Car camping, where to put my cooler?

[vipgeorges]

Hi there,

I'm a new comer to this forum. I've been trying to find an answer to this question for a while.

I plan to go camping in Mendocino forest (California) for 2-3 nights. I plan to sleep in my car and I'd like to take a cooler with me. The campgrounds don't have any bear lockers but when I spoke to the ranger, there are definitely bears in the area. No major incidents as of late, but I want to play it safe.


I hear that keeping the cooler in the car is not smart, but I'm not sure where to store it overnight. I can't hang it from a branch, it's heavy! Has anyone dealt with this?

Thank you!
George

[Happy Joe]

I do primitive camping at unimproved sites and have had bears actually run through camp (they are apparently afraid of getting eaten).
my cooler sits outside my tent, never had an issue myself although a fried camped 20 feet away had his cooler rolled around (we suspect by a bear).

I figure that my lack of bear problems is due to the remoteness of my camps; the bears, probably, do not associate people with food.

Tried sleeping in vehicles; a tent and cot is much more comfortable.

Enjoy!

[toedtoes]

If the campground doesn't have bear lockers, then you are fine leaving you cooler in the car or out in the campground.

There are generally four levels of "bear activity" in California:

1. little to none - no bear lockers, food may be put in coolers or the car to deter raccoons and such.
2. average - bear lockers, food is to be kept in the locker or car to deter bears, bears have not connected cars with food, so will not visually search cars for signs of food.
3. high - bear lockers, no food, including coolers, are to be kept in visual site in cars. The bears have learned to connect coolers with the potential for food. If they see a cooler, they will grab it even if it is in the car. Putting the cooler in the trunk of the car - out of sight- is usually allowed.
3. extreme - bear lockers, no food or coolers are allowed outside of bear lockers or hardsided RVs. Bears have learned to connect cars with potential food. They will rip apart a car if they see or smell anything foodlike or connected to food - including coolers. Coolers cannot be put in trunks.

Mendocino Forest hits the scale at 1 or 2 for the most part. If you want to be a bit safer than required, putting your cooler in the car trunk will suffice. It will also deter theft from the two-legged variety.

[marti alex]

following

[francegelom]

There is actually no big deal in keeping your cooler in the car if there is no locker. Just make sure the car is properly locked

[Happy Joe]

I need to revise my earlier post; during the last outing something casually rolled my rather heavy cooler around twice in one night . No tooth or claw marks, or even tracks were left.

I have long followed the recommendation of not having, eating or prepping food in the tent.
I would advise against leaving food in your vehicle, unless your insurance will fully cover the damage done by a bear totaling the vehicle looking for food. (even if your insurance does cover Bear damage, it is virtually certain that the hassle of replacing or fixing the vehicle will be more than you want to tolerate).

BTW; a bearl can tear the doors off a vehicle whether they are locked or not; these critters are made to tear apart logs while hunting for grubs to eat. They are strong enough to decapitate you with a single swat.

I chain my, bear resistant (rated), cooler to a tree so that i know where to look for it in the morning.
I no longer prep food on its top.

Enjoy!

[John Joseph]

I'll use a Bear Locker if available. If I have to leave it in a car, make sure it is visually out of sight. CA bears can read Igloo and Coleman Lysol spray may help hide food odors
Keeping a clean camp helps

[John Joseph]

Take a second cooler loaded with 72 cans of beer along. Leave it out where Mr. Bear can find it
After popping and drinking 72 cans of beer, Mr. Bear should be in no shape for causing any more camp mischief!

[toedtoes]

I'll use a Bear Locker if available. If I have to leave it in a car, make sure it is visually out of sight. CA bears can read Igloo and Coleman Lysol spray may help hide food odors
Keeping a clean camp helps

Depends on the area. Mendocino bears aren't as smart as Sierra bears. Might be all the smoke they inhale...

For the most part, in California, you can base your decision on if there are bear lockers or not. If no bear lockers, then in the vehicle is fine. If bear lockers, then use them.

[Happy Joe]

I'll use a Bear Locker if available. If I have to leave it in a car, make sure it is visually out of sight. CA bears can read Igloo and Coleman Lysol spray may help hide food odors
Keeping a clean camp helps

Fortunately there is no such thing as "Bear Lockers" where I camp ; I have, quite literally, never seen one .. also no numbered spaces, reservations, nearby neighbors, showers nor utility hookups; I do relatively hard core camping, by preference; where good mud tires, locking axles and 4WD are required to reach the site; the last trip, however, was to a"civilized" area which I blame for the cooler issue...

https://www.pelican.com/us/en/discov...-grizzly-bear/

I agree that keeping a clean camp helps... I sprayed the top of the cooler (where I had cut up a sandwich in half) with Windex in an effort to kill/cover any scent (with ammonia)... no more lat night/early morning visitations after that, at least if there was they ignored the cooler and my camp trash container with beer cans in it.


Enjoy!

[toedtoes]

In the Sierras, even outside of developed campgrounds, it is very important to "bear proof" your food and scented products. Hikers are told to use the "hanging from the tree" method. Adult females have a home range of up to about six miles. Adult males have a range from eight to fifteen miles. They've been known to travel as much as about 125 miles. So, a bear that learned about coolers in Yosemite, could end up on the Pacific Crest Trail snuffling through your gear. Boondocking sights with vehicle access are not a guarantee of a "no bear" experience.

[John Joseph]

Deleted. I had a senior moment and repeated a previous post.

[Raynnnin]

I think it depends from the place where do you want to stay. The previous advice are really valuable, but try to know about your place as more information as possible