Anyone ever use a Nalgene Wide Mouth Cantene for dry food storage on a long distance thru hike?

I thinking a 96 oz. cantene will hold a lot of dry soup mix and will hold up a lot better than freezer bags to general usage.

Thoughts?

96 oz. seems like an aweful lot of soup mix. It might work very nicely for trail mix or something like that. Smaller platypus bottles like the little nipper or .5 liter might be a bit of a pain to fill, but could work very nicely for things like rice, instant mashed potatoes, or powered milk.

You can find heavy duty storage bags for food in some gourmet cooking stores..might be a start for you.
Though for me, Glad freezerbags work great for storage. Secret is keeping powders out of the zippers.
The cantene would work-but you might find it bulky over time-and frustrating since it couldn't be used for water.

I use a 16 oz. Nalgene Canteen to carry spaghetti sauce that comes in a bottle. It leaves s thin film of sauce on the inside.

The bulk carry option does not suit my style becasue I measure and bag all portions before the trip.

Haven't tried it yet but thinking of using the Nalgene Wide Mouth as a rodent proof container for my trail mix.

Rodent proof? Rodents will easily chew through a Nalgene Cantene, and probably any Nalgene Jar (the lids would be the easiest part to get through).

I'm a big fan of ziploc bags myself. Rodent proof usually means nicely hung from a tree branch with a piece of metal (like a small 'biner or a hardware store snaplink) that the mice can't climb over.

Edited by david_bonn on 01/30/2006 20:45:06 MST.

Rember rodents have very sharp teeth, and they will hang out for a loooong time if they smell a free dinner. Not much is rodent proof/resistant-besides metal and things like Ursacks and bear canisters.

>> Not much is rodent proof/resistant-besides metal and things like Ursacks and bear canisters. <<

Even Ursack advises that sharp teeth like those from canines, felines and rodents are able to get through their material. Apparently bear teeth are more rounded than these other species.

From the Ursack FAQ page:
"Is Ursack resistant to rodents, marmots, wolves, etc? - Ursack is highly effective against Marmots and raccoons. It should not be considered wolf or dog resistant. That's because they have sharp teeth and strong jaws. Bears have great strength, but their teeth are not sharp. Other rodents have varying degrees of success. Sometimes mice can chew very small holes, but very little of your food is likely to be taken. Some species of squirrels and (we have heard) pine martens have greater success, and may on rare occasion chew holes in Ursack."

As I said, they are resistant ;-) Though, in about 5 years not one has gotten into my Ursack. Woke up one morning to find my Ursack covered in chipmunk poo....the had been on my bag probably the whole night-and left their (blech!) calling card of frustration. Lol....

I use a 32 oz. nalgene wide-mouthed hard-sided bottle to carry my energy bars in when I overnight. It is waterproof, bugproof and has been rodent proof so far.

Has anyone tried a "ratsack"? They used to advertise in Backpacker Mag., but haven't seen an add lately. For about the same weight as an Ursack, they appear to be racoon, mouse, skunk, possum and squirrel proof!!!

http://www.armoredoutdoorgear.com/ratsack.htm

Michael,

Very timely question, as I'm currently debating with myself as to whether I want to get an Ursack or a Ratsack to protect my food. I would, of course, use an odor barrier (similar to the O.P. Sack) with whatever I decide to get - the theory being if they can't smell it, they won't know it's there and thus it won't get eatten.

the little buggers understand the theory, too!

i personally think odor barrier is 90% of the battle.

and of course the other 10% is half mental!

I use an Ursack, but that is becuase I hike in black bear country the majority of the time. I have had mine for near 5 years. Most of my friends have Ursacks-when we go on our big trips, we have a literal musuem of Ursacks-every style ever made...lol!

Sarbar -
Do you use the aluminum liner with your Ursack or do you just use the Ursack by itself?

By itself. I'd like to get one of the metal liners..I just haven't gotten around to it.
The only animal I don't trust my Ursack to is racoons. So when I coastal hike, I use an, ugh, bear canister.
Thing is, I don't carry food that can really be wrecked if I do ever encounter a nasty bear (and in all the years of using it, chipmunks are the pestiest thing!!). I know people ask "what if your food gets crushed?" and my reply is...if your food is dry already, it isn't going to get any more crushed ;-) I do carry things like olive oil in the center, just in case.

Sarbar - So what you're saying is that you have both because you need a hard sided bear container for protection from raccoons.

For those of us who don't want to invest in both an Ursack or bear container, wouldn't a bear container alone be the more practical of the two choices?

I'm trying to invest my resources ($$$) wisely.

I have used and still use a rat sack they are great at keeping out Grand Canyon pests. I think they would stop a racoon if hung in a tree.
Weight is not bad, better than a canister.

I rent the canisters from the WIC at Olympic NP, when I need one (a $3 donation). I refuse to buy one ;-) I only have to use one when I coastal hike.
When I hike at Mt. Rainier NP, they love hikers so much they have bear poles in every camp. When going X/C or anywhere else, I take the Ursack.

Your comments really have helped me. Looks like I'm getting an Ursack.