The engineer in me loves to hang food packs. That is as long as someone else is taking care of the other chores. I might skip it if I were alone.

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"former practice"? Former? ???  Next thing I'll read is you don't tether the canoe either!

I hate to say this but part of Jimbo's bad habits must have rubbed off. This Spring, Tripper and I were shameful. Our first attempt came crashing down when a carabiner failed. We hung on Keats too but campsites after that, um, I guess you could say we got lazy. In our defense, the later campsites were little used, had no game trails...  We actually saw one more bear than humans the last half of the trip and come to think of it, even that bear sighting didn't motivate us.

I always like these threads. Everyone has a solution that works for them while thinking others do it the hard way or the wrong way if at all.
"... never had a problem in x trips. Works for us."
A bear has never gotten my food either. Even the a time one watched me hang it. He didn't even look at it twice. He was more interested in the rest of my stuff. Why? Because, probably, it was easier. Then again nothing has ever bothered my toothpaste and that's always out and accessible at camp.

The way I've come to understand this issue is that most people, and most bears, are basically lazy creatures of habit. All we really gotta do is be just a little more industrious than any bear we might be lucky enough to see. It's not just protecting our food, it's protecting the food of those that follow - and the bear as well I guess. Every method has it's drawbacks. We all do what's easiest for us.

Is it the hiding, the scattering, the distance from the campsite? How far is far enough? How much effort is each of us willing to expend just to have an extra cocoa when the Northern Lights are out?  It's all a gamble based on individual risk assessment and circumstances. What are the odds? Who knows.

I started bringing the Rubbermaid box to foil the mice. Just so happened that it kept everything dry, organized, easily accessible and cost like $4. Hey, too bad there's not a camo version! (Although I'd bet blue would be tough for a bear at night.)

As long as unlucky people don't hang stuff too close to trees, or sleep with it, I think I'm good.

BTW - On solo trips my food pack is almost always hanging before I do anything else. If I'm not digging in it or sitting on it, it goes back up. I like it best when it's as close to the edge of the rainfly as possible. Walking any unnecessary distance is a pain, and kinda scary in the dark sometimes too. Talking to Yogi and Booboo in or very near 4 different campsites (3 in the dark) over the years will do that to a person. I'd certainly hate to be carrying food around at the time!

Looks good, Jimbo. I could take the wheels off an appliance cart for half the money!

I use a better grade of Rubber-Maid box than db with my Wenzel Load Hauler  [SEE  (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links);  ].  Yes, it costs a few bucks more than some of the other solutions but it has serviced us well over our last three trips.  BWYoungster made a good point, though...such a system DOES encourage you to take MORE food.  Anyhow, IF you DO like to "eat well", this system works well.   

As far as the "hanging" part goes, well... I DID invest in the BWJ Bear Rope system last Winter.  While it does include high quality rope & really good pulleys, etc., I'd have to say that I could have gone to the local hardware store & walked away with an equivalent system for about half the price.  Even then, in actual practice this year, we probably only hanged our bags about half the time.  We ended up reverting to "old habits" & stashing the food packs (yes, PLURAL, for 5 of us) under the canoes during the other nights.  We also used the "random placement in the woods" technique.  Just lazy, partly.  Also - towards the end of our 8 days AND just when the packs were getting light, unfortunately - we figured a poor, starved bear would be welcomed to what little was left (about 6 long rolls of Summer Sausage; the sausage was NOT a big hit with this year's crew   ).

Also, LAST SEPTEMBER db & Tripper dazzled me with their virtuoso displays of  hanging their food packs.  Somehow this year I could never make my BWJ bear rope system work (OR look) quite as good as THEIR systems worked (& looked).  Thus, the pack-hanging "inferiority complex" that has ensued has probably contributed to my reversion to bad habits from my sorry canoe-camping past. 

Jimbo   8)

PS.  I'll be packing my Wenzel Load Hauler to Bushwhacker's Jamboree next June.  I figure I may need it to haul out Stumpy if he breaks a leg or something.   

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Anyone try this? I'm afraid a Rubbermaid wouldn't fit. It seems to be a few inches too big. Looks great though.

It will fit into a Duluth but I didn't like that solution much. My rigged straps are much more comfortable than a Duluth. I added straps and a padded belt for around $25. They do get tangled while moving the pack around in camp on group trips though. They are pretty worn these days too.

I wish that Paragon Pack were a bit bigger.

You may be able to use (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) instead of a pack board.

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I straped mine on to a metal backpack frame this year.  Worked pretty good but I'll never bring it again! (So much room made me bring way to much food)

Get a bear barrel, I have the blue one & we just leave it out in camp. I usually will wedge it against a tree or between some rocks, just to keep a critter from rolling it into the lake.

I will never hang a pack again 

WW

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With power tools and a little imagination, you can make up a pack board suitable for carrying the totes.  Since I've got more time than money, this is the route I went this year.  Cut a piece of 1/4" plywood to fit the side of the tote.  Cut slots in the plywood large enough to run through 1" nylon strap (goes laterally around front of tote) and to run seat belts (vertically for pack straps). Buckle is left on seat belt to cinch around your waist.  A cushion cut to size makes it comfortable.
-YB

Recently used a 14 gallon rubbermaid tote inside a #4 cruiser pack and it was a good fit. It held food for 4 people for 7 days. When I realized how heavy 14 gallons of food was I was happy to be using a well made durable pack. Also there is room to slide a few items along the sides of the rubbermaid but inside the pack (fire grill, fry pan etc.)
Squirrels were a problem whenever the pack was on the ground but did not bother it when it was hung.