Campfires as Protection

[ChadTower]

Originally Posted by IndianaHiker

The best defense is to not have a camp that will entice the animals into it to begin with. This means cooking away from camp. Use bear containers or hang food and smell-ables in a bear bag away from camp. Never sleep in cloths that you have been eating in. In fact you should have a separate set just for sleeping. Just follow some basic common sense precautions and you really have very little to worry about.

That might seem like basic common sense to you but some of that is actually pretty advanced long hiking behaviour. All true but I would not call it basic.

[IndianaHiker]

Originally Posted by ChadTower

That might seem like basic common sense to you but some of that is actually pretty advanced long hiking behaviour. All true but I would not call it basic.

You are correct and that these behaviors for me were learned before I every hit the trail. I am the type that whenever I get into something I do a lot of research. I read books and talk to people that I feel are more knowledgeable of the subject than I. Before my first hike spent lots of time asking question at a local outfitter and reading many books. Please forgive me if I sounded condescending was not my intent. I have been doing this for awhile and now these things just seem second nature and forgot that they are actually learned skills.

Only time that it really seems pretty basic I guess is when someone teaches you these type of things and the light bulb goes on.