The Complete Guide to Bear Bag Hanging

A note from Ben at Hilltop Packs in Waynesburg, PA: we build ultralight, custom bear bags (food bags) for a living. This is how we use them, what we’ve learned from customers who’ve thru-hiked the AT and PCT, and the mistakes we see people make every season.

Why bear bag hanging, instead of a canister or Ursack?

A quick note before the how-to. Food storage in backpacking trips falls into three categories and they’re not the same thing.

Bear canisters (hard-sided plastic, like the BV500) weigh about two pounds, are required in some specific zones (parts of the Sierra, certain national parks), and are essentially bear-proof. They work. They’re also two pounds heavier than they need to be in places that don’t require them.

Ursack is a Kevlar bear-resistant sack. Heavier that an ultralight food bag, expensive, and not approved in every park (always check before relying on one). Usually hung at eye level. If a bear gets to it the Ursack they are designed to not be easily ripped open by a bear. However, you end up with smashed food with smelly bear slobber all over your food bag.

Bear bag hanging is the ultralight standard when the terrain has trees. It is what most thru-hikers use on the AT, on the PCT in the lower-elevation stretches, and on most three-season trips east of the Rockies. A good bear bag plus a throw kit plus some practice will keep a black bear out of your food while adding less than 2 or 3 ounces to your pack.

This guide is about doing the hanging right. If you’re heading to a canister-required zone, get a canister. Everywhere else, here’s how we do it.

Stock white food bags

Fun printed food bags

Custom Printed food bags

The PCT Method (the one most thru-hikers use)

The PCT method is named for the trail it became standard on. It uses a single rope, a single rock sack (a small bag you fill with a rock to weight the throw), a carabiner., and some type of toggle like a stick or the dog bone from Hilltop Packs. The setup pulls the bag up against the branch so a bear can’t reach it from the trunk or from a lower limb.

What you need:

A bear bag (we make ours from Dyneema or Challenge D50T so they shed water and don't tear during use)
50 feet of cord or our specialized throw line that wont stretch, slips over branches and resists moisture.
A small rock sack and a small rock
One small carabiner (aluminum is fine; this isn’t a climbing rated load)
Consider our Dog Bone as a quick and easy to use toggle that requires no fancy knots. We also sell basic a aluminum toggle.

The setup:

Find a sturdy branch about 15-20 feet up and 5-6+ feet out from the trunk. Look for a branch that’s about as thick as your wrist near the trunk and tapers down. You want the branch to be too thin for a bear to climb out on, but thick enough not to break.
Fill the rock sack and tie it to one end of your line with the carabiner.
Throw the rock sack over the branch. This is the part that takes practice. Throw underhand if that’s easier, like a soft pitch. If you miss, and you will, try again.
Remove the rock sack and attach the carabiner to your bear bag and rope. Slip the tail end of your rope into the carabiner so that when you pull the rope tail, the bear bag glides up the rope. Pull the rope to hoist the bag all the way up to the branch.
As the bag reaches the branch, take the dog bone (or other toggle) and attach it to the rope at a height as high as you can reach.
Slowly let the bag drop. The bag will drop and your toggle will go up until they meet each other and stop. Now the bag is hanging from the carabiner where it met the dog bone or toggle.

That’s it. In the morning you pull the cord tail and remove the dog bone or toggle. Then freely lower your bear bag.

Common screw-ups we hear about every season:

Hanging the bag too low. If a bear standing on its hind legs can reach the bag, you did this wrong.
Hanging too close to the trunk. Bears climb. 5-6 feet out from the trunk is key.
Hanging the bag in a tree right next to your tent. Hang it 100 yards downwind of camp.
For the long version of this method with photos, see our full PCT-method walkthrough.

The Counterbalance Method (when one bag won’t cut it)

The counterbalance is older and a little more involved, but it works well when you have two bags or a heavy single load. Two bags hang on opposite ends of a line that runs over a high branch. They balance each other in midair, and nothing reaches the ground.

The setup:

Same as above for finding the branch and getting the line over it.
Tie one bag to one end of the line. Hoist it up to the branch.
Tie your second bag to the other end of the line. Hold it up as high as you can and tie a loop a few feet down.
Reach up with a stick, push the second bag up over the branch line, and let it counterbalance against the first.

The bags settle at the height where they balance. Both are well off the ground.

The trade-off: this method needs about 10 more feet of rope, and getting the bags down in the morning is fussier (you have to fish for a loop with a long stick). Most people prefer the PCT method these days, but counterbalance is the answer when you have an awkward branch shape and one tail of the line keeps trailing the ground.

The Two-Tree Method (for stretches with no good branch)

Sometimes you get to camp and every tree is either too short, too vertical, or too sparse for a good single-branch hang. The two-tree method uses a line strung between two trees instead.

The setup:

Run a tight line between two trees about 20-25 feet apart, at least 12 feet up.
Toss a second line over the middle of the tight line.
Tie your bag to the second line and hoist.

The bag ends up in midair between the two trees, not climbable from either trunk. Some people call this the “bear-muda triangle” because the geometry triangulates the bag away from approach angles.

It’s slower to set up than the PCT method and uses more rope. We’d reach for it when the tree options are bad rather than as the default. But it’s a good tool to know.

The gear you actually need

A bear bag. The thing your food goes in. Build it from a fabric that won’t tear when you yank it through branches and that resists the weather. We make ours from Challenge D50T or Dyneema. Both are ultralight, both are waterproof enough that an overnight rain won’t soak through, both will hold up to season after season of rough handling. See our bear bag throw kit for the throw line + rock sack as a set.

50 feet of cord or a dedicated throw line. A purpose-built throw is always better. Don’t skimp on length: 50 feet gives you working room. 30 feet is not enough on a tall branch.

A small rock sack. This is the bag you fill with a rock to weight your throw. You can make one out of anything but we sell small rock sacks sized for the job and built to take impact.

One small carabiner. Anything aluminum. You’re only holding a few pounds of food, not arresting a human fall.

That’s it. You can run any of the three methods above.

Common mistakes (we hear about these every season from customers on the AT and PCT)

Storing toothpaste, sunscreen, or trash in your tent. Smells attract. Anything that has a scent goes in the bear bag, not your tent vestibule.
Hanging the bag and going to bed before testing. Stand 20 feet away. Look at the bag. Can a bear standing on its hind legs reach it from the trunk? Can it walk out on the branch? If yes, redo it.
Forgetting to set up before dark. Find your branch in daylight. Throw your line in daylight. Hoist your bag at dusk if you want but don’t be wrestling with a headlamp in your mouth trying to find a branch by feel.
Hanging right next to camp. A hundred yards downwind is the rule. If a bear hits your bag at 3 AM, you want to be far away from the noise.
Skipping the bag altogether and stuffing food in your pack. A pack is not a bear bag. A bear will go through nylon like tissue. If you don’t want to hang, get a canister.

Quick FAQ

How high should I hang my bear bag? At least 12 feet off the ground and 6 feet from the trunk. Higher is better. The phrase to memorize is “12 by 6.”

What if there are no good trees? Use the two-tree method if you can find any pair. If you can’t, you’re in country that probably requires a canister anyway. Plan ahead.

Do I need a special bear bag, or will a stuff sack work? A cheaper stuff sack will tear when you yank it through branches and could soak through in rain. Bear bags are built tougher for that exact reason. If you’re going one night somewhere with low bear pressure, you’ll probably get away with a stuff sack. For repeat use, get a real one.

Can I just hang it from my hammock straps? No. Your hammock straps are at sleeping height, which is bear-grab height. Different system, separate tree.

How long does the rope last? A good throw line will go several thousand miles. Paracord wears at the spot where it rubs the branch. Inspect for fraying every few months and swap when it starts looking rough.

What about a bear locker or campground bear box? Use it. If a developed campground provides a bear locker, that’s the right answer. Bear bagging is for backcountry use where there’s no infrastructure.

Final word from Ben

We’ve been making bear bags for thru-hikers, weekend backpackers, and scout troops out of our small shop in Waynesburg for years. The single best bear-safe trip is the one where you set up your hang in daylight, double-check it before dark, and sleep well knowing your dinner is twelve feet up and six feet out.

If you’re starting from scratch, our bear bag products ship from PA. Hand-built, 5-year warranty. We use them ourselves.

Hope this helps. If you’ve got a method that works better, hit reply on any of our emails and tell me. I read every one.

Ben Hilltop Packs