[pct-l] Odor Protection Sacks?

[Mark Jernigan]

Do hikers use the OP sacks inside cannisters ?     ...or only if they are using an Ursack ?
   
  Sorry if this seems like a dumb question.
   
  'Slogger

Ryley Breiddal <ryleyb at gmail.com> wrote:
  The point of them is that food smells don't go through them (whereas
they do get through ziplocks).

Also, just a suggestion about maintaining their toughness - never take
them out of your food bag. I found that if you ever pick up the OP
sack directly, you have that seam splitting problem, but I always
picked up my food back (an ursack) instead... seemed to make them last
a lot better.

Ryley

On 3/21/07, Mark Jernigan wrote:
> What makes the OP sacks so special. Wouldn't a 1 or 2 Gallon Freezer Strengh Ziplock work just about as well ??
>
> 'Slogger
>
> dsaufley at sprynet.com wrote:
> Though I like them and use them, one thing about the OP sacks to consider is that they're not made "thru-hiker tough", and I found they literally came apart at the seams. When you're cramming 7+ days of food into one, it strains the seams and the open up, effectively becoming useless. The solution was to carry plenty of extras.
>
> I used OP sacks to store food, toiletries, medicines, trash, and my cookset -- all of which could potentially attract bears with their scent. The food sack was in my aluminum lined Ursack, but even if I used my Garcia or Bearikade, or no can at all, I would still use the OP sacks -- anywhere, anytime. Little rodents can do a lot of damage, and I had a bigger problem with a demonic and aggressive squirrel than bears on my JMT hike last summer!
>
> L-Rod
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> >From: Len Glassner
> >Sent: Mar 20, 2007 6:09 PM
> >To: pct-l at mailman.backcountry.net
> >Subject: [pct-l] Odor Protection Sacks?
> >
> >What if one focused on keeping the bears from ever smelling your
> >smellables, rather than protecting them from an onslaught of claws and
> >jaws?
> >
> >This from the BackpackingLight website:
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> >Are O.P. Saks Really Odor-Proof?
> >Well, yes, quite so. We slathered a bunch of honey, peanut butter, and
> >olive oil in one and left it out for four days in the corner of a
> >forest service cabin while we were out tramping around on a hike. We
> >knew the cabin to be infested with both mice and pack rats, and when
> >we came back, the O.P. Sak was intact with no sign whatsoever of
> >animal intrusion, despite the fact that there were fresh droppings and
> >sawdust scattered throughout the cabin.
> >
> >Ursack liners are actually O.P. Saks. And, we've been using O.P. Saks
> >for food storage while backpacking in both grizzly and black bear
> >country in Glacier NP, Yellowstone NP, the Bob Marshall Wilderness,
> >Tetons, Wind Rivers, and Uintas. Below the treeline, we simply add a
> >mesh sack with a drawcord and hang our food with AirCore Plus. Above
> >the treeline, we store the O.P. Sak under a pile of rocks, or
> >sometimes, just sleep with it next to our shelter. Even in the most
> >rodent and bear infested areas, we've not had a single curious critter
> >attempt to get into the O.P. Sak.
> ><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
> >
> >I used an Ursack for two weeks on the JMT, with an O. P. Sack. The
> >top edge of the O.P. looked like it got slightly nibbled on (must have
> >been a very, very small animal to have gotten through the small
> >opening in the tightened-up Ursack), perhaps triggered by residual
> >food from my fingers that handled the contents. So double-sacking
> >maybe? Other than that, no animal issues.
> >
> >The thing that bugs me about the O.P. sacks is that they don't seem
> >seal very securely. You can pull the ziplock apart really easily.
> >
> >It would be interesting to know if the Ursacks that failed were used
> >in conjunction with O.P. sacks. I could ask Ursack but that would be
> >too easy.
> >
> >The O.P. sacks are cheap, relative to cans, and weigh nothing
> >relative to cans. If an option like this were offered, instead of
> >having to carry a food Fort Knox on your back, maybe compliance would
> >be higher and bears safer.
> >
> >Len
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