[pct-l] Bear encounter before Kennedy Meadows

[James Vesely]

First, animals associate human scent to "food" minus any food scent on any items.   Second, it would be almost impossible to remove scents that an animal's highly sensitive sense of smell can detect.    

An OPsack may remove gross smell that can be detected from a distance but once an animal has started nosing around a campsite I believe they will find it.   Minus a surgical scrub of your hands after every food encounter and before opening and closing the bag I would highly doubt that you could make it scentless to most wild animals and most animals just know bag = food scent or no scent.   

Jim 


Subject: Re: [pct-l] Bear encounter before Kennedy Meadows

I have tested them extensively - not just while on the trail, but also in my rodent-infested barn.  OPSaks have always worked for me.
 
Liz's problem would have been due to either of the following reasons: (Or perhaps both)   1) When she sealed the sack, she did not seal it completely. It is critical that the seal (similar to a ZipLock seal - but a little more difficult to do)  be complete. I run my thumb and forefinger across, with pressure, three or four times) or   2) She got some food smells outside the OPSak.
 
MendoRider-Hiker 

  

________________________________
 From: Brick Robbins <brick at brickrobbins.com>
To: pct-l at backcountry.net 
Sent: Sunday, June 10, 2012 12:49 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Bear encounter before Kennedy Meadows
  
According to Mendo Rider, OpSacks are perfect.

On Sun, Jun 10, 2012 at 10:33 AM, Elisabeth M. Chaplin
<echaplin at gmail.com> wrote:
> Dys-feng shui-nal,
>