Jeeping it! Food storage question

[TJrun]

Hi Y'all!

I'm new to the forum and planning my first overlanding Jeep expedition for summer of 2018. I will be heading to Wyoming and Montana, so I will be in grizzly country. I'm planning to rig my Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with the ARB awning room. I prefer to sleep in the back of my Jeep with my 70lb super trail dog, but that leaves almost no space for cooler and food storage containers. I know that some campsites will have bear boxes, but I plan on mostly remote dispersed camping so boxes won't be an option. I've always hung my food containers while backpacking, but will definitely be traveling with more food if I'm Jeep camping.

Any suggestions? I may have to just resign myself to sleeping cramped or sleeping in the awning room while keeping the jeep for overnight storage.
Thanks!
TJ

 

[dblack]

Hmmm, that is a ticklish one...
I would suggest a few precautionary measures.

Keep no food open in the jeep. That means don't leave that package of beef jerky in the console, and the French fries under the seat. :-)

When you roll into camp, take Your coolers and boxes out of the jeep for food prep. Keep them as clean as possible, and keep smells away from your sleeping area. That means that if you use the top of your cooler for a table cutting up bacon strips... Wipe it down as best you can and do your food prep away from the vehicle.

Keep a spotless campsite. Nothing left out after dark. Put the cooler in the front seat, same as dry boxes. That gets it off the ground at least. I don't like having food right in your sleeping area, but it's probably your best realistic option.

Dog food is a good one to be aware of. Don't leave it out. If the squirrels don't steal it, something bigger will.

https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/mtn/ours-bears/securite-safety/camping-propre-bare-camp



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[TJrun]

I'm good to go with all of these precautions and guidelines for food prep/storage. I will have a bear canister or UrSack for my food and dog food for in the Jeep storage also. I was just HOPING that maybe there was a large "bear proof" lock box that I could possibly store all food items in that could be left outside with a small cooler and bear canister in that I'm not aware of. Kind of like a super size bear canister/box. Front seat space will be very limited with one seat pushed forward for sleeping space.
Thanks a bunch!
tj

 

[dblack]

I hear ya. Maybe someone else will have some pearls of wisdom... I have a "Grizzly proof" cooler, but I still tuck it away if I can.

More interestingly... I have a 2005 TJ Wrangler Unlimited (have owned it for about a week), and I'm curious how the heck you sleep in the back... I'm 6'2" and I'd have to fold myself in half unless I removed the back seat... And the front seat. lol

 

[TJrun]

Traded my 2002 2 door Jeep in for a 4 door just this year. And I'm 5'6". I can lay full out in comfort! Loving it!

What brand of grizzly proof cooler?

 

[dblack]

Ahhh. A JK. Good call.

The cooler is a "cabelas polar ice cap equalizer". 60qt.

And bear resistant is probably a more accurate description.

I'm happy with it. Keeps ice better than my old Coleman.

 

[TJrun]

Cool! ( no pun intended) Thanks

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

If you can manage a roof rack/basket, that's what I use if I need to move some gear outside so I can sleep in the back.

 

[professorkx]

First, if you are in grizzly country, some forest service campgrounds won't allow tents, so plan on having to find dispersion camping spots in high bear concentration areas.

Second, NEVER sleep in the cloths you wear while cooking. You will get food on those cloths, so leave them outside of your sleeping quarters away from your rig.

Add some lights to your rig facing each direction (ebay=cheap 18 watt flood LED lights) and get a remote that will strobe ($14 on ebay). If a bear comes into camp, hit the strobe button from inside your rig. The bear will sound like a horse leaving your camp. IMHO, this is your best defense against bears at night, disorient them and send them to the next camp.

Carry a gun, 44 mag or bigger loaded with any hard cast bear load bigger than 300 grains (no hollow points!). Get a mossberg or similar inexpensive tactical shotgun and load it with slugs. Pray you never need either of these, but carry the 44 on your hip or in a chest rig...you won't have time to run to your Jeep if a bear invades your camp.

You already have food precautions above, and it sounds like you already considered them, but don't keep any container where you sleep. Let the bear have whatever he wants OUTSIDE your sleeping area. Inside your sleeping area, you will be fighting for your life, and you will not come out without injury or worse.

I've had lots of bears in my camp and in sight while in the woods in the last 40 years, and neither me nor bear have been hurt. Only had to shoot the ground one time at night to get a brave bear to leave (well before the strobe light option was around), and one other time for an aggressive moose.

Tent camping in grizzly country does not make me nervous, and is perfectly safe if you use are head and are prepared for the worst...

 

[Northernlady]

First, if you are in grizzly country, some forest service campgrounds won't allow tents, so plan on having to find dispersion camping spots in high bear concentration areas.

Second, NEVER sleep in the cloths you wear while cooking. You will get food on those cloths, so leave them outside of your sleeping quarters away from your rig.

Add some lights to your rig facing each direction (ebay=cheap 18 watt flood LED lights) and get a remote that will strobe ($14 on ebay). If a bear comes into camp, hit the strobe button from inside your rig. The bear will sound like a horse leaving your camp. IMHO, this is your best defense against bears at night, disorient them and send them to the next camp.

Carry a gun, 44 mag or bigger loaded with any hard cast bear load bigger than 300 grains (no hollow points!). Get a mossberg or similar inexpensive tactical shotgun and load it with slugs. Pray you never need either of these, but carry the 44 on your hip or in a chest rig...you won't have time to run to your Jeep if a bear invades your camp.

You already have food precautions above, and it sounds like you already considered them, but don't keep any container where you sleep. Let the bear have whatever he wants OUTSIDE your sleeping area. Inside your sleeping area, you will be fighting for your life, and you will not come out without injury or worse.

I've had lots of bears in my camp and in sight while in the woods in the last 40 years, and neither me nor bear have been hurt. Only had to shoot the ground one time at night to get a brave bear to leave (well before the strobe light option was around), and one other time for an aggressive moose.

Tent camping in grizzly country does not make me nervous, and is perfectly safe if you use are head and are prepared for the worst...

That is some very good advice! I really like the strobe light idea.

 

[professorkx]

I have strobe lights around my new smittybilt trailer. The remote has 3 settings, two strobe and normal on, so the lights also provide normal lighting. I have no desire to confront a bear at night, as it's a rather unnerving experience, even when you are prepared to confront the threat. The last time, the bear was huge, and my wife was not a happy girl...

 

[Redfox]

I just got back home to Kodiak, AK. from spending 2 weeks tent camping across the mainland of the state, even as far north as Deadhorse where there is a grizzly and polar bear problem.

We kept all of our food in a Rubbermaid action packer tote, inside the Jeep along with the 12v fridge/freezer I have. We had no bear encounters of any kind. We kept everything clean, never brought food into the tent, even chapstick or water bottles they may have contained liquid other then water at some point in time. Kept trash to a minimum always dumping it at proper receptacles.

We did have a bear fence but never deployed it; its a battery powered electric fence.

We also had 2 cans of bear spray and a 10mm glock. Having a gun is a nice thing to have but I would almost always recommend a can of spray. Although never use it from within the tent or you will instantly regret it and thats where a gun is nice. There are some studies that show using bear spray over a gun there is much less of a chance to be mauled or killed. Another point to consider is if you shot a bear, you have to report it to the authorities and right or wrong they could end your trip quick. All that being said, I carry a gun.

One of the MOST important things to know about bears is how to recognize behavior patterns to tell if a bear just want to say hi or eat you. This you will have to look up. Usually just making noise is enough to scare off a bear that gets to close.

 

[tsteb112]

Buy a yeti cooler. I’ve never tested it but on YouTube there’s videos of of the coolers bring grizzly tested


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[tsteb112]

I just got back home to Kodiak, AK. from spending 2 weeks tent camping across the mainland of the state, even as far north as Deadhorse where there is a grizzly and polar bear problem.

We kept all of our food in a Rubbermaid action packer tote, inside the Jeep along with the 12v fridge/freezer I have. We had no bear encounters of any kind. We kept everything clean, never brought food into the tent, even chapstick or water bottles they may have contained liquid other then water at some point in time. Kept trash to a minimum always dumping it at proper receptacles.

We did have a bear fence but never deployed it; its a battery powered electric fence.

We also had 2 cans of bear spray and a 10mm glock. Having a gun is a nice thing to have but I would almost always recommend a can of spray. Although never use it from within the tent or you will instantly regret it and thats where a gun is nice. There are some studies that show using bear spray over a gun there is much less of a chance to be mauled or killed. Another point to consider is if you shot a bear, you have to report it to the authorities and right or wrong they could end your trip quick. All that being said, I carry a gun.

One of the MOST important things to know about bears is how to recognize behavior patterns to tell if a bear just want to say hi or eat you. This you will have to look up. Usually just making noise is enough to scare off a bear that gets to close.

I carry a ruger 9mm with personal defense rounds in it when we go camping. We’ve had coyotes come close to our camp twice now and it’s scarier if you aren’t armed.


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