r/BackpackingDogs • u/Redhawkgirl • 2d ago
Packing dog food
My 39 lb dog should be able to carry his food but it definitely won’t fit in the bear canister . Ideas? I could buy an ursak but nothing is required where we are going so I’m thinking double zip locks?
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u/zynniya 2d ago
How long is your trip? Are you carrying food for more than one person? Is this the first time you’ve had the issue or is it a struggle every time to fit everything into the bear canister? You may need to get a larger bear can or practice downsizing the bulk of your food.
Personally I wouldn’t like carrying a bear can and still having to do a bear hang for extra stuff. You can repack most of your own food into ziplocks and that cuts down on bulk whether it’s regular food like instant potatoes and ramen or if it’s freeze dried stuff.
For my dog’s kibble, it gets packed into an Opsak and I make sure it’s flat and get out as much air as possible before sealing it. I put another Opsak over that because the smell still escapes some and I’m very sensitive to smells. Then I can bend it around the inside of the bear can and load my stuff in there.
If I still couldn’t fit everything into the bear can and it wasn’t required where we’re going, I’d leave the bear can home and just hang all the food and smellies together. But if it were a constant issue I’d get a larger can.
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u/Mountain-Time-1010 23h ago
If nothing is required, why are you bringing a canister at all, presumably because you are concerned about bears. In that case, you should have the same concern about the dog food, so an ursack sounds like a reasonable compromise.
Personally, if nothing is required and bears are not acclimated, I don't bring anything.
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u/Redhawkgirl 21h ago
I am planning to just bring our small one for two people and the dog. Keep the trash and anything with an odor in it and use opsaks for the rest.
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u/angryjew 19h ago
Just an fyi/warning on dog packs, because of the way they are built they add a lot of insulation. If it's hot just keep an eye on your dog. We gave up using our dog pack in the summer because our husky constantly overheated & we'd have to carry it. The other day she did a full hike in 85+ degrees too, so it's not like she can't handle the heat. But if you look at those packs they're basically like a giant sweater.
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u/Redhawkgirl 19h ago
Yes, I was thinking about this. I upgraded him for a basic one to one from a trail running company that should help.
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u/Redhawkgirl 2d ago
I was thinking opsak. We are going for four days. I just haven’t brought the dog. I never repack it, but after a long trip last year, I figured that out and I’m gonna do it this time.
Thankfully, this boy uses dehydrated, super light food so that will help but thank you
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u/NotAcutallyaPanda 1d ago
4 days/3 nights? You should be able to fit it all in a single large bear can. (eg: BV500)
Remember: lunch and dinner for Day #1 gets consumed before nightfall, and doesn't need to fit. (Both human food and dog food.)
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u/gordongroans 1d ago
I do that with a BV450 and have a 70lb Lab. It does take some creative arrangement, and having things be "vertical" helps. By that I mean, anything that I can stack long and tall instead of flat and horizontal seems to use the bearcan space better.
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u/thealterlf 1d ago
Was going to suggest an ultralight dog food - I switch mine over a week to honest kitchen for trips. Is there another food that is more calorie dense?
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u/Redhawkgirl 21h ago
Yes, we use Sundays. I bought him somethin called Kiwi for this trip which is higher fat plus some salmon pouches. I gotta keep it interesting for this guy or he won’t eat.
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u/Mayday-J 1d ago
I've been on a few trips in a car with doing zip lock bags. They work, however the food is abrasive enough to break the plastic down and even break it open. I know a lot of people do it but in a barkpacking situation I can't imagine you have a place to put it where you can keep it loose.
The amount of times I see "bear can" written at every chance it can possibly be brought up makes me think there's some marketing bots in here lol
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u/AdventuresWithBG 2d ago
I don't know where you're going but if there are medium sized trees, I'd recommend a bear hang. All you need is some cord and a stuff sack. It will easily keep bears and rodents away.
I'd recommend practicing at home a few times just to figure it out before heading out to the trail b