that gets into food in a campsite? A bear that successfully accesses human food becomes food-conditioned. Once conditioned, bears associate humans and campsites with food rewards and will seek out future encounters. This nearly always ends in management removal — either translocation or lethal control. Proper food storage is not optional in bear country; a violation directly threatens the bear’s survival.