I’m starting my trip in late august and was about to order the approved Ursack (S29 + liner). Has anyone heard how these are holding up this year? I don’t want to order it and have the approval revoked a few days later, or worse, I don’t want to be using it and have bear get at my food, so any information is appreciated.
Thanks.
DODoubleG
I meta dude who was trying to do the trail in 10 days from Tuolomne Meadows, eating only raw foods. His Ursack got shredding on night #1 on the trail (Lyell Canyon).
Having heard this story first hand - on the trail, I was glad that I had a cannister.
PS: You can save the money on the Ursack, and rent the cannister at Yosemite. It’s the cheapest way to go. I bought my cannister, but in retrospect, I should have rented.
Jeffrey Hunter
Do we know which type of Ursack was shredded?
I could of been the previous model that has had some issues.
I am currently planning on the S29 + Liner for next month to save the 9oz of weight over the Bearikade Weekender.
-martin
OregonBeerMan
I’m sorry, but I don’t know the model. I remember that the guy (from Wisconsin) was not happy about it. He was also quite sick from the altitude, and seemed displeased by his dietary choices (dried fruit and nuts - only). Having said that, he did choose the PCT high route (before Reds) over the JMT because he had already walked that section of the JMT. I wonder if he made it, or if he dropped off the trail.
JeffreyHunter
Shredded just seems unlikely given the material. I’m thinking the guy was possibly confused about the difference between a bear sack(silnyon stuff sack for bear bagging) and an Ursack. The only failures that I’ve heard about in the past had a big single tear or hole in the bag (but shredded seems to imply much worse then the material would allow).
I have only heard about 1 complaint about an Ursack failure this year. It was apparently determined to be human error since there were no holes in the Ursack in question (implying that the opening wasn’t cinched tight since how else did the bear get the food?). I bought my S29 Hybrid in May, the day that it’s aproval was announced by the SIBBG on their website. They are difficult to close tightly when they are new due to the stiff material. It took me some time the first 2 times I did it; it does seem to get easier though the more you do it.
Miner
It was not a stuff sack. It was an Ursack that he lashed to a tree. Perhaps “shredded” was the wrong word to use.
Jeffrey Hunter
I believe what you are saying Jeff…but hope this hiker had a really old model. For I too just got mine in the mail and my choice was the one that is approved S29 Green…the yellow one is not, nor any of the older models.
If a bear does tear it…you get your money back…but of course not your food:eek:
AlohaTink
I’m on the PCT now, and went thru the Sierras last month. Iceman and Gazelle had their ursack, with the alumium liner thrashed by a bear just south of Tuolomne Meadows. In fact their tent was apparently ruined also, which led them to pack up their stuff at 5am and return to Mammoth for new gear.
I have serious doubts about the Ursack, liner or not. I used a cannister the whole way thru and slept a lot better knowing nothing would happen.
A-Train
That’s the same area that the dude had his ursack ransacked last year. Lyell Canyon is just south of Tuolomne Meadows. Maybe it’s the same bear who has figured out how to get into the ursack.
Jeffrey Hunter
Hi. I’m the president of Ursack. I have not heard of any Ursack failures this year. I have had reports of successes. There was a PCT through hiker, Matt Dina, of Michigan, who reported a failure at Thousand Island Lake–just south of Tuolomne. I don’t know if Matt goes by the name of Iceman or Gazelle. He returned the Ursack and I talked to him on the phone. The Ursack was not torn–except for a grommet that had been partly pulled out, but not in a way that would allow a bear access to food. This was a clear case of user error. He did not cinch the Ursack tight and did not tie it with a secure knot. Instead he tied it to the base of a tree (not a branch) where the bear worked the slack cords open enough to get access. The cords were intact.
I would ask all of you to please be very careful about reporting the failure of any piece of equipment–Ursack or otherwise–without knowing first hand exactly what happened. It is very hard to quash rumors once they start.
Please fee free to email me directly if you prefer.
tom
Tom Cohen
Ursack, Inc.
Ursack Pres
Thanks Tom for replying to this thread. I agree with your warning about rumors since they can be taken negatively…
I feel more comfortable now with the Ursack S29 + Liner after your updates.
Good point about the square knot to keep the cinch lock in place.
One question - should the sack be all the way closed? I can get my S29 + Liner cinched down where there is only a dime sized hole left - should there be no hole?
-martin
OregonBeerMan
Tom:
I certainly did not mean to start any rumors. I just reported what I heard first-hand on the JMT last year. I didn’t think about user error as potentially being the root cause.
Anyway, thanks for coming here and sharing info with us hiker folk.
jeffrey hunter
Jeffrey, you may have been talking about a different model of ursack, I think the S29 with liner is fairly new.
Tom, thanks for the update. It sounds like as long as we follow the instructions we shouldn’t have any problems.
Smallfoot
Last summer I used an older spectra fabric Ursack with the new aluminum liner. I had trouble getting it to close completely and was left with a dime sized hole as noted above. One night a small creature poked its head through and nibbled on some trail mix. My solution was to place a large flat rock inside the bag before closing it. This worked well for the rest of the trip.
I e-mailed Tom at Ursack when I returned. Since I had an older Spectra fabric model, he recommended either cutting down the liner a bit, or placing a round metal disk under the opening.
Given the availability of small flat rocks in the mountains, I am going to stick with what I did.
Snowball
Check our website FAQs for instructions on how to cinch an Ursack completely tight. It can be done without leaving any holes. The short version: pull one cord at a time, then wrap cords around branch or door knob or ?? and pull gently but firmly.
Update. As of today there has only been one Ursack S29 Hybrid where a bear got a food reward. That’s the one discussed in this forum and was clearly user error.
UrsackPres
I believe I met the two folks who had trouble with their Ursack this summer. From their discription, it did sound like operator error.
I used the new model this summer and found it to be perfect. I was very careful where I camped, in fact, rather than going down to Thousand Island Lake I camped on the bluffs above. No bears, no trouble. I believe the most important things about using a Ursack is to carefully pick your spot and following the directions to the letter. Stealth camping is your best bet.
shelly