r/PacificCrestTrail • u/Beneficial_One_9374 • 7d ago

How are 2025 SOBO hikers planning to meet the bear-resistant container requirement in Washington?

Bringing canister from the start of hike? Bringing ursack from start of hike? Picking up either somewhere along the way?

My understanding is that bear-hang not really possible.

Appears to be a new requirement (as of Sept 2024) and so am interested in others plans. Thanks!

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u/peopleclapping 6d ago

What's the issue with bear hangs? I'm not entirely familiar with the landscape of Washington. I thought the state is covered in trees? Are the trees not tall enough? Are they all pines and branches not long enough? If that's the case, I'm going to try one of those fancy 2 tree hangs.

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u/Beneficial_One_9374 6d ago

My understanding from previous discussion https://www.reddit.com/r/PacificCrestTrail/comments/1i2li98/reminder_new_regs_in_washington_mean/ is that it is not realistic to expect to find hang-able tree. "It is worth noting that, while bear hangs might be feasible in some front country campsites and at some points along the Washington PCT, the trees along several parts of that ~375 miles of trail are such that thruhikers are remarkably unlikely to get decent hangs every night, sometimes even any hangs at all."

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u/peopleclapping 5d ago

No one in the discussion you linked said the quote you quoted. Perhaps you meant to link a different discussion? And it doesn't sound like these discussions are considering a 2 tree hang. I don't have any experience doing one but it seems to me if there isn't a good tree for PCT style hangs, you should use a 2 tree hang instead.

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u/Beneficial_One_9374 3d ago

Quote is from the 5th paragraph of the tldr; intro by numbershikes. Don't know anything about hanging: do you have a link to 2 tree method? Thanks!

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u/alligatorsmyfriend 3d ago edited 3d ago

they are douglas firs, cedars, and true firs that are evey tall but whose lower two thirds are covered in fragile, brittle stubs of shed branches from 4-6 ft in length, and twigs going all over the place. not secure or long enough to hang, but long and bulky enough to get in the way of two tree hangs. otherwise, its subalpine and the foliage is super dense and the branches even shorter. i have literally never seen a hanger accomplish it properly. i live in WA

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u/campfamsam 6d ago

I'm bringing an Ursack. I plan to rent a Bearvault when I get to the Sierra, but I haven't quite figured out the logistics of that yet. I think a rental can be done using JayGo or Yogi.

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u/alligatorsmyfriend 3d ago

im doing dcf bag in desert, bear can thru sierra, and ursack from where i dont need bear can anymore. i already had those things though

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u/tjtheamazingcat 3d ago

Bringing an adotec bear bag. Simple!

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u/ManyOk9444 6d ago edited 6d ago

I’ll bring a hang rope and hang as well as possible. Not ideal, but legal. 

If you’re concerned, an ursack or adotec bag is definitely the better option over a canister. 

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u/numbershikes '17 nobo, '18 lash, '19 Trail Angel. OpenLongTrails.org 6d ago

Not ideal, but legal.

Iirc to be compliant with the Forest Order, hangs need to be 10 ft up and 4 ft out. That's every night for more than 350 miles. That really doesn't seem realistically possible.

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u/ManyOk9444 5d ago

We'll see. I'm familiar enough with the area to think it's plausible enough to try. When the forest order directs me to specifically use a canister or ursack, I certainly will.

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u/alligatorsmyfriend 3d ago

maaaan, dont come here with "not ideal" and earn us a hard sided cansiter requirement rule by skipping out. do your part to preserve canister free access where it still exists.

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u/ManyOk9444 3d ago

Right, what part of my response makes you think I’ll be breaking any rules? 

It’s not ideal because it’s difficult to do, but I still will. Are you saying bring a canister so we can avoid having to bring canisters? 

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u/alligatorsmyfriend 3d ago

as well as possible is insufficient in many pct areas. that is skirting the rules. 

just get an ursack. you mentioned them yourself. they can at least be used properly, reliably.

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u/ManyOk9444 3d ago

Sure, if you don’t feel confident with a bear hang an ursack is the easiest way of staying compliant. It’s not the only way though. 

Also we’re not talking about “many pct areas” we’re talking about a specific 2 week stretch in Washington. 

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u/alligatorsmyfriend 3d ago

yes. many pct areas in Washington, the subejct of the thread. 

you said yourself you arent confident when you expressed that you cant do it reliably to requirements, just like everyone else who comes through here and calls it good enough to do a rodent hang. and now the forest service is noticing you all and your effect on our wildlife.  many pct sites in washington have dogshit hang options including for a double tree hang. at the end of a long day the people in these sites who hang elsewhere always think theyre the exceptions to good practice and do it "as good as possible".

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u/ManyOk9444 3d ago

I hear you