Cooler Security

We keep our Sub-Zero cooler on the side table. (See: Cooler latch issue in Care & Maintenance.) When absent or at night I wrap a 1" nylon tie down strap around the cooler securing it to the table and then put the cooler cover over the cooler. Thus far this has upset one 40# raccoon that got up onto the fender and tried to push the cooler off the table. He rocked the tear real bad and woke us up, so we had words.

I have a feeling larger critters, no matter how many legs, would find this simple deterrent to also be a significant irritant.

Hilditch, 1%er

 

I put a bike lock on it to the bumper and then a small luggage lock on the zippers for the cover. No one has stolen my beer yet.

 

the tie down will foil the average racoon, but it's not going to deter a bear.

Better to leave the cooler unlocked, not tied down, if you are in bear country and plan to leave the cooler anywhere other than roped up in a tree or in a beer-box.

thankfully, most campgrounds only have raccoons (not bear)

 

Alan, I must disagree even though I have a highly cynical regard for opinions from wannabes and those with 3 nights of experience. (I do appreciate you confirming your experience status here. I wish others would realize that fact.)

This may not stop a bear or a stupid teenager. However it WILL wake me up and provide the opportunity for me to negotiate with the intruder before it has a chance to get one of my beers. Verbal should work with a pistol back-up even if my nudity doesn't.

Shake my tear and you are likely to hear a loud noise although we will talk first.

Hilditch

 

Ah the proverbial Bang Bing BOOM! Totally aligned.

 

Hilditch, make the decision easy, don't stock the cooler with beer.

The above is why my cooler resides in the car.

 

while it is always a very good idea to store coolers and food boxes in either a locked car or a bearbox there are a couple of things to check after you have secured your items. First make sure the windows are rolled up, this is something that is probably obvious to most. Second, if you have a sunroof make sure that it is also closed. On a recent trip I neglected to do this and the results were shall we say not pretty.

All night long our campsite wss Grand Central Station for a family of racoons, at one time a racoon got up on the storage area of our 550 and peeked through the window to look at us. Upon getting up the next morning my wife remarked that some of the empty food bags littering the campsite looked to be ours. My reply of course was that this was sheer coincidence due to the fact that the car was locked and the windows were all rolled up. I told her that this could not possibly be our stuff, she was not convinced but I was.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the door and found opened bags of food spread all over the car. The racoons had consumed or opened everything not canned or in glass including 2 bags of peanuts, a box of pancake mix, a bag of Tootsie Rolls, 2 loaves of bread, couple of bags of cookies, 2 bags of soup dried soup mix, a couple of candy bars, and a box of cereal. Of course the car had a strong smell of racoon musk, and to top it all off (literally), a very large racoon had taken a dump on top of the car.

I spent the morning taking care of the situation. It took about a week to get rid of the smell which did not totally go away until I was able to clean all the upholstry with shampoo. Since we have leather seats no lingering odor remains. It was one of those lessons that I will not repeat. According to my wife the reason that the racoon decided to take a peek at us through the window was so he could take a mental picture of what a really good source of food looked like. I pitty the poor campers who had the site after us.
Leo

 

LOL - good point!! Though I doubt a bear will be scared off by your nudity.

(ps During my life, I've actually "camped" or backpacked hundreds of nights - but only three with my TD)

 

Hi, Leo. I thought the latest thinking was the food/coolers should NOT be stored in a car in bear country. It's a bear box or dangling from a tree limb, period. But I may just be thinking about parks where bears are rampant (i.e., Yosemite)

Sounds like you are lucky the raccoons y didn't hitch the car to the teardrop and drive you guys away!!

 

Alan and Cathy,

You are indeed correct, in parks such as Yosemite, bears have learned to recognize that coolers contain food and will break into a car if the cooler is visible. Some years ago I saw a video where a bear leaned up against a car window and started pushing until the window broke. Watching the 350 pound bear going through the window was funny to see, unless of course it is your car.

Since bears have tremendous upper body strength a locked cooler is no impediment for them. Since Yosemite and Yellowstone bears have lots of practice, keeping your food and coolers bear proof is an important part of keeping both you and the bear safe. There is a saying that the local Fish and Game Department harps on around here and that is "A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear" since nuisance bears often have to be destroyed.
Leo

 

Hi, Leo. I need to adopt your approach, and sign my posts. This is Alan.

Thanks!!