Rant: Got called out for my bear bag hang on the JMT last summer

Some dude at the Reds Meadow camp came over and told me my PCT method was actually trash for the Sierra. He showed me how to do a proper counterbalance hang with a rock in a sock. I was stubborn at first but after he hung his bag and mine side by side I could see his was way more solid and less likely to get pulled down by a smart bear. I've been doing it his way ever since. Anyone else had a stranger on trail give them a tip that actually worked better than what they learned from books?

2 comments

2 Comments

garcia.quinn1d ago

Used to be a total believer in the PCT method, thought anyone doing it different was just overcomplicating things. Then a ranger in the Smokies showed me how easily a smart bear can just pull the whole thing down with one good yank. That rock in a sock trick is honestly way more bomber, never going back to the old way now.

patel.leo13h agoTop Commenter

Yeah it's funny how that translates to everything. People get so locked into "the right way" to do something they forget smart bears learn patterns too. Same with life though isn't it? The "proven method" usually just means nobody's tested it against a smart bear yet.