Coon Tubes , food protection

[oldsparkey]

There has been some chatter on the back channels about bear proofing your food while out paddling so I thought I would tell you what I use down here for coons.

We make these tubes from PVC Pipe with one end glued on and the other end is glued on with a screw off cap.

They are good to use when in coon territory for storing your food or river snacks on a normal trip. They can be made any size it just depends on what size you want and what PVC Pipe is available to you.

We have had coons really work one of the tupes over while camping in the Okefenokee Swamp at Cravens Hammock and they never managed to get inside.
They are also waterproof so rolling around in your canoe in the rain ... no problems.

Mine is wrapped with Para Cord so I have some spare cord if it is needed and at each end there is a small amount of camouflaged cord wrapped around it and this is what holds the carrying strap.

Chuck.

 

[Swampy]

IF you can get the pipe from a contactor the cost will be less than trying a hardware store... The pieces are expensive ....

I'm still leanning on the bear barrels. They are expensive also.

I got a used 55 gal steel drum with the locking head. Good for a base camp but not to good for canoes...
swampy

 

[oldsparkey]

I spent about $5.00 to make two of those coon tubes and lets say for argument sake the $5.00 was just for one of them.... It sure is a lot less then $79.00 that they want for a commercial made one.

My math tells me it is $74.00 bucks less but that is using the old style of math and not the new stuff.

I use it to carry my river snacks in and a lot of the guy's (down here) also have them to keep there river snacks in. Ever see what Harry , Ray and Van get there snacks from when we stop on the river bank?

Like Jack suggested, dehydrate your food, make up your meals and vacuum pack them then put them inside one of these, no food smells, safe and water tight with $74.00 in your pocket and not someone else's. At that savings you could make three of them , Breakfast , Lunch and Supper containers. Might even have one for snacks and coffee grounds.

"O" by the way you don't need to purchase 20 feet of the pipe, most places will already have some trimmed or have them cut a piece for you, most stores will sell a piece only 2 or 3 feet long. Down here ACE hardware will.

Chuck.
Or just don't camp where there are any bears................ :lol: :lol:

 

[Deer Slayer]

I'm somewhat on the cheap side....my solution is an XL drybag weighted with rocks and sunk underwater.....

 

[islandpiper]

What great idea. Jack.......can you convert some of those Glen Fiddich tubes you've got stored out in the shed?

Piper

 

[Kayak Jack]

Well, Piper-san, Deer slayer didn't mention a key item. Those dry bags oughta be set into the water with folded end down tied under water, and sealed end floating up.

And, I NEVER mix water with my Scotch. That's what you told me they do in houses of ill repute - serve Scotch with water. I drink it straight.

Besides, once I started packing food into vac-bags and sealing them (Tilia food saver), I then wash the outside of the bag to clear any food odors that may have been transferred in handling. No critters have bothered my food bags. I toss them under the rain fly of my Hennessy hammock - and they remain right there.

 

[Deer Slayer]

Jack is right....folded end down, sealed end up being sure in removing as much air out of the bag as possible. Also, I use a stuff bag for the rocks, attaching it to the drybag with a carabiner. And, don't forget a length of line to help in keeping it secured ,and to assist in the recovery process.

 

[Kayak Jack]

I wonder how long before the raccoons figure this out. They are a lot of things, dumb isn't one of them.

Word here is it takes a combination lock with three numbers to stop'em. Just a two-number combination slows them down for a while, but they get it after while.

 

[oldsparkey]

Good idea on putting your food in the water ...... NOT... DOWN HERE..... Ya would have to be nuts to do that

.

The Gators , Snapping Turtles or in the 10,000 islands both of them and the Sharks, not saying anything about the tidal flow. I don't want my chow feeding someone in Mexico, or one of those critters and that is where it would be. I will be darned if I will do like the Pirates did and bury my treasure to protect it, No Way.

Those tubes do the trick , they even keep your grits safe.

Chuck.

 

[islandpiper]

Chuck, her ya go.....leave your food and snacks out anyplace you want. Put the GD Coons in the tubes....

In New Orleans they are going to try something like that. the might let the criminals run free and put the nice folks in jail as there's lots fewer of them.

Piper

 

[WestCoastPaddler]

Up here in the heart of bear country, we hang our food in dry bags.

Recently on a trip around the Bowron Lakes, bear boxes were provided -- and there are lots of bears in that area -- both black and grizzly. We spent ten days and didn't see a single bear but we missed a mother and her three cubs at a campsite by half an hour. We did see a few moose but I'm not aware of moose going after "people" food.

I've seen a number of bears in my travels but have never had one go after my food cache. I think the dry bags do a fairly good job of isolating smells.

We sometimes have issues with racoons but only in a few locations. I've heard of people leaving water containers out in the Gulf Islands only to wake up in the morning to dry containers that racoons have slashed through (there is no fresh water in the Gulf Islands and the coons are developing some smarts about where to get some). We've also had racoons come right into our camps during the night and make off with bags of food -- right while we were standing only 20 feet away -- happened to me twice now. They can be quite brazen when they're hungry.

Dan

http://www.westcoastpaddler.com

*****

 

[Kayak Jack]

West, three members on this forum are raccoons - we're that smart. Bet you can't guess which ones.

Around Gitche Gumi (Lake Superior) the red squirrels seem to be able to smell food right through dry bags. They'll chew through straight into peanuts. If god makes some kids allergic to peanuts, why aren't red squirrels allergic to them?

 

[WestCoastPaddler]

I don't know. It's never occured to me that red squirrels might be allergic to kids. :lol:

*****

 

[Johnny Swank]

Gamma Seal lids

We used Gamma Seal lids on four five-gallon buckets (overkill - but we didn't run out of food!) with great results on the Mississippi. I'm sold on these things. Easy to get into, wide mouth, and gasketed. You can pick them up at Campmor (I think), Great Outdoor Provision Company, and a bunch of prepardness places for about $8 bucks each. I wish I could have crammed a 3-gallon bucket into the kayak for the Cape Fear trip or I would have used on on it as well.

We use them at home to store flour, rice, and wheat in as well.

 

[Johnny Swank]

Maybe not campmor, but I know for a fact that Great Outdoor Provision Company (Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, NC stores) have them. Don't have the phone numbers handy, but they'll ship them as they receive the order.

You can also google "gamma lid" and it'll pop up on a few sites. Don't pay more than $9-10 bucks each. Plenty of sites have them for that price or less.

Thank you, will do Jack stepping in here

 

[Kayak Jack]

OK, Johnnicus Swankus, I now have two each lids with adapter rings on the way from http://www.nitro-pak.com/

I figger one each 5 gallon bucket for Scotch, and one for food. We'll see which one gets dry fustest.

Thank you for the hint.

Bear's Buddy - is this what you were using on your fishing bucket when you went submerged last spring?

 

[hairymick]

Hey Chucky, Great idea mate. Thank you for sharing.

Our bloody scrub turkies and goannas do the same job as your 'coons. The buggers'l nip right into your tent and steal anything that even resembles food. :lol:

 

[Running Boar]

Chuck,

Those coon tubes are a great idea and I am going to make a few up, I am just like you and tend to wrap 550 cord on everything, you never know when you will need some extra cord.

As far as coons, if you travel with a Rusty dog like I do you don't have to worry about coons, except whether to bake them with sweet taters or BBQ them with red pepper flakes and cider vinegar. :wink: Chris

 

[oldsparkey]

Chris

I have never gotten my priorities straight, Most of the time I am usually paddling alone or with a batch of old goats.

A bunch of old goats will chase a coon but usually no further then a few steps and then it is time for snacks or another drink and at night there snoring does not keep the coons away. I think it attracts the coons because they think there is a coon fight going on from all of the racket coming from the tents. :lol: :lol: :lol:

I have paddled with a Florida Cattle Dog (looks like a pit bull) down the Suwannee and we did not have any critter problems. That dog did not snore and sure would chase anything.

Chuck.