I just came back from my first trip where the ranger warned against the tendency of the local rodents eating holes in gear. What tips can all of you give as to how to protect your gear at night? Do the little critters go for shoes? Would they touch a bivy with a human sleeping in it?

Thanks.

When I think of rodents, I think of voles, mice, and marmots. Marmots will certainly try to chew anything, especially if it happens to be clothing that has your body sweat in it. They chew it for the salt. They will chew leather, and I have had items with leather parts ruined by a hungry marmot. Shoes tend to be a little sweaty, so they might make a good target for a marmot.

I doubt that they would get that near to a live human. I woke up one night with some furry animal running over my face, but it was not pausing to eat anything.

--B.G.--

Hang your food

I have learned multiple times that food bag left on ground will get chewed by rodent maybe half the time

Do you have to worry about bears? Here in most of Oregon and Washington the bears stay away from humans, but some places you have to hang your food 10 feet above ground and 10 feet from tree sideways. They are the biggest rodents.

Or Raccoons - I've had them eat my food - they can reach a few feet into the air - maybe 5 feet? Like on the beach of Olympic Peninsula.

Otherwise just a few feet off ground is sufficient.

With my food right by my head, I've still had mice get into it. They did not live to tell the tale though. I even had the help of an owl on one trip. :) I don't leave clothes scattered about, they all get packed away or laid by my bag to get dressed with in the AM. I had the edges of the pockets on my hiking shorts knawed on one trip, same as the one with the aid of the owl, different night.
Duane

If you leave your pack out, make sure all zippers are open so your little friends can get in and out easily. Otherwise, they WILL get in any way they can, and you'll have some nice holes in your pack.