Where to Keep Food, Toiletries, and Trash at Night

Start with the exact place

Read the food-storage requirement on the official campground or route page before packing. If it requires a locker or an IGBC-approved canister, that rule decides the system. In bear country without a stricter layout, place cooking and food storage about 200 feet from the sleeping area.

Build one inventory of attractants

Include meals, snacks, drinks other than plain water, cooking oil, dishes with residue, trash, wrappers, toiletries, cosmetics, pet food, bowls, and anything else the local rule identifies. Keep the list on the food bag so the final sweep is a physical task rather than a vague memory.

After dinner, walk the table, stove area, pockets, tent entrance, and chairs. A single forgotten snack in a jacket defeats the otherwise impressive organization of the main food box. Children's daypacks and dog-treat pouches deserve the same sweep.

Use a provided locker deliberately

Group your supplies inside one durable bag or bin before placing them in the locker. Label it, close the locker completely, and avoid spreading small packets across a shared space. Keep the next breakfast accessible within your group so dawn does not begin with a public excavation.

A locker is storage, not a washing station. Wipe cookware and seal waste before putting it away. If the campground requires the locker whenever the site is unattended, use it for lunch-time walks as well as overnight.

A portable canister is a packing shape

Choose a model listed as accepted on the official route page and learn the closure before departure. Pack dense dinners and flat packets low, fill curved gaps with flexible snacks, and pack every attractant inside the required container unless the official route page exempts food eaten before the first night. Put soap and toothpaste into the same capacity calculation.

At camp, place the closed canister where the site's instructions direct—away from the sleeping area and places where it can roll into water or over a cliff. Do not tie objects to it unless the maker and local rule allow that use. In the morning, inspect the closure before returning it to the pack.

When a food hang is accepted

Use a hang only where the agency accepts it and suitable trees exist. The National Park Service reference shown below places the bag 12 feet high and 6 feet from the trunk or supporting branch. Practice the throw and knot before the trip.

Cars and coolers are not interchangeable claims

Where a hard-sided vehicle is an accepted method, put all attractants out of sight, close windows, and lock doors. Store the cooler inside rather than assuming thick insulation makes it animal-resistant. At trailheads and in places with vehicle break-in guidance, follow the destination's more specific instruction.

A cooler advertised as rugged is still a food container unless it carries the certification required by the official route or campground page and is secured exactly as tested. Product strength does not override the posted rule.

Make the night routine short enough to repeat

Assign one person to call the categories and another to check the campsite: food, cookware, trash, toiletries, pet items, pockets. Close the system before people retreat to the tent. In the morning, return every item to the same place between uses.

The best storage routine is boring, complete, and local. It leaves no midnight debate about whether lip balm counts and no breakfast mystery about where the coffee disappeared.

Follow the area's layout rule for cooking, storage, and sleeping; in bear country these may need substantial separation. If an animal enters camp or gets food, move people to safety, do not fight over the food, and report the incident to the host, ranger, or land manager.