Cooking in foul weather

[Tiz]

Do you cook in the tent/vestibule when it's raining cats and dogs (although you are in bear territory)?

[Ear Mountain]

In bear country I would NEVER cook in or near my tent. If you are camping in one of the backcountry campsites you are required to prepare all food only in the designated food preparation area. In auto campgrounds I would always cook at the picnic table or on the fire grate.

[Hockey Ref]

I second everything Ralph said! Cooking outside your tent in a backcountry site is very illegal and get you a major ticket if caught by a ranger or a visit from a hungry bear if you aren't caught. Neither one is very much fun (neither is cooking in the rain, but that's the chance you take when out in the backcountry).

[Tiz]

Thanks.

I guess the reason for preparing the food in the designated area is not to decrease the chance of a bear encounter whilst you are cooking but to decrease the chance of a bear encounter in the camp area at night (e.g. because of tiny food leftovers lying on the ground)?

[Hockey Ref]

Thanks.

I guess the reason for preparing the food in the designated area is not to decrease the chance of a bear encounter whilst you are cooking but to decrease the chance of a bear encounter in the camp area at night (e.g. because of tiny food leftovers lying on the ground)?

Exactly. Which is why you should never carry anything into your tent that smells of food, including even a stick of gum, or even toothpaste. And it's a good idea not to sleep in the clothing you cooked in as well.

[Apikuni]

I guess the reason for preparing the food in the designated area is not to decrease the chance of a bear encounter whilst you are cooking but to decrease the chance of a bear encounter in the camp area at night (e.g. because of tiny food leftovers lying on the ground)?

Yes, and odors which may remain on your tent or clothes. Your best bet for cooking in foul weather is to have dehydrated meals. They have zero cleanup, low odor, fast and easy prep.

Check out the Jetboil http://www.jetboil.com/ . You can hold it in your hand and it boils water extremely fast. Combine this with a dehydrated meal and a spoon for a stress free and fast dinner in nasty weater.

[elscout198]

Not only bears but other little critters (like racoons, and chipmonks which can be a pain to get rid of) love the smells of food.

[Pocketlint]

Hey Tiz:

I'll just second every word spoken above. You don't want anything smelly in or around your tent.
Yeah, it's not convenient to have the cooking area away from the tentsites, but...

That is far and away the best way to keep the critters, both large and small, away from the tentsites.

Many, if not most of the critters in the park, "make a living with their noses". As a longtime bowhunter I learned along time ago that critters can detect the smallest trace of odors, especially smells which are not native to their patch of the woods....and depending on the species, they'll often as not "investigate" strange odors when they encounter them.

The best defense against critters in camp has always been--a clean camp.

pocketlint

PS

I'll see you a week from today at the airport

[Tiz]

Thanks. Glad you are back, Pete ; )

@all

I expected the above answers. They make totally sense to me.

I was just wondering whether someone would say, for example, that s/he heats the water in the vestibule (e.g. if the weather is REALLY nasty - snowstorm at BOU or something like that), then moves away from the tent and puts the water into a pouch of freeze dried food and quickly eats it.

[orin]

You are trying to parse this entirely too finely. Have you ever had food in the pot? If so the steam will carry the residual odors onto your tent fly. You will almost certainly get some fuel odors on the tent. Bears are smart and can learn that where there is fuel there is also food. Don't trade a minor convenience for safety.

[Tiz]

OK. There will be no foul weather anyway.

[sj in cal]

Orin and Tiz are both correct!

[Pocketlint]

SJ

Tell them what happened to your hiking stick. It's fun to talk about after the fact, but...
it did have some potentially serious consequences...and it's sort of related to this topic.

pocketlint

[idapaul]

hey pete; nice to see ya back paul and ida

[Pocketlint]

hey pete; nice to see ya back paul and ida

Thanks!
Y'all need to get back out here when you can.
Neither I nor the park are going anywhere anytime soon


pocketlint