Use a bear canister. Every time.

Hanging your food is better than nothing, but a hard-sided bear canister is the only reliable method. Bears are clever, persistent, and strong. Hanging bags is a gamble; canisters are a lock.

The problem with hanging: most people don’t do it right. The bag needs to be at least 10 feet off the ground and 4 feet away from the trunk. Bears climb. They swipe. They learn that human food hangs in bags. A canister, if closed properly, is a solid barrier. Bears will bat it around, sometimes downhill, but they can’t open it.

Don’t forget the “smellables.” That includes toothpaste, deodorant, sunscreen, trash, and even chapstick. Everything with a scent goes in the canister at night and when you leave camp. Cook and eat at least 100 yards away from where you sleep. Store the canister another 100 yards from both.

If you’re in the backcountry with no canister, use a PCT hang. That’s a counterbalance hang with two bags, one on each side of a branch. Look up the technique before you go. It takes practice.

Bear country is not the place to improvise. Get the proper gear.

A hungry bear is not a problem you want to solve at 2 AM.