Food storage

Proper storage protects you and the animals. Local rules win. Where a canister is required, hang skill is not a loophole.

• Hard-sided canister. Required in much of the Sierra, many national parks, and anywhere trees will not give you a legal hang. Yosemite: overnight, store the canister within eye and ear shot of the sleeping location. Hanging is not legal there. Local rules win. Lid down-slope so a roll does not visit the tent.
• Certified soft-sided bag. [IGBC-certified](https://igbconline.org/wp-content/uploads/260731_Certified_Products_List.pdf) in many areas. Tie it tight to a tree with the approved knot. Check the land unit. Certified is not the same as allowed.
• LNT hang. Where hanging is legal: 12+ ft off the ground, 6+ ft from the trunk, 6+ ft below the branch. That geometry is Leave No Trace, not a PCTA rule. Practice in daylight.

1. Throw a line over a live branch 15–20 ft up and at least 6 ft from the trunk.
2. Clip the food bag to the line with a carabiner. Clip the free end back through the same carabiner.
3. Hoist the bag all the way to the branch.
4. Tie a clove hitch around a short stick or stake as high as you can reach. That is the toggle.
5. Lower the line until the toggle meets the carabiner. The bag stops at the midpoint.
6. Final check: 12+ ft off the ground, 6+ ft from the trunk, 6+ ft under the branch.

Sleep, cook, and store food well apart. Never store food in the tent. Local rules win. The 2025 ATC survey had 13% of hikers wishing they knew food storage better. That is not a beginner question. It is a trail question.